How do you calculate the weight of steel?

Multiply the cross-section area by the length and by the density of steel, 0.2836 lb/in³. A 1 in round bar has an area of 0.7854 in², so each foot (12 in) weighs 0.7854 × 12 × 0.2836 = 2.67 lb, and a 20 ft bar weighs 53.46 lb.

How much does steel plate weigh per square foot?

40.84 lb per square foot for each inch of thickness. So 1/4 in plate is 10.21 lb/ft², 1/2 in is 20.42 lb/ft² and 1 in is 40.84 lb/ft². A 48 × 96 in sheet of 1/4 in plate weighs 326.7 lb.

What is the density of steel in lb/in³?

Carbon steel is 0.2836 lb/in³ (7.85 g/cm³). Stainless 304 is 0.2865 lb/in³ and 316 is 0.2883. For comparison, 6061 aluminum is 0.0975 lb/in³ and brass 0.3071.

How much does 16 gauge steel weigh?

16 gauge sheet steel is 0.0598 in thick, which works out to 2.44 lb per square foot at 7.85 g/cm³. Gauge charts list 2.50 lb/ft², because the gauge system was set by weight. A 4 × 10 ft sheet is about 98 lb by thickness.

How much lighter is aluminum than steel?

6061 aluminum weighs about 34% as much as carbon steel of the same size (2.70 against 7.85 g/cm³), roughly a third. A 1/4 × 48 × 96 in plate is 326.7 lb in steel and 112.4 lb in aluminum.

Steel Weight Calculator

Weigh steel, stainless, aluminum and other metals as plate, sheet, bar, tube, pipe or angle, per foot or meter, per piece and for the order. Enter the size the customer gave you, the length and the quantity, add your price per pound if you have one, and the total and the material cost come back with it.

Metal and shape

Metal

Density 7.85 g/cm³ (0.2836 lb/in³)

Shape

Size and quantity

Diameter (in)

Length of one piece (ft)

Quantity (pieces)

Price per lb (optional)

$

Your quoted price, to cost the order.

Weight

Total for 10 pieces

534.6 lb

242.5 kg

Weight per piece

53.46 lb

24.25 kg

Weight per ft

2.673 lb

Cross section 0.7854 in²

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How the steel weight is worked out

Weight = cross-section area × length × density. Carbon steel is 7.85 g/cm³, which is 0.2836 lb/in³ or 490 lb/ft³, the figure behind the AISC and stockist weight tables. Pick another metal and its density replaces it.

The cross section depends on the shape: thickness × width for plate and flat bar, π × d² ÷ 4 for round bar, 0.866 × s² for hex bar measured across the flats, the outside area minus the inside area for tube and pipe, and t × (a + b − t) for an angle with legs a and b.

Worked example

Ten 20 ft lengths of 1 in round A36 bar: the cross section is 0.7854 in², so one foot weighs 0.7854 × 12 × 0.2836 = 2.67 lb. One 20 ft piece is 53.46 lb and the ten pieces weigh 534.6 lb. At $0.85 a pound the material comes to $454.39.

A 1/4 in plate, 48 × 96 in: 10.21 lb per square foot and 326.7 lb for the sheet. The same plate in 6061 aluminum weighs 112.4 lb.

Metal densities used

Carbon steel 7.85 g/cm³ (0.2836 lb/in³). Stainless 304 7.93 (0.2865) and 316 7.98 (0.2883). Aluminum 6061 2.70 (0.0975). Copper 8.89 (0.3212). Brass 8.50 (0.3071). Gray cast iron 7.20 (0.2601). Titanium Grade 2 4.51 (0.1629).

These are nominal values from the alloy data sheets (ASM, the Aluminum Association, the Copper Development Association). Alloys within a family differ by a percent or two, so a 304 or 316 quote comes out slightly heavier than carbon steel of the same size.

Sheet gauge, pipe and structural shapes

Sheet steel gauge is a thickness: 16 gauge is 0.0598 in, which weighs 2.44 lb per square foot at 7.85 g/cm³. Gauge tables print 2.50 lb because the Manufacturers' Standard Gauge was defined by weight at 41.82 lb per square foot per inch. Stainless, galvanized and aluminum sheet use other gauge tables, so enter their thickness.

Pipe is a round tube: enter the outside diameter and the wall. 2 in schedule 40 (2.375 in OD, 0.154 in wall) works out to 3.66 lb/ft against 3.65 in ASME B36.10. Angles and tubes are figured with sharp corners: an L2 × 2 × 1/4 angle comes to 3.19 lb/ft, the AISC table value. Beams and channels are not included, because their tapered flanges and fillets do not reduce to simple geometry: use the weight in the name (a W8 × 31 beam is 31 lb/ft).

From weight to the quote

Service centers usually price bar, plate and tube by the pound or by the hundredweight (cwt, 100 lb). A price of $85 per cwt is $0.85 a pound. Multiply the total weight by the price per pound, then add cutting, processing and freight, which this calculator leaves out.

Weights are theoretical, from the nominal size and density. Mill tolerances on thickness and diameter, corner radii and coatings move the real weight a few percent either way, so use the mill cert or the scale weight for shipping and billing.

Get the specs from the call into the quote

Customers read out grade, size and quantity on the phone, often several items in a row. Record the call with ParrotNotes and you get a transcript, a summary and the action items, so every spec for the quote is in one note.

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