Chart
Steel Plate Weight Chart by Thickness
Pounds per square foot for carbon steel plate from 3/16 in. to 6 in. thick, with the weight of a 4 × 8, 5 × 10 and 8 × 20 ft plate at each thickness.
| Thickness (in.) | Decimal (in.) | lb/sq ft | 4 × 8 ft (lb) | 5 × 10 ft (lb) | 8 × 20 ft (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/16 | 0.1875 | 7.66 | 245 | 383 | 1,225 |
| 1/4 | 0.2500 | 10.21 | 327 | 510 | 1,634 |
| 5/16 | 0.3125 | 12.76 | 408 | 638 | 2,042 |
| 3/8 | 0.3750 | 15.31 | 490 | 766 | 2,450 |
| 7/16 | 0.4375 | 17.87 | 572 | 893 | 2,859 |
| 1/2 | 0.5000 | 20.42 | 653 | 1,021 | 3,267 |
| 9/16 | 0.5625 | 22.97 | 735 | 1,149 | 3,675 |
| 5/8 | 0.6250 | 25.52 | 817 | 1,276 | 4,084 |
| 3/4 | 0.7500 | 30.63 | 980 | 1,531 | 4,901 |
| 7/8 | 0.8750 | 35.73 | 1,143 | 1,787 | 5,717 |
| 1 | 1.0000 | 40.84 | 1,307 | 2,042 | 6,534 |
| 1-1/8 | 1.1250 | 45.94 | 1,470 | 2,297 | 7,351 |
| 1-1/4 | 1.2500 | 51.05 | 1,634 | 2,552 | 8,168 |
| 1-3/8 | 1.3750 | 56.15 | 1,797 | 2,808 | 8,984 |
| 1-1/2 | 1.5000 | 61.26 | 1,960 | 3,063 | 9,801 |
| 1-3/4 | 1.7500 | 71.47 | 2,287 | 3,573 | 11,435 |
| 2 | 2.0000 | 81.68 | 2,614 | 4,084 | 13,068 |
| 2-1/4 | 2.2500 | 91.89 | 2,940 | 4,594 | 14,702 |
| 2-1/2 | 2.5000 | 102.10 | 3,267 | 5,105 | 16,335 |
| 2-3/4 | 2.7500 | 112.31 | 3,594 | 5,615 | 17,969 |
| 3 | 3.0000 | 122.52 | 3,920 | 6,126 | 19,602 |
| 3-1/2 | 3.5000 | 142.93 | 4,574 | 7,147 | 22,870 |
| 4 | 4.0000 | 163.35 | 5,227 | 8,168 | 26,137 |
| 5 | 5.0000 | 204.19 | 6,534 | 10,210 | 32,671 |
| 6 | 6.0000 | 245.03 | 7,841 | 12,252 | 39,205 |
How the chart is figured
Carbon steel weighs 490 lb per cubic foot (0.2836 lb per cubic inch). A plate one inch thick and one foot square holds 144 cubic inches, so it weighs 40.84 lb. Multiply by the thickness for any plate:
lb/sq ft = thickness (in.) × 40.84
plate weight (lb) = lb/sq ft × width (ft) × length (ft)
Example: a ¾ in. plate weighs 0.75 × 40.84 = 30.63 lb per square foot, so a 5 × 10 ft plate (50 sq ft) weighs about 1,530 lb. For stainless, add about 2%; for aluminum, use about a third of these figures.
Need a size that isn’t in the table, or a cut list in pounds? The steel weight calculator figures any plate, bar, tube or angle, per piece and per order.
Questions
How much does a 4 × 8 sheet of ¼ in. steel plate weigh?
About 327 lb. Quarter-inch carbon steel plate weighs 10.21 lb per square foot, and a 4 × 8 ft plate is 32 square feet.
How much does 1 in. steel plate weigh per square foot?
About 40.8 lb. Every inch of thickness adds 40.84 lb to each square foot of carbon steel plate.
Why does the mill weight on my plate differ from the chart?
The chart uses nominal thickness. Plate is rolled within the ASTM A6 thickness and flatness tolerances, so actual plates can run slightly heavy or light, and some plate is sold by actual weight.
What about plate thinner than 3/16 in.?
Below 3/16 in., steel is usually ordered by gauge as sheet. Use the sheet metal gauge chart, or pick a gauge in the steel weight calculator.
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