Lead Plate Weight
Mass per square metre for lead plate at 11,340 kg/m³ (ASTM B29 (UNS L50049, chemical lead)). 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 113.40 kg/m² (23.23 lb/ft²). Against carbon steel's 7,850 kg/m³ that is +44.5 % — 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 11,340 kg/m³ that is 113.4000 kg/m for the reference size above.
Lead plate — size series
| Width | Cross-section | Mass / length | Mass / area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 mm | 500.00 mm² · 0.7750 in² | 5.670 kg/m · 3.810 lb/ft | 5.67 kg/m² · 1.16 lb/ft² |
| 0.8 mm | 800.00 mm² · 1.2400 in² | 9.072 kg/m · 6.096 lb/ft | 9.07 kg/m² · 1.86 lb/ft² |
| 1.0 mm | 1,000.00 mm² · 1.5500 in² | 11.340 kg/m · 7.620 lb/ft | 11.34 kg/m² · 2.32 lb/ft² |
| 1.2 mm | 1,200.00 mm² · 1.8600 in² | 13.608 kg/m · 9.144 lb/ft | 13.61 kg/m² · 2.79 lb/ft² |
| 1.5 mm | 1,500.00 mm² · 2.3250 in² | 17.010 kg/m · 11.430 lb/ft | 17.01 kg/m² · 3.48 lb/ft² |
| 2.0 mm | 2,000.00 mm² · 3.1000 in² | 22.680 kg/m · 15.240 lb/ft | 22.68 kg/m² · 4.65 lb/ft² |
| 3.0 mm | 3,000.00 mm² · 4.6500 in² | 34.020 kg/m · 22.860 lb/ft | 34.02 kg/m² · 6.97 lb/ft² |
| 4.0 mm | 4,000.00 mm² · 6.2000 in² | 45.360 kg/m · 30.481 lb/ft | 45.36 kg/m² · 9.29 lb/ft² |
| 5.0 mm | 5,000.00 mm² · 7.7500 in² | 56.700 kg/m · 38.101 lb/ft | 56.70 kg/m² · 11.61 lb/ft² |
| 6.0 mm | 6,000.00 mm² · 9.3000 in² | 68.040 kg/m · 45.721 lb/ft | 68.04 kg/m² · 13.94 lb/ft² |
| 8.0 mm | 8,000.00 mm² · 12.4000 in² | 90.720 kg/m · 60.961 lb/ft | 90.72 kg/m² · 18.58 lb/ft² |
| 10 mm | 10,000.00 mm² · 15.5000 in² | 113.400 kg/m · 76.201 lb/ft | 113.40 kg/m² · 23.23 lb/ft² |
| 12 mm | 12,000.00 mm² · 18.6000 in² | 136.080 kg/m · 91.442 lb/ft | 136.08 kg/m² · 27.87 lb/ft² |
| 16 mm | 16,000.00 mm² · 24.8000 in² | 181.440 kg/m · 121.922 lb/ft | 181.44 kg/m² · 37.16 lb/ft² |
| 20 mm | 20,000.00 mm² · 31.0001 in² | 226.800 kg/m · 152.403 lb/ft | 226.80 kg/m² · 46.45 lb/ft² |
| 25 mm | 25,000.00 mm² · 38.7501 in² | 283.500 kg/m · 190.503 lb/ft | 283.50 kg/m² · 58.07 lb/ft² |
| 30 mm | 30,000.00 mm² · 46.5001 in² | 340.200 kg/m · 228.604 lb/ft | 340.20 kg/m² · 69.68 lb/ft² |
| 40 mm | 40,000.00 mm² · 62.0001 in² | 453.600 kg/m · 304.805 lb/ft | 453.60 kg/m² · 92.90 lb/ft² |
| 50 mm | 50,000.00 mm² · 77.5002 in² | 567.000 kg/m · 381.006 lb/ft | 567.00 kg/m² · 116.13 lb/ft² |
| 60 mm | 60,000.00 mm² · 93.0002 in² | 680.400 kg/m · 457.208 lb/ft | 680.40 kg/m² · 139.36 lb/ft² |
Computed for Lead at 11340 kg/m³ (0.4097 lb/in³). ASTM B29 (UNS L50049, chemical lead).
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 | 54.01 kg/m² · 11.06 lb/ft² |
| 1/4 in | 6.35 | 6,350.00 mm² · 9.8425 in² | 72.01 kg/m² · 14.75 lb/ft² |
| 5/16 in | 7.94 | 7,937.50 mm² · 12.3031 in² | 90.01 kg/m² · 18.44 lb/ft² |
| 3/8 in | 9.52 | 9,525.00 mm² · 14.7638 in² | 108.01 kg/m² · 22.12 lb/ft² |
| 1/2 in | 12.70 | 12,700.00 mm² · 19.6850 in² | 144.02 kg/m² · 29.50 lb/ft² |
| 5/8 in | 15.88 | 15,875.00 mm² · 24.6063 in² | 180.02 kg/m² · 36.87 lb/ft² |
| 3/4 in | 19.05 | 19,050.00 mm² · 29.5276 in² | 216.03 kg/m² · 44.25 lb/ft² |
| 1 in | 25.40 | 25,400.00 mm² · 39.3701 in² | 288.04 kg/m² · 58.99 lb/ft² |
| 1-1/4 in | 31.75 | 31,750.00 mm² · 49.2126 in² | 360.05 kg/m² · 73.74 lb/ft² |
| 1-1/2 in | 38.10 | 38,100.00 mm² · 59.0551 in² | 432.05 kg/m² · 88.49 lb/ft² |
| 2 in | 50.80 | 50,800.00 mm² · 78.7402 in² | 576.07 kg/m² · 117.99 lb/ft² |
Stock sizes in inches, converted exactly at 25.4 mm per inch. Material: Lead at 11340 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. Lead 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 lead
The densest material in the catalogue at 11,340 kg/m³ — 44 % heavier than carbon steel — and used precisely for that. Lead sheet is specified for acoustic and radiation shielding, where the performance metric is mass per unit area, so a sheet weight table is not an incidental output here, it is the design input: 1 mm of lead is about 11.34 kg/m². It is also extremely soft and creeps under sustained load, so it is normally supported, not self-carrying.
- Density
- 11,340 kg/m³ = 0.4097 lb/in³ · 1.4446× carbon steel · typical spread ±1 %
- Specification
- ASTM B29 (UNS L50049, chemical lead)
- Equivalents
- EN PB000 · GB Pb1
- Typical uses
- Radiation shielding · Acoustic and vibration isolation · Roof flashing and damp courses · Battery plates
Heavy-metal hazard: machining, welding and dross handling require controls. Creeps under its own weight at ambient temperature.
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
Lead 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 lead plate weigh?
At the reference thickness of 1000 mm, lead plate weighs 11,340.00 kg/m², which is 2,322.62 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 lead's density of 11,340 kg/m³ gives 113.400 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 lead weigh more or less than steel?
It is heavier than carbon steel for the same section — about 44 % heavier at 11,340 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 1.4446× 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 lead plate weigh the same as a lead 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
- AL 6061 plate — 2700 kg/m³
- Copper plate — 8940 kg/m³
- Brass plate — 8500 kg/m³
- HDPE plate — 960 kg/m³
- PVC plate — 1400 kg/m³
Other Lead sections
The same density applied to every shape the site covers.
- Lead round bar — A = π/4 · d²
- Lead square bar — A = a²
- Lead hexagonal bar — A = (√3/2) · AF² ≈ 0.8660 · AF²
- Lead flat bar — A = w · t
- Lead round tube — A = π/4 · (D² − d²), d = D − 2t
- Lead 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 11,340 kg/m³ (ASTM B29 (UNS L50049, chemical lead)). 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.