Weights of Metals & Alloys • Complete Metal Density Chart

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Weight of Metal vs. Density of Metal

We’re dealing with three related concepts here: mass, density, and weight. Mass is the amount of matter something has. Density describes the amount of a specific material (matter) that it takes to fill a standard volume, such as a cubic foot. Weight is the measure of the gravitational force that one mass (the Earth, here) exerts on another (your particular piece of metal, for instance).

1. Mass = Density × Volume (The mass of one atom of each element has been measured, and there are standard values that you can look up in the periodic table of the elements, for instance, or even on Wikipedia. Different elements have different atomic masses.)
2. Density = Mass ÷ Volume
3. Weight = Mass × Local Gravitational Acceleration

The mass of an object is a measure of how much matter it contains. The mass of an object doesn’t change if you move it from Earth to the Moon or heat it up so it expands. The density of an object often changes with temperature, because an object will often expand or contract with temperature changes, and then it takes more or less of the material to fill the standard volume. The weight of an object can change if you move it and measure the weight in relation to a different object (move it from the Earth to Mars, for instance).

So, weight is the heaviness of a particular thing; the weight of an object is a measurement of the force acting on that specific object due to gravity. Since weight is a property inherent in a specific object, it doesn’t strictly make sense to talk about the weight of a substance (like iron) in the abstract. To state the weight of something, there needs to be an object to state the weight of.

Density can be loosely defined as the weight per unit of volume, so the objects that we’re stating the weight of in the table below can be thought of as cubes of metal the size of the given unit of volume (one foot cubed, one inch cubed, one meter cubed, and one centimeter cubed).

For example: “400 pounds” is a weight value. “400 pounds per cubic foot” is a density value. Keeping these concepts separate is important for engineering and scientific calculations, where confusing mass and weight can lead to miscalculations in load amounts or other structural considerations.

You can see that the values given in this table are technically metal densities, since the values are expressed as weight/unit of volume.

I called this article “Weights of Metals and Alloys” instead of “Densities of Metals and Alloys” to make it easier for people to find what they were looking for on the internet. A lot of people search for “weight of” such and such a metal when they actually mean “density of”. “Weight” is often used colloquially to refer to density.

About This Metal Weight Chart

The following table provides typical values for the weights (densities) of elemental metals and alloys with industrial applications. Small variations in chemical composition, especially in alloys, can lead to noticeable differences in density, so the numbers provided should be treated as averages or approximations.

Generally, the weight of metals (or density of metals, to be precise) that we list were calculated from the values provided by sources such as the Encyclopedia Britannica or the National Institute of Standards and Technology that we consider to be reliably authoritative. Other reputable references, including peer-reviewed scientific journals, can also confirm these ranges of values.

Remember that fluctuations in temperature, minor compositional shifts, and even variations in manufacturing processes can affect the actual density of a metal product.

The values for the weights of alloys were taken from manufacturer technical data sheets and are the actual weights of specific, representative products. Because alloys can vary widely in composition, always confirm the exact composition and properties of the actual product when precise data is critical for your project.

In all cases, the weight of metals we provide are meant to provide a general idea of what the various metals weigh, and should not be used if precise values are needed for critical engineering calculations.

When precision is necessary, always refer to the data sheets of the actual, specific product you intend to use, or contact the technical department of the product manufacturer or material provider. This ensures that your final calculations account for any product-specific modifications that might alter its density.

All of the metal weight values we show are the density values for the metals at room temperature. Keep in mind that thermal expansion or contraction as temperatures change can change the metal’s volume slightly, and therefore its density in practical applications.

Table: Densities of Metals and Alloys

References for Metal Densities

Below are a few reputable sites you can use to verify the density values found in the table above. These sources provide data for both pure elements and alloys:

1. NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
   • Visit Website
   • NIST offers authoritative reference data for element densities and other physical properties.
2. ASM International (American Society for Metals)
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   • Publishes extensive handbooks and online resources covering metals, alloys, and their properties.
3. MatWeb
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   • Provides free access to material data sheets, including densities for metals and alloys.
4. Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
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   • Offers detailed elemental data (including atomic masses and densities) in its interactive periodic table.
5. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
   • While not a website, it is often available in university libraries and online through institutional subscriptions. It remains one of the gold-standard references for elemental and material property data, including densities.
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For alloy-specific information (particularly for proprietary alloys), technical data sheets from the manufacturer’s or supplier’s websites are often the best resource. Many suppliers publish density (and other property) ranges for their proprietary metals and alloys.