Laser cutting and sheet metal calculators

Metal Weight Calculator

Choose a shape and a metal, enter the sizes, and get the weight of one piece, the total and the weight per metre or foot.

Open on LaserCuttingSupply

Embed

Embed this tool

Copy this code into your website, blog or class page. The tool runs inside your page.

Please keep the credit link below the tool.

The metal weight calculator works out how much a piece of metal weighs from its shape, size, length and material. Enter the cross-section dimensions and the length, choose a material such as mild steel, stainless 304, aluminum 6061 or titanium Ti-6Al-4V, and the tool returns the weight of one piece and the total for your number of pieces. It is free, runs in your browser, and needs no sign-up. The same calculator also powers the steel plate, pipe and steel beam pages, and this page opens with Plate / sheet in mild steel. Results are estimates, so check critical designs against the applicable standard and supplier data.

At a glance

Metal Weight Calculator is a free browser tool that works out the weight of one piece and the total from a shape's cross-section, its length and the metal's density, for plate, bar, tube, pipe, angle and beam sections.

  • Weight equals cross-section area × length × density, and mild steel is 7.85 g/cm³, which is 7,850 kg/m³.
  • A 2000 × 1000 × 10 mm steel plate weighs 157.0 kg, while the same plate in stainless 304 weighs 160.0 kg.
  • Aluminum 6061 is 2.70 g/cm³, 5052 is 2.68 g/cm³ and 7075 is 2.81 g/cm³.
  • A 1220 × 2440 × 3 mm aluminum 6061 sheet weighs 24.1 kg.
  • Custom density lets you type the density from a datasheet for any metal or plastic that is not in the material list.

Sources: Density (Wikipedia) (checked 2026-10-15) · Material density chart (AIMS Industrial) (checked 2026-10-15)

Metal weight calculator example

How to use the Metal Weight Calculator

  1. Choose a shape: Plate / sheet, Round bar, Square bar, Flat bar, Hex bar (across flats), Pipe (NPS size and schedule), Round tube, Square tube, Rectangular tube, Angle (L), Channel (C) or I-beam / H-beam / W-beam.
  2. Pick your units with the Metric (mm) / Imperial (in) switch at the top of the tool.
  3. Enter the section dimensions in mm or inches. For a plate, enter the width and thickness.
  4. Enter the length of one piece in metres or feet. A plate’s length is typed in mm or inches, like its width.
  5. Select a material from the list, or choose Custom density and type the density of any material, such as a plastic.
  6. Enter the Number of pieces.
  7. Optional: open More options and enter a price per kg or per lb to get the material cost.
  8. Read the results: weight of one piece, total weight, and either weight per length (kg/m or lb/ft) for bars, tubes and sections or weight per area (kg/m² or lb/ft²) for plate. The results also show cross-section area, volume and the density used. Check the sketch and the calculation steps to confirm the inputs.

Use Print / save result to print the inputs, results, calculation steps and date. In the print dialog, choose Save as PDF to keep a PDF copy. Copy link creates a link that reopens the page with the same inputs, and Reset clears the form. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.

How to calculate the weight of steel

Weight is the cross-section area multiplied by the length and by the density: weight = area × length × density. The cross-section is the shape you see when you cut straight through the piece, so the area depends on the profile. For a plate, the area is width × thickness. For a round bar, it is π × d² / 4. For a hex bar measured across flats, it is (√3/2) × s². A round tube uses π/4 × (OD² − ID²), an angle uses t × (a + b − t), and an I-beam uses 2 × bf × tf + (d − 2 × tf) × tw.

Keep the units consistent. Using a 2000 × 1000 × 10 mm steel plate as an example, the area of 1 m² at 10 mm thickness gives a volume of 0.01 m³. Multiplying by 7,850 kg/m³ gives 78.5 kg per square metre, so the full 2 m² plate weighs 157.0 kg.

What is the density of steel

Mild (carbon) steel has a density of 7.85 g/cm³, which equals 7,850 kg/m³ or 0.2836 lb/in³. Density is the mass of one unit of volume, so one cubic inch of steel weighs 0.2836 lb. This is the number the tool uses for mild steel unless you pick another material.

Imperial shortcuts follow from the same value. A 1 in² cross-section of steel weighs 0.2836 × 12 = 3.40 lb per foot. A 1 in round steel bar has an area of 0.785 in², so it weighs 2.673 lb per foot. Other common densities are stainless 304 and 316 at 8.00 g/cm³ and aluminum 6061 at 2.70 g/cm³. Aluminum therefore weighs about one third of steel for the same size.

Aluminum, stainless and other metals

The tool works the same way for every metal: only the density changes. As an aluminium weight calculator (people also search “al weight calculator”), pick Aluminum 6061, 5052 or 7075; for a quick “steel weight cal” on stainless, pick 304 or 316. For a metal or plastic that is not listed, choose Custom density and type the value from its datasheet.

Sources

Data and rules used by this tool (checked October 2026):

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate the weight of aluminum?

Use the same method as for steel, but select an aluminum material so the lower density is applied. Aluminum 6061 is 2.70 g/cm³, 5052 is 2.68 g/cm³ and 7075 is 2.81 g/cm³. A 1220 × 2440 × 3 mm aluminum 6061 sheet weighs 24.1 kg.

How much does a steel bar weigh?

A 1 in round steel bar weighs 2.673 lb per foot. Enter the bar diameter and length in the tool, and it gives the weight of one piece and the total for your number of pieces. You can also use the weight per length to estimate any bar length.

Is stainless steel heavier than mild steel?

Yes, but only slightly. Stainless 304 and 316 are 8.00 g/cm³, against 7.85 g/cm³ for mild steel. The same 2000 × 1000 × 10 mm plate weighs 160.0 kg in stainless 304, compared with 157.0 kg in mild steel.

Why is the weight of my steel beam slightly lower than the catalogue figure?

Structural sections are calculated without the rolled fillets, which are the curved inside corners where the flange meets the web. This makes the result slightly under the catalogue weight (a W8×31 comes out at 30.60 lb/ft). For a quote or structural check, use the catalogue value from your supplier.

Why does a pipe weigh differently from the calculated value?

Pipe weight is calculated for the nominal wall thickness. ASTM A53 and A106 allow the wall to be up to 12.5% under the nominal thickness, so the actual weight can be lower. If you need an exact figure, check the supplier’s data for that pipe.

Can I use the results in commercial work?

Yes. You can use the results and files in quotes, client jobs and products you sell. They are royalty-free and need no attribution. The only limit is copying the site itself to run a competing service.