Category: Construction Calculators, Material Properties

Sheet Lead Weight Calculator & Thickness Chart

by
Jack Gray is an independent commercial roof consultant with over 25 years of experience in the roofing industry. He's trying to make the roofing information you find on the internet better, one article at a time.

Introduction

Sheet lead is a heavy, highly workable material, used in a variety of building applications, as well as for soundproofing and radiation shielding. In roofing, lead is commonly used for flashing at chimneys, vents, valleys, and structural joints. Common thicknesses for lead sheet used in roofing range from around 1/16 inch to 1/8 inch. Lead provides both long-term corrosion resistance and the malleability needed to create a watertight seal. Lead can also be shaped to seal plumbing components or form decorative building elements.

For soundproofing, lead sheets in the 1/16‑inch to 1/4‑inch range are frequently installed behind drywall or in floors to reduce sound transmission, making them popular choices in recording studios, home theaters, and shared walls. In environments where protection from radiation is needed, such as hospitals or research labs, thicker lead plate (sometimes as much as 1/2 inch or more) is used to shield people and equipment from X-rays or gamma rays.

Because lead is toxic if handled improperly, anyone working with lead should follow all recommended safety measures, including wearing any indicated personal protective equipment. Also note that there may be local regulations you need to follow that cover lead handling and disposal.

Lead Sheet and Plate Weight Calculator

This calculator uses the following standard lead density values:

Lead density: 707.9 lb/ft³; 0.410 lb/in³; 11,340 kg/m³, and 11.34 g/cm³.

When entering a lead sheet thickness greater than 1 that contains a fraction, such as 1 1/4, make sure to include a space between the whole number and the fraction. Type in “1 1/4”, not “11/4”. Fractions without a whole number (e.g., “3/8”) should be entered normally.

Sheet Lead Weight Calculator

Sheet Lead Weight Calculator


Sheet Thickness (inch fraction or inch decimal):


Length of Sheet:
 Ft  In
Width of Sheet:
 Ft  In

Number of Sheets:




Result


Nominal vs Actual Lead Weight and Thickness

Nominal lead weight is a standardized reference value determined by convention, habit, and tradition used within the construction industry to describe a lead sheet’s approximate weight per square foot; it serves as a convenient shorthand for ordering and specifying sheet lead without requiring constant measurement or precise calculations. In practice, a sheet listed as “4 lb per square foot” (typically written “4# lead”) will be close to that weight, but since sheet lead manufacturers produce to standardized thicknesses and not standardized weights, the nominal weight of a lead sheet never precisely corresponds to the actual weight. You can see the differences in the table below.

Further, nominal thickness is also an approximate dimension due to manufacturing tolerances.

Generally, when you’re using lead sheet or plate, the nominal thickness guides product selection, and slight variations typically won’t affect the overall effectiveness. If your project has highly specific dimensional requirements, you should confirm the actual thickness and weight with calipers and a scale.

Table of Lead Sheet & Plate Weights and Thicknesses

Lead is typically describes as a “sheet” when it’s below 1/2 inch in thickness, and as “plate” when it’s 1/2 inch thick or more.

You can scroll this table sideways on smaller screens.
Lead Sheet & Plate Thickness and Weight Table
Thickness:
Inch Fraction		 Thickness:
Inch Decimal		 Thickness:
Millimeters		 Actual Weight
lb/ft²		 Nominal Weight
lb/ft²
1/64 0.0156 0.397 mm 0.923 1#
3/128 0.0234 0.594 mm 1.382 1 1/2#
1/32 0.0313 0.794 mm 1.845 2#
5/128 0.0391 0.992 mm 2.306 2 1/2#
1/24 0.0417 1.058 mm 2.46 2 1/2#
3/64 0.0469 1.191 mm 2.768 3#
7/128 0.0547 1.389 mm 3.227 3 1/2#
1/16 0.0625 1.588 mm 3.69 4#
5/64 0.0781 1.984 mm 4.613 5#
3/32 0.0938 2.381 mm 5.535 6#
1/8 0.125 3.175 mm 7.38 7 1/2# or 8#
5/32 0.1563 3.969 mm 9.225 10#
3/16 0.1875 4.763 mm 11.07 12#
7/32 0.2188 5.556 mm 12.915 14#
1/4 0.25 6.35 mm 14.76 15#
1/3 0.3333 8.467 mm 19.68 20#
3/8 0.375 9.525 mm 22.14 24#
2/5 0.4 10.16 mm 23.616 24#
1/2 0.5 12.7 mm 29.52 30#
2/3 0.6667 16.933 mm 39.36 40#
3/4 0.75 19.05 mm 44.28 45#
1 1 25.4 mm 59.04 60#
1-1/2 1.5 38.1 mm 88.56 90#
2 2 50.8 mm 118.08 120#
2-1/4 2.25 57.15 mm 132.84 135#
2-1/2 2.5 63.5 mm 147.6 150#
2-3/4 2.75 69.85 mm 162.36 165#
3 3 76.2 mm 177.12 180#
3-1/4 3.25 82.55 mm 191.88 195#
3-1/2 3.5 88.9 mm 206.64 210#
4 4 101.6 mm 236.16 240#
4-1/2 4.5 114.3 mm 265.68 270#
5 5 127 mm 295.2 300#