Sheet Steel Weight Calculator and Gauge Chart

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Introduction

When you’re dealing with roofs, material weights are always a concern. Especially if a contractor is trying to get you to let him to store materials on the roof. You want to avoid overloading. I thought it would be a good idea if I could estimate sheet steel weights fairly accurately and without too much trouble, so I created this sheet steel weight calculator. I also made a table (see below) that goes into more detail, with corresponding values for sheet steel gauge, sheet thickness in inch decimals and millimeters, sheet weight in pounds and kilograms, and then I threw in some typical uses for each gauge just for fun.

The values used in the calculator and given in the table are standards; real-life products will vary.

These values should not be used if extreme precision is needed for critical engineering calculations. When such precision is required, always refer to the data sheets of the actual, specific product you intend to use, or better yet, contact the technical department of the product manufacturer.

Manufacturer technical data sheets (with the sheet steel weights and thicknesses) are almost always made available on the websites of reputable manufacturers.

Sheet Steel Weight Calculator

This calculator helps you determine the weight of your sheet steel by taking into account the gauge of the sheet steel, the dimensions of the sheet, whether the steel is corrugated (the calculator adds 15%) and whether it is galvanized (the calculator adds 0.156 lb/ft²). Select options for corrugated and galvanized and enter the sheet’s length, width, and quantity, and the calculator will display both the unit weight (in lb/ft² and kg/m²) and the total weight (in lbs and kg).

Table: Sheet Steel Weights and Thicknesses

Manufacturers’ Standard Gauge for Sheet Steel

The table above provides sheet steel weights and thicknesses in both US and metric according to the Manufacturers’ Standard Gauge for Sheet Steel (MSG), which is the primary commercial gauge system used by sheet steel manufacturers in the United States today.

The Manufacturers’ Standard Gauge (MSG) assumes an average density for carbon steel of 41.82 lbs per square foot per inch thick. The precise thickness for each gauge is established by the standard. The standard sheet steel weight for each gauge number is derived from these standards.

When you buy sheet steel, these are typically the weights and thicknesses you’ll be getting, although actual finished products may vary slightly according to industry-accepted manufacturing tolerances (small variations from the standard due to the practicalities of the manufacturing process).

These tolerances typically range from approximately (+ -) 8.5% for thinner gauges (e.g., 30 gauge) to about 4.5% for thicker gauges (e.g., 10 gauge and lower). If these were rocket ship parts, the tolerances would be much, much smaller. The ASTM Standards A568 (Standard Specification for Steel, Sheet, Carbon, Structural, and High-Strength, Low-Alloy, Hot-Rolled and Cold-Rolled, General Requirements for) and A924 (Standard Specification for General Requirements for Steel Sheet, Metallic-Coated by the Hot-Dip Process) describe standard sheet steel manufacturing tolerances.

A table showing values for ASTM standard sheet steel tolerances can be seen here.

The Old Standard Sheet Steel Gauge

The U.S. Standard Gauge for Sheet and Plate Iron and Steel is not the same as the Manufacturers’ Standard Gauge (MSG) and should not normally be referred to when calculating sheet steel weight. It is rarely used for commercial purposes today, except in certain legacy applications.

If you’d like to take a look at the U.S. Standard Gauge (which was established under the Standard Gauge for Sheet and Plate Iron and Steel Act of 1893 and is codified in 15 U.S. Code § 206), see this page at the Cornell Law School website.

Corrugated Sheet Steel Weight

Corrugated steel, which is used for roofing, siding, structural roof decks, and wall panels, will weigh approximately 10% to 50% more per square foot as a finished product than flat sheet steel of the same gauge due to the corrugation. The weight increase depends on the depth and frequency of the corrugation. 15% is considered an average weight increase, and I use 15% in the calculator above.

The exact increase in weight depends on the depth and spacing of the ribs, the gauge of the steel, and the specific profile of the corrugation, which varies from product to product. The weight per square foot should be available in the product data sheet for your specific product, which will typically be available on the website of the manufacturer.

Sheet Steel Gauge Measuring Tool

If you need to identify or verify the gauge of a piece of sheet steel (if you need to know the gauge of an existing steel roof deck, for example), see this useful and inexpensive tool on Amazon.