Calculating Metal Weights

The Metal Weight Calculator works out the mass of a metal shape from its material and dimensions. Use it for order estimating, bending schedule checks, and material accounting, without opening a spreadsheet.

Open the Calculator from Utilities

Start by opening Utilities in the GoSmarter sidebar and selecting the Metal Weight Calculator.

Choose Your Material

Pick your material from the dropdown. The calculator covers 12 metal types: mild steel, stainless steel (304/316), aluminium, copper, copper-nickel (Cu-Ni), aluminium-bronze (Al-Bronze), brass, bronze, titanium, zinc, lead, and nickel. Each material carries a standard reference density, so you don’t need to look one up.

Choose Your Shape

Select the profile that matches what you’re working with:

• Flat plate
• Round bar
• Square and flat bar
• Rectangular hollow section (RHS/SHS)
• Round tube
• Reinforcing bar (rebar)

Each shape has its own set of dimension fields, so pick the shape first.

Enter Your Dimensions

For most shapes, enter length, width, thickness, or diameter in millimetres or inches, whichever your drawings use.

For reinforcing bar, select round bar and enter the nominal diameter (H10, H12, H16, H20, H25, H32, H40) to get the weight per metre and total bar weight.

Pipe lookup modes for round tube

Round tube is normally sized by outside diameter (OD) and wall thickness. Pipe is different: it’s specified by nominal size, and the actual OD depends on the schedule. Rather than looking these up in a standards table first, select one of the built-in lookup modes:

• NPS + Schedule (ASME B36.10/B36.19): choose a Nominal Pipe Size (NPS) and schedule, such as Sch 40, Sch 80, or XXS. The calculator resolves the correct OD and wall thickness and shows them before it calculates.
• DN + Standard (EN 10255/ISO 4200): choose a DN size and standard for metric pipe.
• Copper Type K/L/M/DWV (ASTM B88): choose the tube type for plumbing and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) work. Types K, L, M, and Drain/Waste/Vent (DWV) have different wall thicknesses for the same nominal size, applied automatically.

Manual OD and wall entry is still available if you already know your dimensions.

Read the Results

The calculator shows total weight in kilograms and pounds. For round tube and pipe, it also shows linear weight in kg/m and lb/ft, the standard unit for pipe pricing and cut-length quoting.

Use This for Estimating, Not Certification

This calculator gives you a fast, reliable weight for planning, quoting, and stock accounting. For critical structural or lift calculations, always verify against certified material documentation. If you’re working with a specialist alloy that isn’t listed, use the density from your material data sheet instead.