Where does 40.8 lb come from?
Steel weighs 489.6 lb per cubic foot. Divided by 12 inches in a foot, that is 40.8 lb per square foot for every inch of thickness — the only constant this calculator needs.
Construction estimating tool
Steel plate weight calculator
Plate is weighed, never carried as a flat price each. Enter thickness, width, length and quantity — fractions are fine — and get pounds and tons per line.
| Mark | Thickness | Width in | Length in | Qty | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — |
- Pieces
- 0
- Area
- 0.0 sf
- Weight
- 0 lb
Weighed at 40.8 lb per square foot per inch of thickness — steel at 489.6 lb/ft³. Fractions are fine: 1/2, 3/8, 1-1/4.
How to use it
- 1 · Thickness
Pick or type it
Common thicknesses are listed, and 1/2, 3/8 and 1-1/4 all parse.
- 2 · Size
Width and length in inches
Area is width x length / 144 to get square feet.
- 3 · Weigh
40.8 lb per sf per inch
Steel is 489.6 lb/ft3, which is 40.8 lb per square foot for each inch of thickness.
Questions
Why weigh plate instead of pricing it each?
A price each hides how much metal is being bought. Two plates of the same footprint at 1/2 inch and 1 inch differ by 100% in weight and cost. Weighing it is how the number stays honest when the detail changes.
Does this include the drop from nesting?
No. This weighs the finished plates. Plate is nested on a sheet and the drop is real material you still pay for, so a buy quantity is always higher than the sum of the finished pieces.
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