Free tool
Steel plate weight calculator
Carbon steel plate from 3/16 inch to 6 inch, in the standard mill sizes service centres actually stock. Pick a thickness and a size, or enter your own dimensions, and get weight per square foot, per plate, and for the whole order.
Plate weight calculator
Per square foot
20.42 lb
Each plate
653 lb
Total (1)
653 lb
Material cost
—
Plate weight by thickness
Weight per square foot, and finished plate weights for the sizes that come up most. Calculated at 40.84 lb/ft² per inch of thickness.
| Thickness | lb/ft² | 48 × 96 | 48 × 120 | 60 × 120 | 72 × 240 | 96 × 240 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/16" | 7.66 | 245 | 306 | 383 | 919 | 1,225 |
| 1/4" | 10.21 | 327 | 408 | 511 | 1,225 | 1,634 |
| 5/16" | 12.76 | 408 | 511 | 638 | 1,532 | 2,042 |
| 3/8" | 15.32 | 490 | 613 | 766 | 1,838 | 2,450 |
| 1/2" | 20.42 | 653 | 817 | 1,021 | 2,450 | 3,267 |
| 5/8" | 25.53 | 817 | 1,021 | 1,276 | 3,063 | 4,084 |
| 3/4" | 30.63 | 980 | 1,225 | 1,532 | 3,676 | 4,901 |
| 7/8" | 35.73 | 1,144 | 1,429 | 1,787 | 4,288 | 5,718 |
| 1" | 40.84 | 1,307 | 1,634 | 2,042 | 4,901 | 6,534 |
| 1-1/8" | 45.95 | 1,470 | 1,838 | 2,297 | 5,513 | 7,351 |
| 1-1/4" | 51.05 | 1,634 | 2,042 | 2,553 | 6,126 | 8,168 |
| 1-3/8" | 56.16 | 1,797 | 2,246 | 2,808 | 6,739 | 8,985 |
| 1-1/2" | 61.26 | 1,960 | 2,450 | 3,063 | 7,351 | 9,802 |
| 1-5/8" | 66.37 | 2,124 | 2,655 | 3,318 | 7,964 | 10,618 |
| 1-3/4" | 71.47 | 2,287 | 2,859 | 3,574 | 8,576 | 11,435 |
| 1-7/8" | 76.58 | 2,450 | 3,063 | 3,829 | 9,189 | 12,252 |
| 2" | 81.68 | 2,614 | 3,267 | 4,084 | 9,802 | 13,069 |
| 2-1/4" | 91.89 | 2,940 | 3,676 | 4,595 | 11,027 | 14,702 |
| 2-3/8" | 97.00 | 3,104 | 3,880 | 4,850 | 11,639 | 15,519 |
| 2-1/2" | 102.10 | 3,267 | 4,084 | 5,105 | 12,252 | 16,336 |
| 2-3/4" | 112.31 | 3,594 | 4,492 | 5,616 | 13,477 | 17,970 |
| 3" | 122.52 | 3,921 | 4,901 | 6,126 | 14,702 | 19,603 |
| 3-1/4" | 132.73 | 4,247 | 5,309 | 6,637 | 15,928 | 21,237 |
| 3-1/2" | 142.94 | 4,574 | 5,718 | 7,147 | 17,153 | 22,870 |
| 3-3/4" | 153.15 | 4,901 | 6,126 | 7,658 | 18,378 | 24,504 |
| 4" | 163.36 | 5,228 | 6,534 | 8,168 | 19,603 | 26,138 |
| 4-1/4" | 173.57 | 5,554 | 6,943 | 8,679 | 20,828 | 27,771 |
| 4-1/2" | 183.78 | 5,881 | 7,351 | 9,189 | 22,054 | 29,405 |
| 4-3/4" | 193.99 | 6,208 | 7,760 | 9,700 | 23,279 | 31,038 |
| 5" | 204.20 | 6,534 | 8,168 | 10,210 | 24,504 | 32,672 |
| 5-1/4" | 214.41 | 6,861 | 8,576 | 10,721 | 25,729 | 34,306 |
| 5-1/2" | 224.62 | 7,188 | 8,985 | 11,231 | 26,954 | 35,939 |
| 6" | 245.04 | 7,841 | 9,802 | 12,252 | 29,405 | 39,206 |
Nominal weights for estimating. Hot rolled plate carries a thickness tolerance under ASTM A6 and mills tend to roll heavy, so delivered weight usually runs slightly over calculated. Confirm against the mill test report before it matters.
Common questions
- How do you calculate the weight of a steel plate?
- Multiply thickness in inches by 40.84 to get pounds per square foot, then multiply by the plate area in square feet. A 1/2 inch plate is 0.5 x 40.84 = 20.42 lb/ft², so a 48 x 96 inch plate (32 ft²) weighs about 654 lb. The 40.84 figure is mild steel at 0.2836 lb/in³ times 144 in² per square foot.
- What does a 4x8 sheet of 1/4 inch steel plate weigh?
- A 48 x 96 inch plate is 32 square feet. At 1/4 inch, steel weighs 10.21 lb/ft², so the plate weighs about 327 lb. Two people cannot safely handle that by hand — plan for a lift.
- Where does sheet stop and plate start?
- Broadly, steel up to about 3/16 inch is sheet and is ordered by gauge number; above that it is plate and is ordered by decimal or fractional thickness. 3/16 inch is the overlap point, which is why it appears at the bottom of this table and the top of the gauge chart.
- Does this account for mill tolerance?
- No. These are nominal weights calculated from nominal thickness. Hot rolled plate carries a thickness tolerance under ASTM A6, and mills generally roll to the high side, so delivered weight often runs slightly over calculated. For purchasing, treat this as an estimate and confirm against the mill test report.
- Is this the same for stainless or aluminium?
- No. The 40.84 constant is mild carbon steel. Stainless is roughly 2% heavier and aluminium is roughly a third the weight, so both need their own density. This calculator covers carbon steel plate only.
Ordering sheet instead?
Below about 3/16 inch, steel is sheet and gets ordered by gauge number rather than thickness. The gauge chart covers that side, including the separate galvanized and stainless gauge series.
Steel gauge thickness chart →Want these for yourself?
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