How heavy is a steel plate measuring 2×1 m and 10 mm thick? Or an oak beam 20×20 cm and 3 m long? Without knowing the material's density, there's no way to tell. Our calculator combines volume calculation with material density – for all common construction and engineering materials, selectable directly from the list.
Step by Step: How to Use the Material Weight Calculator
- Choose the shape: Plate/cuboid, cylinder, tube or enter the volume directly.
- Enter dimensions: e.g. length 3 m, width 0.2 m, height 0.2 m for a beam.
- Select material: choose from the material list or enter your own density in g/cm³.
- Volume is calculated: 3 × 0.2 × 0.2 = 0.12 m³
- Read the weight: Oak (ρ = 0.72 g/cm³): 0.12 m³ × 720 kg/m³ = 86.4 kg.
Practical Examples
Steel plate 2×1×0.01 m: Volume = 0.02 m³. Steel ρ = 7,850 kg/m³: weight = 0.02 × 7,850 = 157 kg. Requires a crane!
Concrete beam 4×0.3×0.25 m: Volume = 0.3 m³. Concrete ρ = 2,300 kg/m³: 0.3 × 2,300 = 690 kg.
Aluminium round bar, Ø50 mm, 2 m long: V = π × 0.025² × 2 = 0.003927 m³. Aluminium ρ = 2,700 kg/m³: 10.6 kg.
Density of Common Materials
- Steel: 7,850 kg/m³
- Aluminium: 2,700 kg/m³
- Copper: 8,900 kg/m³
- Brass: 8,500 kg/m³
- Concrete: 2,300 kg/m³
- Oak: 720 kg/m³
- Spruce: 450 kg/m³
- Water: 1,000 kg/m³
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Where do I find the density of a material not in the list?
- Check the manufacturer's technical data sheet, DIN standards (e.g. DIN EN 10025 for steel) or materials databases such as matweb.com. For natural materials (wood, stone) density varies significantly with moisture content.
- Why does wood density vary so much?
- Moisture content, growing location and species all determine density. Freshly felled timber (>30% moisture) is much heavier than kiln-dried wood (8–12% moisture). Reference values always assume 12% residual moisture.
- What is the difference between density and specific weight?
- In practice the two terms are used interchangeably. Strictly: density = mass/volume in kg/m³ or g/cm³. Specific weight (an older term) = density × gravitational acceleration in kN/m³.
