How to Calculate Pipe Weight per Metre

Pipe weight drives freight cost, support design and quotation pricing, so it is useful to be able to work it out quickly. You only need the outside diameter, the wall thickness and the material density.

The formula

For carbon steel (density 7.85 g/cm³), with dimensions in millimetres:

Weight (kg/m) = 0.02466 × WT × (OD − WT)

where OD is the outside diameter and WT is the wall thickness. The constant 0.02466 is simply π × 7.85 ÷ 1000. For any other material, replace 7.85 with that material's density:

Weight (kg/m) = π × WT × (OD − WT) × density ÷ 1000

Worked examples

4 in Schedule 40 carbon steel pipe — OD 114.3 mm, WT 6.02 mm:

0.02466 × 6.02 × (114.3 − 6.02) = 16.07 kg/m

2 in Schedule 40 SS 316 pipe — OD 60.3 mm, WT 3.91 mm, density 7.98 g/cm³:

π × 3.91 × (60.3 − 3.91) × 7.98 ÷ 1000 = 5.53 kg/m

Other shapes

• Round bar: kg/m = 0.006165 × D² (carbon steel, D in mm)
• Square bar: kg/m = 0.00785 × A² (A = side in mm)
• Plate or flat: kg = length (m) × width (m) × thickness (mm) × 7.85

Skip the maths

Use our free Metal Weight Calculator to work out the weight of pipe, tube, round bar, hex bar, square bar, flat, plate and angle in more than 15 materials, including stainless, duplex and nickel alloys.