# Steel Pipe Weight Calculator

Mass per metre, per length and in total from OD and wall thickness.

- Page: https://jianzhujisuan.com/en/steel-pipe-weight
- Category: Material weights (https://jianzhujisuan.com/en/c/material-weight)
- Chinese version: https://jianzhujisuan.com/zh/steel-pipe-weight.md
- Data checked: 2026-10-25

## Quick result

With the default inputs (Outside diameter 48 mm, Wall thickness 3 mm, Length each 6 m, Quantity 10 pcs): **Total mass 199.75 kg**

## Inputs

| Parameter | Type | Default | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outside diameter | number | 48 | mm | Φ48 for scaffold tube |
| Wall thickness | number | 3 | mm | Standard scaffold 3.0-3.6, cheap tube 2.5-2.8 |
| Length each | number | 6 | m |  |
| Quantity | number | 10 | pcs |  |

## Formula

- **Mass per metre**: W = 0.02466 × t × (D − t) in kg/m
- **Underlying form**: W = π(D − t) × t × 7.85 ÷ 1000
- **Mass each**: per metre × length
- **Total mass**: mass each × quantity
- **Inside diameter**: d = D − 2t
- **Section area**: A = π/4 × (D² − d²)

## Worked example

Φ48 × 3.0 mm, 6 m each, 10 lengths: 3.329 kg/m, 19.97 kg each, 60.00 m total, 199.75 kg overall, about 300 m per tonne and 9.05 m² of external surface.

## Questions

### Why must scaffold tube wall thickness be checked?

Because capacity falls almost linearly with wall thickness while price follows weight. Φ48 × 3.0 is 3.33 kg/m against 2.80 kg/m for 2.5 mm — 16% lighter but 18% less second moment of area, and more than that in buckling capacity. Using thin tube for high formwork support quietly drops the safety factor from 2 to 1.6, which is the recurring line in collapse reports.

### How is square or rectangular hollow section weight calculated?

For a square use 0.00785 × t × (4a − 4t); for a rectangle replace 4a with 2(a + b). The general form is mid-line perimeter times thickness: W = 2(a + b − 2t) × t × 0.00785. Applying the round-tube formula overstates by 5-25%, worst as the section becomes square.

### Does galvanising add to the weight?

Yes, though only slightly. A hot-dip coating of 60-85 µm weighs about 500-600 g/m² over both faces, which on Φ48 tube is 0.08-0.09 kg/m — roughly 2.5%. It is normally inside the quoted price, but on bulk orders check whether the supplier quotes black or galvanised weight.

## Related tools

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- [Round, Square and Flat Bar Weight Calculator](https://jianzhujisuan.com/en/steel-bar-weight): Mass per metre and total for round, square and flat bar.
- [Equal Angle Weight Calculator](https://jianzhujisuan.com/en/steel-angle-weight): Mass per metre and total for equal angle steel.
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- [Glass Weight Calculator](https://jianzhujisuan.com/en/glass-weight): Mass per square metre, per pane and in total for glass.

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