Channel Weight Calculator
This channel weight calculator finds the weight of a steel C channel or U channel from its depth, flange width, web thickness, and flange thickness. Enter the section sizes and length, and the channel weight calculator returns the total weight, the channel weight per meter, and the weight per foot for steel, stainless, aluminum, brass, or copper.
Results
The Channel Weight Calculator is part of our Weight collection. Browse more weight to size, convert, and check your work alongside this tool.
What the channel weight calculator shows
A channel is a C or U shaped section: one vertical web joined to two flanges that point the same way. The channel weight calculator splits the section into the two flanges and the web between them, adds their areas, and multiplies by the length and the metal density. It returns the total weight for your pieces, the channel weight per meter, the weight per foot, and the cross section area, so you can price, lift, or ship the steel with the right figure.
Channel weight formula
The section is two rectangular flanges plus the web that runs between them:
Here h is the depth, b the flange width, tf the flange thickness, and tw the web thickness. Multiply the weight per meter by the length in meters and the piece count for the total. This channel weight formula treats the inside corners as square, which brings it within about 2% of rolled section tables.
Channel weight calculator example
A steel channel 100 mm deep with 50 mm flanges, a 6 mm web, 8.5 mm flanges, and a 6,000 mm length:
One 6 m length weighs 63.491 kg, or 7.111 lb per foot. A rolled UPN 100 lists about 10.6 kg/m, so the channel weight calculator lands right on the published figure.
How to use the channel weight calculator
Pick the material, then enter the channel depth h (the outside height of the web), the flange width b, the web thickness, the flange thickness, the length of one piece, and the number of pieces, all in millimeters. The channel weight calculator returns the weight in kilograms and pounds per foot. Take sizes from the mill designation or measure them; for tapered flange channels, use the flange thickness at the middle of the flange.
Reading the channel weight per meter
The channel weight per meter is the unit weight for that section; the total covers every piece you entered. Two channels with the same depth can weigh very different amounts, because flange and web thickness carry most of the steel. In the chart below a 160 mm channel weighs 18.9 kg/m while a 200 mm channel weighs 25.35 kg/m. When you compare a quote, check that the supplier lists the same section and the same length, since steel channel weight per foot and per meter differ by a factor of 1.488.
When to use a steel channel weight calculator
- Pricing C channel sold by weight
- Sizing hoists and slings for lifting channel frames
- Checking trailer and truck loads of structural steel
- Estimating dead load for purlins, lintels, and frames
- Comparing aluminum channel weight with steel for a lighter frame
Common channel weight calculator mistakes
- Entering the inside depth. Depth h is the full outside height of the web.
- Swapping web and flange thickness. Flanges on rolled channel are usually thicker than the web.
- Using inches. Enter millimeters; multiply inch sizes by 25.4.
- Ignoring the quantity. Set the piece count to get the full order weight.
Tips for C channel weight estimates
- Read the section sizes from the mill designation where you can.
- Add 2 to 3% for cut waste and drops on a cut list.
- Check whether a quote uses theoretical or actual weight before comparing prices.
Channel weight calculation formula in detail
Picture the channel as three rectangles. The two flanges each measure b by tf, so they contribute 2 × b × tf. The web fills the space between them: its height is the full depth minus both flange thicknesses, and its width is the web thickness, giving (h − 2tf) × tw. Adding these avoids double counting the corners where web and flange meet. Real rolled channels add a small fillet at each root and some, such as American C shapes and European UPN sections, taper the inner flange face. A tapered flange is thicker at the root than at the tip, so using the mean flange thickness keeps the channel weight calculation formula within a couple of percent. For an ms channel weight calculator, mild steel at 7.85 g/cm³ is the standard density; the same section in stainless steel at about 8.0 g/cm³ weighs 2% more. If you need sheet thickness for a formed channel, the sheet metal weight calculator gives the flat blank weight before bending.
U channel weight calculator for aluminum and stainless
Architectural and trailer builders often use aluminum U channel because it weighs about 34% of steel at 2.70 g/cm³. A 100 × 50 × 6 × 8.5 aluminum channel weighs 3.64 kg/m against 10.58 kg/m in steel. Aluminum has about one third of the stiffness of steel, though, so a lighter section usually needs more depth to carry the same load. When you swap materials in a u channel weight calculator, check both the weight saving and the deflection before you commit to the change.
Steel channel weight chart
Steel C channel weight from the square corner channel weight formula at 7.85 g/cm³. Sizes follow common European parallel and taper flange channels:
| Depth × flange × web × flange thk (mm) | Area | Weight per meter | Weight per foot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 × 45 × 6 × 8 | 1,104 mm² | 8.67 kg/m | 5.82 lb/ft |
| 100 × 50 × 6 × 8.5 | 1,348 mm² | 10.58 kg/m | 7.11 lb/ft |
| 120 × 55 × 7 × 9 | 1,704 mm² | 13.38 kg/m | 8.99 lb/ft |
| 140 × 60 × 7 × 10 | 2,040 mm² | 16.01 kg/m | 10.76 lb/ft |
| 160 × 65 × 7.5 × 10.5 | 2,408 mm² | 18.90 kg/m | 12.70 lb/ft |
| 200 × 75 × 8.5 × 11.5 | 3,230 mm² | 25.35 kg/m | 17.04 lb/ft |
Channel Weight Calculator FAQ
What is the formula for channel weight?
Weight per meter equals the section area times the density divided by 1,000, where the area is 2 × b × tf plus (h minus 2 × tf) × tw. Every size is in millimeters and the density is in g/cm³.
What does a 100 mm steel channel weigh?
A 100 × 50 channel with a 6 mm web and 8.5 mm flanges weighs about 10.58 kg per meter, or 7.11 lb per foot.
Why does my result differ slightly from the steel table?
Rolled channels have rounded root corners and sometimes tapered flanges. The channel weight calculator models square corners, so results run within about 2% of published tables.
Does it work for bent sheet metal channel?
Yes. For a press braked U channel, enter the same thickness for the web and flanges. Thin gauge results run slightly high because the bend corners carry less metal.