Whether you're ordering steel plate, shipping a fabricated part, or checking if a shelf can hold a load, you often need a metal's weight before it exists. The math is simple once you know the density.
The metal weight formula
Every weight calculation comes down to one equation: weight = volume × density. Find the volume of the shape (a plate is length × width × thickness; a round bar is its cross-section area × length), then multiply by the density of the metal.
Metal density chart
| Metal | Density (lb/ft³) | Density (g/cm³) |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | 169 | 2.70 |
| Titanium | 281 | 4.51 |
| Steel (mild) | 490 | 7.85 |
| Stainless steel | 500 | 8.00 |
| Brass | 535 | 8.55 |
| Copper | 559 | 8.96 |
| Lead | 708 | 11.34 |
Calculating plate weight
For a flat plate, the volume is length × width × thickness. Multiply by the metal's density and you have the weight. Because unit conversions (feet, inches, millimeters) make this error-prone, our steel plate weight calculator and aluminum weight calculator handle mixed units and give you an instant result.
Calculating pipe and tube weight
Pipe is trickier because it's hollow — you calculate the weight of the outer cylinder and subtract the hollow core. The pipe weight calculator does this for any diameter, wall thickness, and length, so you don't have to work through the geometry.
Quick reference: steel plate weight
Mild steel plate weighs roughly 40.8 lb per square foot for each inch of thickness. So a 1/2-inch steel plate weighs about 20.4 lb per square foot, and a 1/4-inch plate about 10.2 lb per square foot. For exact figures on any size, use the plate weight calculator above.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate the weight of metal?
Multiply the volume of the part by the density of the metal. For a plate, that's length times width times thickness times the metal's density.
How much does steel weigh?
Mild steel weighs about 490 pounds per cubic foot, or roughly 40.8 pounds per square foot for each inch of plate thickness.
Is aluminum lighter than steel?
Yes — aluminum's density is about one-third of steel's, so an identical part in aluminum weighs roughly a third as much.
How do you find the weight of a pipe?
Calculate the weight of the solid outer cylinder and subtract the hollow inside, based on the outer diameter, wall thickness, and length. A pipe weight calculator does this automatically.