Rigid PVC (Type I) Channel (U Section) Weight
Mass per metre and per foot for rigid pvc (type i) channel (u section) at 1,400 kg/m³ (ASTM D1784 Cell Classification 12454). Every figure is for the section as drawn. A 6 m length of this size weighs 24.7 kg (55.3 lb per 20 ft).
At the reference dimensions (h = 200 mm, b = 75 mm, t_w = 8 mm, t_f = 10 mm) this section has a cross-sectional area of 2,940.0 mm², giving 4.116 kg/m (2.766 lb/ft). Against carbon steel's 7,850 kg/m³ that is -82.2 % — the same section in steel would be 23.079 kg/m.
Channel (U Section) — formula and derivation
Area of a channel (u section)
A = 2·b·t_f + (h − 2·t_f)·t_w
A = 2 × b × t_f + (h − 2 × t_f) × t_w, where h is the overall depth, b the flange width, t_f the flange thickness and t_w the web thickness
Worked through with the default dimensions:
A = 2·b·t_f + (h − 2·t_f)·t_wFlanges = 2 × 75 × 10 = 1500.0 mm²Web = (200 − 2 × 10) × 8 = 180.0 × 8 = 1440.0 mm²A = 1500.0 + 1440.0A = 2940.0 mm²
- h
- Depth
- b
- Flange width
- t_w
- Web thickness
- t_f
- Flange 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 1,400 kg/m³ that is 4.1160 kg/m for the reference size above.
PVC channel (u section) — size series
| Depth | Flange width | Web thickness | Flange thickness | Cross-section | Mass / length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80.0 | 40.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 890.00 mm² · 1.3795 in² | 1.246 kg/m · 0.837 lb/ft |
| 100.0 | 46.0 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 1,157.50 mm² · 1.7941 in² | 1.620 kg/m · 1.089 lb/ft |
| 120.0 | 52.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 1,456.00 mm² · 2.2568 in² | 2.038 kg/m · 1.370 lb/ft |
| 140.0 | 58.0 | 6.0 | 8.5 | 1,724.00 mm² · 2.6722 in² | 2.414 kg/m · 1.622 lb/ft |
| 160.0 | 64.0 | 6.5 | 9.0 | 2,075.00 mm² · 3.2163 in² | 2.905 kg/m · 1.952 lb/ft |
| 180.0 | 70.0 | 7.0 | 9.5 | 2,457.00 mm² · 3.8084 in² | 3.440 kg/m · 2.311 lb/ft |
| 200.0 | 76.0 | 7.5 | 10.0 | 2,870.00 mm² · 4.4485 in² | 4.018 kg/m · 2.700 lb/ft |
| 220.0 | 82.0 | 8.0 | 10.5 | 3,314.00 mm² · 5.1367 in² | 4.640 kg/m · 3.118 lb/ft |
| 240.0 | 88.0 | 8.5 | 11.0 | 3,789.00 mm² · 5.8730 in² | 5.305 kg/m · 3.565 lb/ft |
| 260.0 | 94.0 | 9.0 | 11.5 | 4,295.00 mm² · 6.6573 in² | 6.013 kg/m · 4.041 lb/ft |
| 280.0 | 100.0 | 9.5 | 12.0 | 4,832.00 mm² · 7.4896 in² | 6.765 kg/m · 4.546 lb/ft |
| 300.0 | 106.0 | 10.0 | 13.0 | 5,496.00 mm² · 8.5188 in² | 7.694 kg/m · 5.170 lb/ft |
| 320.0 | 112.0 | 10.5 | 13.5 | 6,100.50 mm² · 9.4558 in² | 8.541 kg/m · 5.739 lb/ft |
| 350.0 | 122.0 | 11.0 | 15.0 | 7,180.00 mm² · 11.1290 in² | 10.052 kg/m · 6.755 lb/ft |
| 400.0 | 138.0 | 12.0 | 17.0 | 9,084.00 mm² · 14.0802 in² | 12.718 kg/m · 8.546 lb/ft |
Nominal estimating series — round-numbered geometry, not any standard’s tabulated shape. Weight is exact for the dimensions shown. For UPN / C / MC section properties use the mill’s own table. Computed for Rigid PVC (Type I) at 1400 kg/m³.
Each row is one nominal size. Because the area is computed from your dimensions rather than read from a mill table, a non-standard size is just as accurate — put it into the calculator above rather than interpolating between rows.
The same channel (u section) in every material
Geometry is fixed and only density changes, so this table is the whole material-selection question in one view. Rigid PVC (Type I) 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 | 23.079 | 15.508 | +0.0 % |
| Stainless Steel 304 | 8,000 | 0.2890 | 23.520 | 15.805 | +1.9 % |
| Stainless Steel 316 | 8,000 | 0.2890 | 23.520 | 15.805 | +1.9 % |
| Stainless Steel 316L | 8,000 | 0.2890 | 23.520 | 15.805 | +1.9 % |
| Stainless Steel 430 | 7,700 | 0.2782 | 22.638 | 15.212 | -1.9 % |
| Aluminum 6061-T6 | 2,700 | 0.0975 | 7.938 | 5.334 | -65.6 % |
| Aluminum 5052-H32 | 2,680 | 0.0968 | 7.879 | 5.295 | -65.9 % |
| Aluminum 7075-T6 | 2,810 | 0.1015 | 8.261 | 5.551 | -64.2 % |
| Copper C11000 | 8,940 | 0.3230 | 26.284 | 17.662 | +13.9 % |
| Brass C36000 | 8,500 | 0.3071 | 24.990 | 16.793 | +8.3 % |
| Bronze C93200 | 8,800 | 0.3179 | 25.872 | 17.385 | +12.1 % |
| Titanium Grade 2 | 4,510 | 0.1629 | 13.259 | 8.910 | -42.5 % |
| Gray Cast Iron | 7,200 | 0.2601 | 21.168 | 14.224 | -8.3 % |
| Lead | 11,340 | 0.4097 | 33.340 | 22.403 | +44.5 % |
| Rigid PVC (Type I) | 1,400 | 0.0506 | 4.116 | 2.766 | -82.2 % |
| HDPE (PE 100) | 960 | 0.0347 | 2.822 | 1.897 | -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 rigid pvc (type i)
Unplasticised polyvinyl chloride, the standard solvent-welded pipe and duct material. At 1,400 kg/m³ it is 82 % lighter than carbon steel — the single biggest mass saving available in the catalogue — which is why PVC pipe is specified for drainage, irrigation and fume ducting where nothing structural is asked of it. The figure assumes rigid, unplasticised compound; flexible PVC contains plasticiser and runs 1,200–1,500 kg/m³, and foamed PVC is far lower again.
- Density
- 1,400 kg/m³ = 0.0506 lb/in³ · 0.1783× carbon steel · typical spread ±3 %
- Specification
- ASTM D1784 Cell Classification 12454
- Equivalents
- EN PVC-U · JIS PVC · GB PVC-U
- Typical uses
- Drainage and soil pipe · Irrigation and fume duct · Chemical process pipework · Electrical conduit
Density is formulation-dependent: rigid compound 1,380–1,450 kg/m³, plasticised grades are lighter and foamed grades much lighter. Strength falls sharply above about 60 °C.
About channel (u section)
Channel is the only shape here with four independent dimensions, and it is the one where a supplier’s actual product most often differs from the drawing: nominal channel sizes are named by depth while the flange width, web and flange thicknesses vary between standards and even between mills. The weight consequence is real — a 200 mm channel with a 7.5 mm web and a 200 mm channel with an 8.5 mm web differ by about 4 % in mass. For anything ordered by the tonne, get the mill’s section mass and use the calculator only for sanity checks.
Specified by depth in a named standard (UPN 200, C8×11.5, MC 200) — never by depth alone, because different standards use different webs and flanges.
Download this data
PVC channel (u section) — 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 rigid pvc (type i) channel (u section) weigh?
At the reference dimensions (h = 200 mm, b = 75 mm, t_w = 8 mm, t_f = 10 mm) a rigid pvc (type i) channel (u section) of this size weighs 4.116 kg/m, or 2.766 lb/ft. The table above lists the figure for every standard size so you can read your size directly instead of scaling.
How is the weight of channel (u section) calculated?
Weight is cross-sectional area × length × density. For this shape the area is A = 2·b·t_f + (h − 2·t_f)·t_w. At the reference dimensions that gives 2,940.0 mm², and multiplying by rigid pvc (type i)'s density of 1,400 kg/m³ gives 4.116 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 rigid pvc (type i) weigh more or less than steel?
It is lighter than carbon steel for the same section — about 82 % lighter at 1,400 kg/m³. Density is the only variable: the cross-sectional area depends purely on geometry, so a channel (u section) of the same dimensions has the same area in every material and the mass simply scales with density. In this case the ratio is 0.1783× carbon steel.
What is the cross-sectional area of a channel (u section)?
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 2,940.0 mm² (4.5570 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 pvc channel (u section) weigh the same as a pvc 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.
Should I use PVC weight or carbon steel weight for costing?
Use the material you are actually buying. At 1,400 kg/m³ against carbon steel's 7,850 kg/m³, the same channel (u section) differs by 82.2 % in mass. On a per-metre quote that is invisible; on a fabricated tonnage it is the difference between a margin and a loss. This page computes the steel figure as 23.079 kg/m for comparison.
Other materials, same channel (u section)
The same geometry in every material, so the only variable is density.
- Carbon steel channel (u section) — 7850 kg/m³
- SS 304 channel (u section) — 8000 kg/m³
- SS 316 channel (u section) — 8000 kg/m³
- AL 6061 channel (u section) — 2700 kg/m³
- Copper channel (u section) — 8940 kg/m³
- Brass channel (u section) — 8500 kg/m³
- HDPE channel (u section) — 960 kg/m³
- AL 5052 channel (u section) — 2680 kg/m³
Other PVC sections
The same density applied to every shape the site covers.
- PVC round bar — A = π/4 · d²
- PVC square bar — A = a²
- PVC hexagonal bar — A = (√3/2) · AF² ≈ 0.8660 · AF²
- PVC flat bar — A = w · t
- PVC plate — A = w · t
- PVC round tube — A = π/4 · (D² − d²), d = D − 2t
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
Channel (U Section) area from A = 2·b·t_f + (h − 2·t_f)·t_w. Mass computed as area × length × density at 1,400 kg/m³ (ASTM D1784 Cell Classification 12454). 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.