Imagine the frustration of miscalculating the weight of a steel plate. In this comprehensive guide, our seasoned mechanical engineering expert will walk you through the intricacies of the MS plate weight formula, density factors, and common pitfalls. Discover how to optimize your projects with precise calculations and insider tips that will save you time and money.
When working with carbon steel plates, accurately calculating their weight is crucial for various applications such as construction, transportation, and heavy machinery manufacturing. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the MS plate weight formula, density factors, and common sources of error to help you make precise calculations and optimize your projects.
The most commonly used formula for calculating the weight of a carbon steel plate is:
Weight (kg) = 7.85 × Length (m) × Width (m) × Thickness (mm)
For example, if a steel plate measures 6 meters in length, 1.51 meters in width, and 9.75 millimeters in thickness, its theoretical weight can be calculated as follows:7.85 × 6 × 1.51 × 9.75 = 693.43 kgAnother specific calculation method uses 85 as the density coefficient:
Weight (kg) = Thickness (mm) × Length (m) × Width (m) × 85 / 1,000,000
The density of carbon steel plates may vary due to different carbon contents. The density factor of most carbon steel plates is approximately 7.85 g/cm³. For instance, a specific type of carbon steel known as S50C has a recorded density of 7.84 g/cm³, which is close to the density of most carbon steels.
Moreover, it’s important to note that the thickness dimension of a steel plate is one of the main factors affecting its load-bearing capacity. Therefore, when calculating the weight, one should ensure that the thickness value used is accurate to avoid safety risks or unnecessary waste. According to national standards, there are explicit regulations for the thickness deviation of steel plates. For example, the positive tolerance for a qualified thickness of 12mm is 1.16mm, and the negative tolerance is 0.76mm. This means that in actual applications, the thickness of the steel plate may deviate slightly. However, when calculating the weight, the theoretical weight is usually used, which is calculated based on the average of the maximum and minimum allowable thicknesses.
What is the density factor of carbon steel plates?
The density factor of carbon steel plates is approximately 7.85g/cm³. Furthermore, a specific type of carbon steel known as S50C has a recorded density of 7.84g/cm³, which is close to the density of most carbon steels. Therefore, it can be considered accurate to say that the density factor of carbon steel plates is approximately 7.85g/cm³.
To simplify the calculation process, you can utilize a mild steel plate weight calculator or refer to a comprehensive MS plate weight chart. These tools provide quick and accurate results for various plate dimensions in both metric and imperial units.
Related calculator:
This plate weight chart applies exclusively to mild steel. For information on the gauge sizes of sheets, you can refer to the following post:
Table 1: Steel Plate Thickness and Weight – Metric Units
Thickness (mm) | Weight (kg/m²) | Weight (lb/ft²) |
---|---|---|
0.2 | 1.57 | 0.32 |
0.25 | 1.96 | 0.40 |
0.3 | 2.36 | 0.48 |
0.35 | 2.75 | 0.56 |
0.4 | 3.14 | 0.64 |
0.45 | 3.53 | 0.72 |
0.5 | 3.93 | 0.80 |
0.55 | 4.32 | 0.88 |
0.6 | 4.71 | 0.96 |
0.65 | 5.1 | 1.04 |
0.7 | 5.5 | 1.13 |
0.75 | 5.89 | 1.21 |
0.8 | 6.28 | 1.29 |
0.9 | 7.07 | 1.45 |
1 | 7.85 | 1.61 |
1.1 | 8.64 | 1.77 |
1.2 | 9.42 | 1.93 |
1.3 | 10.21 | 2.09 |
1.4 | 10.99 | 2.25 |
1.5 | 11.78 | 2.41 |
1.6 | 12.56 | 2.57 |
1.7 | 13.35 | 2.73 |
1.8 | 14.13 | 2.89 |
2 | 15.7 | 3.22 |
2.2 | 17.27 | 3.54 |
2.5 | 19.36 | 3.97 |
2.8 | 21.98 | 4.50 |
3 | 23.55 | 4.82 |
3.2 | 25.12 | 5.14 |
3.5 | 27.48 | 5.63 |
3.8 | 29.83 | 6.11 |
3.9 | 30.62 | 6.27 |
4 | 31.4 | 6.43 |
4.5 | 35.33 | 7.24 |
5 | 39.25 | 8.04 |
5.5 | 43.18 | 8.84 |
6 | 47.16 | 9.66 |
7 | 54.95 | 11.25 |
8 | 62.8 | 12.86 |
9 | 70.65 | 14.47 |
10 | 78.6 | 16.10 |
11 | 86.35 | 17.69 |
12 | 94.2 | 19.29 |
13 | 102.1 | 20.91 |
14 | 109.9 | 22.51 |
15 | 117.75 | 24.12 |
16 | 125.6 | 25.72 |
18 | 141.3 | 28.94 |
20 | 157 | 32.16 |
22 | 172.7 | 35.37 |
24 | 188.4 | 38.59 |
25 | 196.25 | 40.20 |
26 | 204.1 | 41.80 |
28 | 219.8 | 45.02 |
30 | 235.5 | 48.23 |
32 | 251.2 | 51.45 |
34 | 266.9 | 54.67 |
35 | 274.75 | 56.27 |
36 | 282.6 | 57.88 |
38 | 298.3 | 61.10 |
40 | 314 | 64.31 |
42 | 329.7 | 67.53 |
44 | 345.4 | 70.74 |
45 | 353.25 | 72.35 |
46 | 361.1 | 73.96 |
48 | 376.8 | 77.17 |
50 | 392.5 | 80.39 |
52 | 408.2 | 83.61 |
54 | 423.9 | 86.82 |
55 | 431.75 | 88.43 |
56 | 439.6 | 90.04 |
58 | 455.3 | 93.25 |
Table 2: Steel Plate Thickness and Weight – Imperial Units
Nominal Size Thickness (inches) | Weight (lb/ft²) | Weight (kg/m²) |
---|---|---|
3/16 | 7.65 | 37.35 |
1/4 | 10.2 | 49.80 |
5/16 | 12.8 | 62.50 |
3/8 | 15.3 | 74.70 |
7/16 | 17.9 | 87.40 |
1/2 | 20.4 | 99.60 |
9/16 | 22.9 | 111.81 |
5/8 | 25.5 | 124.50 |
11/16 | 28.1 | 137.20 |
3/4 | 30.6 | 149.40 |
13/16 | 33.2 | 162.10 |
7/8 | 35.7 | 174.30 |
1 | 40.8 | 199.20 |
1 1/8 | 45.9 | 224.10 |
1 1/4 | 51 | 249.00 |
1 3/8 | 56.1 | 273.90 |
1 1/2 | 61.2 | 298.80 |
1 5/8 | 66.3 | 323.71 |
1 3/4 | 71.4 | 348.61 |
1 7/8 | 76.5 | 373.51 |
2 | 81.6 | 398.41 |
2 1/8 | 86.7 | 423.31 |
2 1/4 | 91.8 | 448.21 |
2 1/2 | 102 | 498.01 |
2 3/4 | 112 | 546.83 |
3 | 122 | 595.66 |
3 1/4 | 133 | 649.36 |
3 1/2 | 143 | 698.19 |
3 3/4 | 153 | 747.01 |
4 | 163 | 795.84 |
4 1/4 | 173 | 844.66 |
4 1/2 | 184 | 898.37 |
5 | 204 | 996.02 |
5 1/2 | 224 | 1093.66 |
6 | 245 | 1196.20 |
6 1/2 | 265 | 1293.84 |
7 | 286 | 1396.37 |
7 1/2 | 306 | 1494.02 |
8 | 326 | 1591.67 |
9 | 367 | 1791.85 |
10 | 408 | 1992.03 |
As the chart indicates, there is a significant difference in weight between plates of different thicknesses.
This information is critical for applications such as construction, transportation, and heavy machinery manufacturing, where plates are used in various ways, from building structures to creating machine components.
By providing a comprehensive plate weight chart, MachineMfg enables engineers and fabricators to make accurate calculations and determine the weight of the plates they need for their projects.
This, in turn, helps them optimize their designs, select the appropriate materials, and improve the efficiency of their operations.
Related calculator: Stainless Steel Weight Calculator
Mild steel is an iron-carbon alloy with a carbon content ranging from 0.0218% to 2.11%. It is also called as carbon steel.
According to the carbon content in the material, we generally refer to steel with a carbon content of 0.06% to 0.25% as low-carbon steel; steel with a carbon content of 0.25% to 0.55% as medium-carbon steel; and steel with a carbon content of 0.60% to 1.03% as high-carbon steel.
(1) When the carbon content in steel exceeds 0.23%, the welding performance of the steel deteriorates. Therefore, low-alloy structural steels used for welding generally have a carbon content of no more than 0.20%.
(2) When the carbon content in steel is below 0.8%, as the carbon content increases, the strength and hardness of the steel increase while its plasticity and toughness decrease.
(3) When the carbon content is above 1.0%, as the carbon content increases, the strength of steel decreases instead. With an increase in carbon content, welding performance worsens (the special weldability can significantly decrease with steels having a higher than 0.3% carbon), cold brittleness and aging sensitivity increase, resistance to air rust corrosion decreases, making high-carbon steels susceptible to rusting when exposed to outdoor storage.
Generally, it also contains small amounts of silicon, manganese, sulfur and phosphorus. The higher the carbon content in carbon steel, the greater its hardness and strength but lower its ductility.
(1) According to their uses, carbon steel can be divided into three categories: carbon structural steel, carbon tool steel, and easy-to-cut structural steel. Carbon structural steel is further divided into two types: engineering construction steel and machine manufacturing structural steel;
(2) According to the smelting method, it can be divided into open hearth steel and converter steel;
(3) According to the deoxidation method, it can be divided into boiling steel (F), calm-steel (Z), semi-calm-steel (b), and special calm-steel (TZ);
(4) According to the carbon content, carbon steels can be classified as low-carbon steels (WC ≤ 0.25%), medium-carbon steels (WC 0.25% – 0.6%), and high-carbon steels (WC> 0.6%);
(5) Based on quality of the material, carbon steels are categorized as ordinary carbon steels(high in phosphorus & sulfur content), high-quality carbon steels(low in phosphorus & sulfur content), advanced high-quality steels(even lower in phosphorus & sulfur content than previous category )and special grade high-quality steels.
Common sources of error in the calculation of carbon steel plate weight mainly include the following aspects: