Pipe Weight Calculator
Find how much a pipe run weighs. Pick a standard NPS size and schedule or enter your own outside diameter and wall thickness, set the length and material, and get the weight per foot, total weight in pounds and tons, weight per piece, and cost by the pound — with by-schedule and by-material tables and a downloadable PDF.
| Schedule | Wall | Inside dia. | lb/ft | Total lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pick a standard size to compare schedules | ||||
| Material | Density | lb/ft | Total lb | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enter a pipe size to compare materials | ||||
How to use the pipe weight calculator
Four quick steps turn a pipe size into the weight per foot, total weight in pounds and tons, weight per piece, and cost — with by-schedule and by-material tables and a downloadable report.
Pick the pipe size
Choose a standard NPS size and schedule, or switch to custom and enter any OD and wall thickness.
Set length & material
Enter the length per piece, the number of pieces, and the material from carbon steel to HDPE.
Add contents & price
Optionally fill the pipe with water or oil and add a price per pound for a cost estimate.
Read results & save a PDF
Get the full weight breakdown with schedule and material comparisons — then download a report.
How the pipe weight is calculated
Weight comes from the volume of the pipe wall times the material’s density, then scaled by length and pieces. Here is the exact math the calculator runs.
Worked example — 2″ Sch 40 carbon steel, 21 ft, 1 piece
OD 2.375″, wall 0.154″ → ID 2.375 − 2×0.154 = 2.067″
Weight/ft: π × (2.375 − 0.154) × 0.154 × 12 × 0.284 ≈ 3.65 lb/ft
Total: 3.65 × 21 ≈ 77 lb
≈ 77 lb for a 21-ft stick (0.04 tons, ~35 kg). Full of water adds ~1.5 lb/ft.
Pipe weight reference charts
Handy lookups for common steel pipe weights, material densities, and what each schedule means. These use nominal ASME dimensions — confirm exact weights with your supplier.
| NPS | OD | Wall | lb/ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1″ | 1.315″ | 0.133″ | 1.68 |
| 2″ | 2.375″ | 0.154″ | 3.65 |
| 4″ | 4.500″ | 0.237″ | 10.79 |
| 6″ | 6.625″ | 0.280″ | 18.97 |
| 8″ | 8.625″ | 0.322″ | 28.55 |
Empty pipe weights using nominal dimensions. Weight rises with both diameter and schedule.
| Material | Density (lb/in³) | vs. steel |
|---|---|---|
| Copper | 0.323 | Heaviest here |
| Brass | 0.307 | ~8% over steel |
| Stainless steel | 0.289 | ~2% over steel |
| Carbon steel | 0.284 | Baseline |
| Ductile iron | 0.256 | ~10% lighter |
| Aluminum | 0.098 | ~⅓ of steel |
| PVC | 0.051 | ~⅕ of steel |
| HDPE | 0.034 | ~⅛ of steel |
Same dimensions, different weight — only the density changes. Plastics weigh a fraction of metal pipe.
| Schedule | Wall | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Sch 10 | Thin | Light-duty, common in stainless |
| Sch 40 | Standard | Most common — general service |
| Sch 80 | Extra-strong | Higher pressure, more weight |
| Sch 160 | Heavy | High-pressure, heavy-wall |
OD is fixed per NPS so fittings interchange; higher schedule means thicker wall, smaller bore, more weight.
Everything the calculator works out
A pipe size and material give you the full weight picture — per foot, per piece, and total — plus schedule and material comparisons and a cost estimate.
Key figures behind the weight
Built for anyone weighing a pipe run
From an estimator pricing a bid to a fabricator planning a lift, the same calculator turns pipe dimensions into pounds, tons, and cost.
Pricing a job and needs the total weight and cost by the pound before placing an order.
- Pick size & material
- Add a price per pound
- Read total weight & cost
Needs weight per piece and total tonnage to size slings, supports, and freight.
- Set length & pieces
- Fill with water for operating weight
- Check tons & per-piece
Comparing schedules or materials to see how the choice drives weight.
- Compare schedules
- Flip materials
- Use custom OD & wall
7 things to know about pipe weight
A few details keep a pipe-weight estimate honest and useful for ordering, lifting, and support sizing.
Pipe weight calculator FAQ
The sizing, weight, and material questions people ask most about pipe.
Pipe weight is the volume of the wall times the material’s density. Weight per foot is π × (OD − wall) × wall × 12 × density, with OD and wall in inches and density in lb/in³.
For carbon steel that simplifies to 10.69 × (OD − wall) × wall lb/ft. Multiply by the total length for the total weight.
Example: 2″ Sch 40 steel (2.375″ OD, 0.154″ wall) ≈ 3.65 lb/ft, so a 21-ft stick is ~77 lb. Add contents separately for operating weight.
NPS (Nominal Pipe Size) is a trade designation, not the actual diameter. Up to 12″ it’s just a name — a 2″ pipe is 2.375″ OD. From 14″ up, NPS equals the real OD.
Schedule sets the wall thickness: Sch 40 is standard and most common, Sch 80 is extra-strong, Sch 10 is thin-wall (common in stainless), Sch 160 is heavy-wall.
For any NPS, a higher schedule means a thicker wall, smaller bore, and more weight — the OD stays fixed so fittings interchange.
Yes. For the same nominal size, a higher schedule means a thicker wall, so there’s more metal and more weight per foot.
The OD is fixed for a given NPS, so extra wall eats into the bore rather than the outside. A 4″ Sch 80 pipe weighs noticeably more per foot than 4″ Sch 40, with a smaller inside diameter.
That’s why schedule matters for estimates — Sch 80 instead of 40 can add well over a third to a run’s weight, affecting shipping, hangers, and cost.
Some common carbon-steel Sch 40 figures: 1″ ≈ 1.68 lb/ft, 2″ ≈ 3.65, 4″ ≈ 10.8, 6″ ≈ 18.97, 8″ ≈ 28.55.
Those are empty weights using nominal ASME dimensions. Weight rises with both diameter and schedule, so 6″ Sch 80 is well above its Sch 40 value.
For an exact figure use the pipe’s actual OD and wall in the formula, since mill tolerances and coatings make real pipe vary from nominal.
Water weight is the inside area times the length times water’s density (62.4 lb/ft³). Weight per foot of water is the bore area in sq ft × 62.4.
Take the inside diameter (OD − 2 × wall), find the bore area, and multiply by 62.4 and the length. A full 4″ Sch 40 pipe holds roughly 5.5 lb of water per foot on top of the pipe’s own weight.
Contents matter when sizing hangers and supports, which carry the operating weight — pipe plus whatever flows through it.
Calculated weight uses nominal dimensions and a standard density, but real pipe varies. Mills roll to a tolerance, so the wall can run thicker or thinner — and since weight scales with wall, that shows up directly.
Coatings, linings, and galvanizing add weight the bare-metal formula ignores, as do threaded ends, couplings, and fittings. Density also varies slightly between alloys and grades.
For estimating and ordering the calculated value is close enough; for precision like certified lift plans, use the mill test report or supplier data.
The formula is identical — both are a hollow round section, so weight/ft is π × (OD − wall) × wall × 12 × density. The difference is how they’re specified.
Pipe is called out by nominal size and schedule, with the OD fixed by the NPS. Tube is called out by its actual OD and wall (or gauge), because for tube the outside dimension is what matters for fit.
To weigh tube or any non-standard pipe, use the custom option and enter the real OD and wall directly.
In US units a short ton is 2,000 lb, so tonnage is total pounds ÷ 2,000. Pipe and steel in the US are usually priced and shipped by the short ton.
Note two other “tons”: the long ton (2,240 lb) in older British references, and the metric tonne (1,000 kg ≈ 2,204.6 lb). This calculator reports short tons and also shows kilograms for reference.
Tonnage matters for freight (trucks and rail have weight limits) and for pricing when material is quoted per hundredweight or per ton.
Estimate only — confirm with your supplier. This calculator computes pipe weight from nominal ASME B36.10 / B36.19 dimensions and typical material densities, using weight/ft = π × (OD − wall) × wall × 12 × density, in US units. Real pipe varies with mill tolerance, coatings, linings, galvanizing, couplings, and fittings, any of which change the actual weight. The cost figure is a rough material estimate from the price per pound you enter and excludes fabrication, freight, and taxes. For ordering, certified lift plans, or support design, verify against the mill test report or your supplier’s published data. For planning purposes only.