Aluminium Plate Weight Calculator
Mass per square metre, per plate and in total for aluminium.
Quick answer
With the default inputs: Length 1000 · Width 500 · Thickness 3 etc.Total mass 40.50 kg
Edit the inputs below to recalculate.Inputs
Result
Total mass
40.50kg
| Area per sheet | 0.500m² |
| Mass per m² | 8.100kg/m² |
| Mass each | 4.050kg |
| Total area | 5.000m² |
| In tonnes | 0.0405t |
| Compared with steel | 34.4% |
| Volume each | 0.00150m³ |
| Both faces | 10.00m² |
Mass per square metre is thickness times density: 3 mm pure aluminium is 8.10 kg/m² against 23.55 for steel, only 34%. That is the great advantage of aluminium cladding and also why it needs stiffeners and folded edges. Extrusions use the maker's mass per metre, not the plate formula.
Reverse: known result, work out one input
Enter a target result; the other inputs stay fixed and this one is worked out.
Formula
| Area | A = length × width in metres |
| Mass per m² | W = thickness (mm) × density |
| Mass each | A × W |
| Total | per sheet × quantity |
| Versus steel | 2.70 ÷ 7.85 = 34.4% |
| Expanded | W = L × W × T × 2700 in metres |
1000 × 500 × 3 mm, ten sheets: 0.500 m² each, 8.100 kg/m², 4.05 kg per sheet and 40.50 kg total — 34.4% of the same thickness in steel.
How to work it out
- Fix the density by alloy: pure aluminium 2.70 g/cm³, 3003 is 2.73, 5052 is 2.68, 6061 is 2.70 and 7075 is 2.81.
- Weight per m² = thickness in mm × 2.7, so 3 mm sheet is 8.1 kg/m².
- Weight per sheet = length × width × unit weight, then by the count.
- Extrusions are computed from section area × length × density, or taken from the extruder's metre-weight table, which is most accurate.
- Anodising and PVDF coating add negligible weight but affect price and tolerance.
Where it goes wrong
- Using steel density — 7.85 against 2.7 is a factor of 2.9, the most common error simply because 7.85 is habitual.
- One density for all alloys — 7075 is 2.81 (4% heavier than pure), 5052 is 2.68 (1% lighter).
- Using nominal thickness — sheet is thin and runs proportionally further under; a 1.5 mm sheet at 1.4 mm is 7% light.
- Measuring an extrusion by its bounding rectangle — hollow thin-walled sections come out two to three times too heavy.
Material and cost
1060 sheet 19000-23000 CNY/t, 3003 20000-24000, 5052 22000-27000, 6061 23000-28000, 6063 extrusion 21000-26000.
On site
- Aluminium modulus is a third of steel (70 GPa against 206), so a section sized for steel stiffness deflects badly in aluminium.
- Facade panels are normally 2.5-3 mm; thinner panels oil-can and drum under wind load.
- Aluminium in contact with steel causes galvanic corrosion — isolate with a gasket or use stainless fasteners.
Basis
- GB/T 3880.1-2012 Aluminium and aluminium alloy plate, sheet and strip for general engineering, Part 1
- GB/T 5237.1-2017 Wrought aluminium alloy extruded profiles for architecture, Part 1
- GB 50429-2007 Code for design of aluminium structures
FAQ
Why do aluminium cladding panels need stiffeners?
Because aluminium's modulus is a third of steel's — 70 GPa against 206 — so the same thickness deflects three times as much. A 3 mm panel spanning 1.5 m visibly oil-cans under wind load, which is where the drumming comes from. The usual fix is U-shaped stiffeners at no more than 600 mm centres, with returns of at least 25 mm forming edge ribs.
A 3 mm panel — how thick is it really?
The standard allows negative tolerance, so 3.0 mm usually measures 2.85-2.95, and cladding panels must come in at no less than 95% of nominal. Some of the market sells 2.0 as 2.5, a 20% weight difference that this tool will expose if you enter the measured thickness. Panel thickness drives wind and impact resistance, so do not buy on price alone.
Does the coating affect weight?
Barely, though it changes the price a lot. Fluorocarbon at 25-35 µm adds roughly 80-100 g/m² on both faces; powder at 60-80 µm adds 120-150 g. Weight is negligible but fluorocarbon weathers two to three times longer — 25 years against 10 — so external work needs fluorocarbon while interiors can use powder.
Cite this page
Use this format in reports, method statements or coursework. The link is permanent.
Building Calculator. Aluminium Plate Weight Calculator. 2026-10-25. https://jianzhujisuan.com/en/aluminum-weight
Results are estimating aids only and are not a design basis. Construction and final accounts must follow the drawings, the applicable standards and an approved method statement. Anything affecting structural safety, shoring or falsework must be checked by a suitably qualified engineer.