Aluminum 6061-T6 Plate Weight
Mass per square metre for aluminum 6061-t6 plate at 2,700 kg/m³ (ASTM B221 / B209 (T6 temper)). Plate is sold by area, so every figure here is per square metre rather than per metre of length.
At the reference dimensions (w = 1000 mm, t = 10 mm) this section has a cross-sectional area of 10,000.0 mm², giving 27.00 kg/m² (5.53 lb/ft²). Against carbon steel's 7,850 kg/m³ that is -65.6 % — the same section in steel would be 78.50 kg/m².
Plate — formula and derivation
Area of a plate
A = w · t
A = w × t. For plate the useful output is mass per unit area: m″ = t × ρ
Worked through with the default dimensions:
A = w × tA = 1000 × 10A = 10000.0 mm²Per square metre: 10 mm × 1 m² = 0.0100 m³/m²
- w
- Width
- t
- Thickness
Weight follows from the area with no further geometry: m = A × 10⁻⁶ × ρ, where A is in mm², ρ in kg/m³ and m in kg/m. At 2,700 kg/m³ that is 27.0000 kg/m for the reference size above.
AL 6061 plate — size series
| Width | Cross-section | Mass / length | Mass / area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 mm | 500.00 mm² · 0.7750 in² | 1.350 kg/m · 0.907 lb/ft | 1.35 kg/m² · 0.28 lb/ft² |
| 0.8 mm | 800.00 mm² · 1.2400 in² | 2.160 kg/m · 1.451 lb/ft | 2.16 kg/m² · 0.44 lb/ft² |
| 1.0 mm | 1,000.00 mm² · 1.5500 in² | 2.700 kg/m · 1.814 lb/ft | 2.70 kg/m² · 0.55 lb/ft² |
| 1.2 mm | 1,200.00 mm² · 1.8600 in² | 3.240 kg/m · 2.177 lb/ft | 3.24 kg/m² · 0.66 lb/ft² |
| 1.5 mm | 1,500.00 mm² · 2.3250 in² | 4.050 kg/m · 2.721 lb/ft | 4.05 kg/m² · 0.83 lb/ft² |
| 2.0 mm | 2,000.00 mm² · 3.1000 in² | 5.400 kg/m · 3.629 lb/ft | 5.40 kg/m² · 1.11 lb/ft² |
| 3.0 mm | 3,000.00 mm² · 4.6500 in² | 8.100 kg/m · 5.443 lb/ft | 8.10 kg/m² · 1.66 lb/ft² |
| 4.0 mm | 4,000.00 mm² · 6.2000 in² | 10.800 kg/m · 7.257 lb/ft | 10.80 kg/m² · 2.21 lb/ft² |
| 5.0 mm | 5,000.00 mm² · 7.7500 in² | 13.500 kg/m · 9.072 lb/ft | 13.50 kg/m² · 2.77 lb/ft² |
| 6.0 mm | 6,000.00 mm² · 9.3000 in² | 16.200 kg/m · 10.886 lb/ft | 16.20 kg/m² · 3.32 lb/ft² |
| 8.0 mm | 8,000.00 mm² · 12.4000 in² | 21.600 kg/m · 14.515 lb/ft | 21.60 kg/m² · 4.42 lb/ft² |
| 10 mm | 10,000.00 mm² · 15.5000 in² | 27.000 kg/m · 18.143 lb/ft | 27.00 kg/m² · 5.53 lb/ft² |
| 12 mm | 12,000.00 mm² · 18.6000 in² | 32.400 kg/m · 21.772 lb/ft | 32.40 kg/m² · 6.64 lb/ft² |
| 16 mm | 16,000.00 mm² · 24.8000 in² | 43.200 kg/m · 29.029 lb/ft | 43.20 kg/m² · 8.85 lb/ft² |
| 20 mm | 20,000.00 mm² · 31.0001 in² | 54.000 kg/m · 36.286 lb/ft | 54.00 kg/m² · 11.06 lb/ft² |
| 25 mm | 25,000.00 mm² · 38.7501 in² | 67.500 kg/m · 45.358 lb/ft | 67.50 kg/m² · 13.83 lb/ft² |
| 30 mm | 30,000.00 mm² · 46.5001 in² | 81.000 kg/m · 54.429 lb/ft | 81.00 kg/m² · 16.59 lb/ft² |
| 40 mm | 40,000.00 mm² · 62.0001 in² | 108.000 kg/m · 72.573 lb/ft | 108.00 kg/m² · 22.12 lb/ft² |
| 50 mm | 50,000.00 mm² · 77.5002 in² | 135.000 kg/m · 90.716 lb/ft | 135.00 kg/m² · 27.65 lb/ft² |
| 60 mm | 60,000.00 mm² · 93.0002 in² | 162.000 kg/m · 108.859 lb/ft | 162.00 kg/m² · 33.18 lb/ft² |
Computed for AL 6061 at 2700 kg/m³ (0.0975 lb/in³). ASTM B221 / B209 (T6 temper).
Each row is one nominal size. The thickness column drives everything: mass per square metre is thickness × density, so it scales in a straight line.
Imperial sizes
Plate is also bought in inch sizes. The conversions below are exact (1 in = 25.4 mm by definition), so the metric equivalents are the true millimetre dimensions rather than a rounded nominal figure.
| Stock size | Metric equivalent mm | Cross-section | Mass per unit area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/16 in | 4.76 | 4,762.50 mm² · 7.3819 in² | 12.86 kg/m² · 2.63 lb/ft² |
| 1/4 in | 6.35 | 6,350.00 mm² · 9.8425 in² | 17.14 kg/m² · 3.51 lb/ft² |
| 5/16 in | 7.94 | 7,937.50 mm² · 12.3031 in² | 21.43 kg/m² · 4.39 lb/ft² |
| 3/8 in | 9.52 | 9,525.00 mm² · 14.7638 in² | 25.72 kg/m² · 5.27 lb/ft² |
| 1/2 in | 12.70 | 12,700.00 mm² · 19.6850 in² | 34.29 kg/m² · 7.02 lb/ft² |
| 5/8 in | 15.88 | 15,875.00 mm² · 24.6063 in² | 42.86 kg/m² · 8.78 lb/ft² |
| 3/4 in | 19.05 | 19,050.00 mm² · 29.5276 in² | 51.43 kg/m² · 10.53 lb/ft² |
| 1 in | 25.40 | 25,400.00 mm² · 39.3701 in² | 68.58 kg/m² · 14.05 lb/ft² |
| 1-1/4 in | 31.75 | 31,750.00 mm² · 49.2126 in² | 85.72 kg/m² · 17.56 lb/ft² |
| 1-1/2 in | 38.10 | 38,100.00 mm² · 59.0551 in² | 102.87 kg/m² · 21.07 lb/ft² |
| 2 in | 50.80 | 50,800.00 mm² · 78.7402 in² | 137.16 kg/m² · 28.09 lb/ft² |
Stock sizes in inches, converted exactly at 25.4 mm per inch. Material: Aluminum 6061-T6 at 2700 kg/m³.
The same plate in every material
Geometry is fixed and only density changes, so this table is the whole material-selection question in one view. Aluminum 6061-T6 is highlighted. The percentage column is against carbon steel, which is the figure most quotations are built on.
| Material | Density kg/m³ | lb/in³ | Mass / length kg/m | lb/ft | vs carbon steel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon Steel | 7,850 | 0.2836 | 78.500 | 52.750 | +0.0 % |
| Stainless Steel 304 | 8,000 | 0.2890 | 80.000 | 53.758 | +1.9 % |
| Stainless Steel 316 | 8,000 | 0.2890 | 80.000 | 53.758 | +1.9 % |
| Stainless Steel 316L | 8,000 | 0.2890 | 80.000 | 53.758 | +1.9 % |
| Stainless Steel 430 | 7,700 | 0.2782 | 77.000 | 51.742 | -1.9 % |
| Aluminum 6061-T6 | 2,700 | 0.0975 | 27.000 | 18.143 | -65.6 % |
| Aluminum 5052-H32 | 2,680 | 0.0968 | 26.800 | 18.009 | -65.9 % |
| Aluminum 7075-T6 | 2,810 | 0.1015 | 28.100 | 18.882 | -64.2 % |
| Copper C11000 | 8,940 | 0.3230 | 89.400 | 60.074 | +13.9 % |
| Brass C36000 | 8,500 | 0.3071 | 85.000 | 57.117 | +8.3 % |
| Bronze C93200 | 8,800 | 0.3179 | 88.000 | 59.133 | +12.1 % |
| Titanium Grade 2 | 4,510 | 0.1629 | 45.100 | 30.306 | -42.5 % |
| Gray Cast Iron | 7,200 | 0.2601 | 72.000 | 48.382 | -8.3 % |
| Lead | 11,340 | 0.4097 | 113.400 | 76.201 | +44.5 % |
| Rigid PVC (Type I) | 1,400 | 0.0506 | 14.000 | 9.408 | -82.2 % |
| HDPE (PE 100) | 960 | 0.0347 | 9.600 | 6.451 | -87.8 % |
Same geometry throughout, so the only variable is density. Carbon steel is highlighted as the baseline.
A note on using this table for costing: mass is not price. Aluminium is roughly a third of steel's mass here, but per kilogram it costs several times more, so a straight swap rarely saves money — what it buys is reduced load on a structure or a vehicle.
About aluminum 6061-t6
The general-purpose structural aluminium: magnesium and silicon alloyed, precipitation-hardened to T6, readily welded and machined. At 2,700 kg/m³ it is 2.91 times lighter than carbon steel, which is the entire reason it gets specified — but designers routinely forget that its modulus is also only about a third of steel’s, so a straight aluminium-for-steel swap cuts mass by 66 % while roughly tripling deflection for the same section. Weight savings and stiffness are separate problems.
- Density
- 2,700 kg/m³ = 0.0975 lb/in³ · 0.3439× carbon steel · typical spread ±1 %
- Specification
- ASTM B221 / B209 (T6 temper)
- Equivalents
- EN AW-6061 · JIS A6061 · GB 6061
- Typical uses
- Aircraft and drone frames · Marine decking and masts · Machine guards and jigs · Truck and trailer bodies
About plate
Plate is the one product where the customer usually wants mass per unit area rather than per unit length, because plate is priced and handled by the square metre. Reducing thickness by a fraction of a millimetre has an outsized commercial effect: stepping a 6 mm floor plate down to 5 mm removes 16.7 % of the steel on a job that may be measured in thousands of square metres. That is also exactly why plate thickness tolerances are specified separately from the nominal value — a permitted negative tolerance on a nominally 6 mm plate is real money at scale.
Specified as thickness × width × length, plus the tolerance class and whether the pattern is plain, chequer or floor plate.
Download this data
AL 6061 plate — CSV
Both buttons below read the tables rendered on this page, so the file matches what you are looking at. The full catalogue — all 16 materials across all 10 sections — is on the downloads page.
Fields are quoted per RFC 4180, with a UTF-8 byte-order mark so Excel reads the mm² and · characters correctly. Blank lines separate the weight matrix from the area matrix.
Frequently asked questions
How much does aluminum 6061-t6 plate weigh?
At the reference thickness of 1000 mm, aluminum 6061-t6 plate weighs 2,700.00 kg/m², which is 553.00 lb/ft². Weight per unit area is thickness multiplied by density, so it scales in a straight line: halve the thickness and you halve the weight.
How is the weight of plate calculated?
Weight is cross-sectional area × length × density. For this shape the area is A = w · t. At the reference dimensions that gives 10,000.0 mm², and multiplying by aluminum 6061-t6's density of 2,700 kg/m³ gives 27.000 kg/m. Nothing is looked up in a table — which is why a non-standard size is calculated just as accurately as a standard one.
Why does aluminum 6061-t6 weigh more or less than steel?
It is lighter than carbon steel for the same section — about 66 % lighter at 2,700 kg/m³. Density is the only variable: the cross-sectional area depends purely on geometry, so a plate of the same dimensions has the same area in every material and the mass simply scales with density. In this case the ratio is 0.3439× carbon steel.
What is the cross-sectional area of a plate?
The area depends only on the dimensions, not on the material, so it is identical whichever material you select: at the reference dimensions it is 10,000.0 mm² (15.5000 in²). That is the number you would enter into a stress or deflection calculation, and it is why changing material on this page never changes the area column.
Does a al 6061 plate weigh the same as a al 6061 part of a different shape?
No, and the difference is larger than most people expect. At equal nominal size, a square bar is 27.3 % heavier than a round bar, and a hollow section is typically 60–80 % lighter than the solid bar it replaces. Weight follows area, and area changes faster than dimensions do — which is exactly why this needs calculating rather than estimating.
Other materials, same plate
The same geometry in every material, so the only variable is density.
- Carbon steel plate — 7850 kg/m³
- SS 304 plate — 8000 kg/m³
- SS 316 plate — 8000 kg/m³
- Copper plate — 8940 kg/m³
- Brass plate — 8500 kg/m³
- HDPE plate — 960 kg/m³
- PVC plate — 1400 kg/m³
- AL 5052 plate — 2680 kg/m³
Other AL 6061 sections
The same density applied to every shape the site covers.
- AL 6061 round bar — A = π/4 · d²
- AL 6061 square bar — A = a²
- AL 6061 hexagonal bar — A = (√3/2) · AF² ≈ 0.8660 · AF²
- AL 6061 flat bar — A = w · t
- AL 6061 round tube — A = π/4 · (D² − d²), d = D − 2t
- AL 6061 square tube — A = a² − (a − 2t)²
Reference data and tools
- Metal weight overview — how the calculation works
- All 16 materials — densities and specifications
- All 10 sections — formulas and size series
- Density chart — lightest to heaviest
- Metal weight calculator — any size, any material
- All calculators — metal weight and pipe weight
- Download the data — CSV, generated from the same source
- Cross-reference tables — DN / NPS / material equivalents
- Methodology and sources — where every number comes from
Plate area from A = w · t. Mass computed as area × length × density at 2,700 kg/m³ (ASTM B221 / B209 (T6 temper)). No weight on this page is copied from a published table — which is why figures can differ in the last significant digit from a mill's chart calculated at a nominal density.
- Elementary plane geometry. The circle, polygon and hollow-section area formulas.
- ASTM material specifications for each grade named in the material entry (A36, A240/A276, B209/B211/B221, B152/B16/B505, B265/B348, A48, B29, D1784, D3350).
- BIPM / NIST definitional constants: international inch = 25.4 mm, foot = 0.3048 m, pound = 0.45359237 kg.
Dataset version 2026.09.1 · dimensions last verified against source 2026-09-21. Found an error? Report it — corrections are issued with a version bump.