How much does a 4x8 sheet of 16 gauge steel weigh?

About 78 pounds. Sixteen gauge steel is 0.0598 inches thick and weighs 2.44 pounds per square foot at the real density of steel, and a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet is 32 square feet, so 2.44 times 32 gives 78.1 pounds. Mill tolerance moves a real sheet a pound or two either way.

Why do some charts give a slightly heavier weight per square foot?

Because they use the gauge standard constant rather than the density of steel. The Manufacturers Standard Gauge scale is built on 41.82 pounds per square foot per inch, a figure inherited from wrought iron. Modern mild steel is 0.2836 pounds per cubic inch, which works out at 40.84. The gap is about 2.4 percent, so 16 gauge comes out at 2.50 pounds per square foot on the gauge constant and 2.44 on the real density. This page uses the real density, because the question people are asking is what the sheet will actually weigh.

How do I work out the weight of any steel sheet?

Multiply thickness in inches by 40.84 to get pounds per square foot, then multiply by the area in square feet. The 40.84 figure is the density of steel, 0.2836 pounds per cubic inch, times 144 square inches per square foot.

Gauge Charts

Steel Sheet Weight by Gauge

The Manufacturers Standard Gauge for sheet steel is defined by weight rather than by thickness. Each gauge number is a nominal weight per square foot, converted to a thickness using 41.82 pounds per square foot per inch. That constant comes from wrought iron, not modern steel, so the thicknesses it defines are exact but the weights below are calculated from the real density of steel, 0.2836 pounds per cubic inch, which gives 40.84 rather than 41.82.

Gauge lookup

Material

Gauge

Thickness0.0598in

Millimetres1.52mm

Sheet weight2.44lb/ft²

16 gauge steel is 0.0598 inches. Uncoated mild and carbon steel sheet.

Steel: Manufacturers' Standard Gauge (MSG)

Gauge	Inches	mm	lb/ft²
3	0.2391	6.07	9.76
4	0.2242	5.69	9.16
5	0.2092	5.31	8.54
6	0.1943	4.94	7.93
7	0.1793	4.55	7.32
8	0.1644	4.18	6.71
9	0.1495	3.80	6.11
10	0.1345	3.42	5.49
11	0.1196	3.04	4.88
12	0.1046	2.66	4.27
13	0.0897	2.28	3.66
14	0.0747	1.90	3.05
15	0.0673	1.71	2.75
16	0.0598	1.52	2.44
17	0.0538	1.37	2.20
18	0.0478	1.21	1.95
19	0.0418	1.06	1.71
20	0.0359	0.91	1.47
21	0.0329	0.84	1.34
22	0.0299	0.76	1.22
23	0.0269	0.68	1.10
24	0.0239	0.61	0.98
25	0.0209	0.53	0.85
26	0.0179	0.45	0.73
27	0.0164	0.42	0.67
28	0.0149	0.38	0.61
29	0.0135	0.34	0.55
30	0.0120	0.30	0.49

Each material uses a different standard. Steel and galvanised follow the Manufacturers’ Standard Gauge, stainless has its own series, and aluminium follows Brown & Sharpe. That is why 16 gauge is 0.0598 in steel, 0.0625 in stainless and 0.0508 in aluminium. Thicknesses are nominal and mill tolerance applies, so measure the sheet for anything structural.

Steel sheet weight by gauge

Uncoated steel sheet: thickness and weight per square foot
Gauge	Inches	mm	lb/ft2
3	0.2391	6.07	9.76
4	0.2242	5.69	9.16
5	0.2092	5.31	8.54
6	0.1943	4.94	7.93
7	0.1793	4.55	7.32
8	0.1644	4.18	6.71
9	0.1495	3.80	6.11
10	0.1345	3.42	5.49
11	0.1196	3.04	4.88
12	0.1046	2.66	4.27
13	0.0897	2.28	3.66
14	0.0747	1.90	3.05
15	0.0673	1.71	2.75
16	0.0598	1.52	2.44
17	0.0538	1.37	2.20
18	0.0478	1.21	1.95
19	0.0418	1.06	1.71
20	0.0359	0.91	1.47
21	0.0329	0.84	1.34
22	0.0299	0.76	1.22
23	0.0269	0.68	1.10
24	0.0239	0.61	0.98
25	0.0209	0.53	0.85
26	0.0179	0.45	0.73
27	0.0164	0.42	0.67
28	0.0149	0.38	0.61
29	0.0135	0.34	0.55
30	0.0120	0.30	0.49

Common questions

How much does a 4x8 sheet of 16 gauge steel weigh?: About 78 pounds. Sixteen gauge steel is 0.0598 inches thick and weighs 2.44 pounds per square foot at the real density of steel, and a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet is 32 square feet, so 2.44 times 32 gives 78.1 pounds. Mill tolerance moves a real sheet a pound or two either way.
Why do some charts give a slightly heavier weight per square foot?: Because they use the gauge standard constant rather than the density of steel. The Manufacturers Standard Gauge scale is built on 41.82 pounds per square foot per inch, a figure inherited from wrought iron. Modern mild steel is 0.2836 pounds per cubic inch, which works out at 40.84. The gap is about 2.4 percent, so 16 gauge comes out at 2.50 pounds per square foot on the gauge constant and 2.44 on the real density. This page uses the real density, because the question people are asking is what the sheet will actually weigh.
How do I work out the weight of any steel sheet?: Multiply thickness in inches by 40.84 to get pounds per square foot, then multiply by the area in square feet. The 40.84 figure is the density of steel, 0.2836 pounds per cubic inch, times 144 square inches per square foot.

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