⚙️ Engineering Tool  ·  12 Shapes  ·  13 Metals

Metal Weight & Price Calculator

Select shape, material and dimensions, instant weight & cost for any quantity

1
Select Cross-Section Shape
12 profiles
a × a
Square Bar
Rect Bar
t
Flat Plate
r
Round Bar
A/F
Hex Bar
OD ID
Hollow Pipe
L-Section
Angle / L
Channel / C
T-Section
I-Beam
Sq. Tube
t
Sheet/Coil
2
Material & Density
3
Dimensions
📐
Standard Available Sizes, Square Bar
Click to auto-fill dimensions
Metric (mm)
Imperial (inch)
4
Quantity & Pricing
Live Result
Square Bar · MS Steel
Live
Unit Weight
-kg
Total Weight (×qty)
-kg
Unit Price
-
Total Price (+margin)
-
Fill in dimensions above to see calculation.
📋
Material Reference, Density & Indicative Price
MaterialDensity (g/cm³)Indicative ₹/kgCommon Application
📖
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Metal Weight & Price Calculator: Material Selection Guide

Metal weight calculation is fundamental for fabrication costing, material procurement, shipping estimation and structural analysis. With 12 different metal shapes and 13 materials, this calculator provides accurate weight and cost estimation, from design to Bill of Materials (BOM).

📋 How to Use This Calculator

  1. Select metal shape, Round Bar, Flat Bar, Plate, Pipe, I-Beam, Channel, Angle, Square Bar, Hexagonal Bar, Square Pipe, Rectangle Pipe or Sheet.
  2. Select material, Mild Steel, Stainless Steel 304/316, Aluminium, Copper, Brass, Bronze or others.
  3. Enter dimensions (mm) and length (mm or m).
  4. Enter quantity and price per kg, total weight (kg) and cost will be calculated instantly.

📐 Formula & Working Principle

Volume = Cross-sectional area × Length. Weight = Volume × Material density. Cost = Weight × Price per kg. Round bar: V = π/4 × D² × L. Pipe: V = π/4 × (OD²−ID²) × L.

💡 Worked Example

MS Round Bar, Ø50 mm, Length 3 m: V = π/4 × 50² × 3000 = 5,890,486 mm³. Weight = 5890 cm³ × 7.85 g/cm³ = 46.2 kg. @ ₹75/kg → Cost = ₹3,465.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is the standard steel density?

Mild Steel (IS 2062): 7,850 kg/m³. Stainless Steel 304: 8,000 kg/m³. Aluminium 6061: 2,700 kg/m³. Copper: 8,960 kg/m³. Brass: 8,500 kg/m³.

Q: How should mill tolerance be accounted for in weight?

Standard rolled sections have a ±2.5% weight tolerance (IS 808). Order 3–5% extra for wastage and tolerance.

Q: Where can IS standard section sizes be found?

IS 808 (beams/channels/angles), IS 2062 (structural steel), IS 1852 (rolling tolerances), available on the BIS website. Supplier catalogues are also a good reference.

Q: How do I calculate scrap weight factor?

Theoretical weight × (1 + scrap factor). Estimate 20–40% scrap from machining, 5–10% from plasma cutting, 0–2% from bending.

Q: What is the GST rate on metals?

Structural steel, plates and sections attract 18% GST. Scrap metal also attracts 18% GST. Verify current rates on the GST portal.

🔧 Why I Built This Metal Weight Calculator

I first ran into this problem on a real job. I was putting together a material BOM for a fabrication project, round bars, hollow pipes, a few IS channels, and I needed weight and cost estimates fast. Every online calculator I tried either crashed on mobile, only handled two or three shapes, or made me fill in the same material density every single time. Frustrating.

The math itself isn't hard. Volume × Density. But it gets tedious when you're switching between shapes, jumping between metric and imperial, and trying to account for wastage margin and per-kg pricing all at once. I was doing it in a spreadsheet like it was 2005.

So I built MetalCalc, first as an Android app, with 12 shapes and 13 materials. It worked great offline. But I kept getting asked: "Do you have a web version? I'm on a laptop at work." That question eventually became this page.

The standard sizes panel is the part I spent the most time on. I went through IS 808, supplier catalogues, and ASME/AISC tables to compile all the presets for ISMB beams, ISMC channels, NB pipe schedules, hex bar A/F sizes, so you don't have to remember that a 100 NB Sch40 pipe is 114.3 mm OD with 6.02 mm wall thickness. Just click the chip and the fields fill in.

This is part of TaskJunction — free mechanical engineering calculators and utilities. No login, no signup, no fluff. Just tools that work.

- Vaibhav Dhokpande, Developer · TaskJunction