Stainless Steel 430 Flat Bar Weight
Mass per metre and per foot for stainless steel 430 flat bar at 7,700 kg/m³ (ASTM A240 (UNS S43000)). Every figure is for the section as drawn. A 6 m length of this size weighs 13.9 kg (31.0 lb per 20 ft).
At the reference dimensions (w = 50 mm, t = 6 mm) this section has a cross-sectional area of 300.0 mm², giving 2.310 kg/m (1.552 lb/ft). Against carbon steel's 7,850 kg/m³ that is -1.9 % — the same section in steel would be 2.355 kg/m.
Flat Bar — formula and derivation
Area of a flat bar
A = w · t
A = w × t, where w is width and t is thickness
Worked through with the default dimensions:
A = w × tA = 50 × 6A = 300.0 mm²
- 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 7,700 kg/m³ that is 2.3100 kg/m for the reference size above.
SS 430 flat bar — size series
| Width | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 mm | 0.277 kg/m · 0.186 lb/ft | 0.370 kg/m · 0.248 lb/ft | 0.462 kg/m · 0.310 lb/ft | 0.554 kg/m · 0.373 lb/ft | 0.739 kg/m · 0.497 lb/ft | 0.924 kg/m · 0.621 lb/ft | 1.109 kg/m · 0.745 lb/ft | 1.478 kg/m · 0.993 lb/ft | 1.848 kg/m · 1.242 lb/ft |
| 16 mm | 0.370 kg/m · 0.248 lb/ft | 0.493 kg/m · 0.331 lb/ft | 0.616 kg/m · 0.414 lb/ft | 0.739 kg/m · 0.497 lb/ft | 0.986 kg/m · 0.662 lb/ft | 1.232 kg/m · 0.828 lb/ft | 1.478 kg/m · 0.993 lb/ft | 1.971 kg/m · 1.325 lb/ft | 2.464 kg/m · 1.656 lb/ft |
| 20 mm | 0.462 kg/m · 0.310 lb/ft | 0.616 kg/m · 0.414 lb/ft | 0.770 kg/m · 0.517 lb/ft | 0.924 kg/m · 0.621 lb/ft | 1.232 kg/m · 0.828 lb/ft | 1.540 kg/m · 1.035 lb/ft | 1.848 kg/m · 1.242 lb/ft | 2.464 kg/m · 1.656 lb/ft | 3.080 kg/m · 2.070 lb/ft |
| 25 mm | 0.577 kg/m · 0.388 lb/ft | 0.770 kg/m · 0.517 lb/ft | 0.963 kg/m · 0.647 lb/ft | 1.155 kg/m · 0.776 lb/ft | 1.540 kg/m · 1.035 lb/ft | 1.925 kg/m · 1.294 lb/ft | 2.310 kg/m · 1.552 lb/ft | 3.080 kg/m · 2.070 lb/ft | 3.850 kg/m · 2.587 lb/ft |
| 30 mm | 0.693 kg/m · 0.466 lb/ft | 0.924 kg/m · 0.621 lb/ft | 1.155 kg/m · 0.776 lb/ft | 1.386 kg/m · 0.931 lb/ft | 1.848 kg/m · 1.242 lb/ft | 2.310 kg/m · 1.552 lb/ft | 2.772 kg/m · 1.863 lb/ft | 3.696 kg/m · 2.484 lb/ft | 4.620 kg/m · 3.104 lb/ft |
| 40 mm | 0.924 kg/m · 0.621 lb/ft | 1.232 kg/m · 0.828 lb/ft | 1.540 kg/m · 1.035 lb/ft | 1.848 kg/m · 1.242 lb/ft | 2.464 kg/m · 1.656 lb/ft | 3.080 kg/m · 2.070 lb/ft | 3.696 kg/m · 2.484 lb/ft | 4.928 kg/m · 3.311 lb/ft | 6.160 kg/m · 4.139 lb/ft |
| 50 mm | 1.155 kg/m · 0.776 lb/ft | 1.540 kg/m · 1.035 lb/ft | 1.925 kg/m · 1.294 lb/ft | 2.310 kg/m · 1.552 lb/ft | 3.080 kg/m · 2.070 lb/ft | 3.850 kg/m · 2.587 lb/ft | 4.620 kg/m · 3.104 lb/ft | 6.160 kg/m · 4.139 lb/ft | 7.700 kg/m · 5.174 lb/ft |
| 60 mm | 1.386 kg/m · 0.931 lb/ft | 1.848 kg/m · 1.242 lb/ft | 2.310 kg/m · 1.552 lb/ft | 2.772 kg/m · 1.863 lb/ft | 3.696 kg/m · 2.484 lb/ft | 4.620 kg/m · 3.104 lb/ft | 5.544 kg/m · 3.725 lb/ft | 7.392 kg/m · 4.967 lb/ft | 9.240 kg/m · 6.209 lb/ft |
| 80 mm | 1.848 kg/m · 1.242 lb/ft | 2.464 kg/m · 1.656 lb/ft | 3.080 kg/m · 2.070 lb/ft | 3.696 kg/m · 2.484 lb/ft | 4.928 kg/m · 3.311 lb/ft | 6.160 kg/m · 4.139 lb/ft | 7.392 kg/m · 4.967 lb/ft | 9.856 kg/m · 6.623 lb/ft | 12.320 kg/m · 8.279 lb/ft |
| 100 mm | 2.310 kg/m · 1.552 lb/ft | 3.080 kg/m · 2.070 lb/ft | 3.850 kg/m · 2.587 lb/ft | 4.620 kg/m · 3.104 lb/ft | 6.160 kg/m · 4.139 lb/ft | 7.700 kg/m · 5.174 lb/ft | 9.240 kg/m · 6.209 lb/ft | 12.320 kg/m · 8.279 lb/ft | 15.400 kg/m · 10.348 lb/ft |
Rows: width (mm). Columns: thickness (mm). Computed for Stainless Steel 430 at 7700 kg/m³.
| Width | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 mm | 36.0 | 48.0 | 60.0 | 72.0 | 96.0 | 120.0 | 144.0 | 192.0 | 240.0 |
| 16 mm | 48.0 | 64.0 | 80.0 | 96.0 | 128.0 | 160.0 | 192.0 | 256.0 | 320.0 |
| 20 mm | 60.0 | 80.0 | 100.0 | 120.0 | 160.0 | 200.0 | 240.0 | 320.0 | 400.0 |
| 25 mm | 75.0 | 100.0 | 125.0 | 150.0 | 200.0 | 250.0 | 300.0 | 400.0 | 500.0 |
| 30 mm | 90.0 | 120.0 | 150.0 | 180.0 | 240.0 | 300.0 | 360.0 | 480.0 | 600.0 |
| 40 mm | 120.0 | 160.0 | 200.0 | 240.0 | 320.0 | 400.0 | 480.0 | 640.0 | 800.0 |
| 50 mm | 150.0 | 200.0 | 250.0 | 300.0 | 400.0 | 500.0 | 600.0 | 800.0 | 1,000.0 |
| 60 mm | 180.0 | 240.0 | 300.0 | 360.0 | 480.0 | 600.0 | 720.0 | 960.0 | 1,200.0 |
| 80 mm | 240.0 | 320.0 | 400.0 | 480.0 | 640.0 | 800.0 | 960.0 | 1,280.0 | 1,600.0 |
| 100 mm | 300.0 | 400.0 | 500.0 | 600.0 | 800.0 | 1,000.0 | 1,200.0 | 1,600.0 | 2,000.0 |
Area is a property of the geometry alone, so this table is the same for every material. It is what you enter into a stress calculation; the mass table is what you enter into an order.
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 flat bar in every material
Geometry is fixed and only density changes, so this table is the whole material-selection question in one view. Stainless Steel 430 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 | 2.355 | 1.582 | +0.0 % |
| Stainless Steel 304 | 8,000 | 0.2890 | 2.400 | 1.613 | +1.9 % |
| Stainless Steel 316 | 8,000 | 0.2890 | 2.400 | 1.613 | +1.9 % |
| Stainless Steel 316L | 8,000 | 0.2890 | 2.400 | 1.613 | +1.9 % |
| Stainless Steel 430 | 7,700 | 0.2782 | 2.310 | 1.552 | -1.9 % |
| Aluminum 6061-T6 | 2,700 | 0.0975 | 0.810 | 0.544 | -65.6 % |
| Aluminum 5052-H32 | 2,680 | 0.0968 | 0.804 | 0.540 | -65.9 % |
| Aluminum 7075-T6 | 2,810 | 0.1015 | 0.843 | 0.566 | -64.2 % |
| Copper C11000 | 8,940 | 0.3230 | 2.682 | 1.802 | +13.9 % |
| Brass C36000 | 8,500 | 0.3071 | 2.550 | 1.714 | +8.3 % |
| Bronze C93200 | 8,800 | 0.3179 | 2.640 | 1.774 | +12.1 % |
| Titanium Grade 2 | 4,510 | 0.1629 | 1.353 | 0.909 | -42.5 % |
| Gray Cast Iron | 7,200 | 0.2601 | 2.160 | 1.451 | -8.3 % |
| Lead | 11,340 | 0.4097 | 3.402 | 2.286 | +44.5 % |
| Rigid PVC (Type I) | 1,400 | 0.0506 | 0.420 | 0.282 | -82.2 % |
| HDPE (PE 100) | 960 | 0.0347 | 0.288 | 0.194 | -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 stainless steel 430
A ferritic straight-chromium grade — 17 % Cr, essentially no nickel — and therefore magnetic. Its 7,700 kg/m³ makes it the lightest of the stainless family here, a 1.9 % saving against 304 and the only stainless that undercuts carbon steel on mass. That, plus a nickel-free price, is why it dominates appliance trim, kitchen splashbacks and interior decorative panels where corrosion demand is mild and a magnet will be used on it anyway.
- Density
- 7,700 kg/m³ = 0.2782 lb/in³ · 0.9809× carbon steel · typical spread ±1 %
- Specification
- ASTM A240 (UNS S43000)
- Equivalents
- EN 1.4016 · JIS SUS430 · GB 10Cr17
- Typical uses
- Appliance and kitchen panels · Interior decorative trim · Automotive exhaust trim · Elevator cladding
Ferritic grades have lower ductility and weldability than 304; avoid specifying it for formed or welded structural work.
About flat bar
Flat bar is where the site’s most common estimating mistake shows up: weight is independent of how the bar is oriented, but stiffness is not. A 50 × 6 flat bent about its strong axis is roughly 69 times stiffer than the same bar bent about its weak axis, while both weigh 2.36 kg/m. Reading weight off a flat-bar table tells you what to order; it tells you nothing about whether the section will carry the load.
Specified as width × thickness. Edge condition (square, radiused, or sheared) changes the effective area slightly, not the nominal weight.
Download this data
SS 430 flat bar — 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 stainless steel 430 flat bar weigh?
At the reference dimensions (w = 50 mm, t = 6 mm) a stainless steel 430 flat bar of this size weighs 2.310 kg/m, or 1.552 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 flat bar calculated?
Weight is cross-sectional area × length × density. For this shape the area is A = w · t. At the reference dimensions that gives 300.0 mm², and multiplying by stainless steel 430's density of 7,700 kg/m³ gives 2.310 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 stainless steel 430 weigh more or less than steel?
It is lighter than carbon steel for the same section — about 2 % lighter at 7,700 kg/m³. Density is the only variable: the cross-sectional area depends purely on geometry, so a flat bar of the same dimensions has the same area in every material and the mass simply scales with density. In this case the ratio is 0.9809× carbon steel.
What is the cross-sectional area of a flat bar?
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 300.0 mm² (0.4650 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 ss 430 flat bar weigh the same as a ss 430 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 SS 430 weight or carbon steel weight for costing?
Use the material you are actually buying. At 7,700 kg/m³ against carbon steel's 7,850 kg/m³, the same flat bar differs by 1.9 % 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 2.355 kg/m for comparison.
Other materials, same flat bar
The same geometry in every material, so the only variable is density.
- Carbon steel flat bar — 7850 kg/m³
- SS 304 flat bar — 8000 kg/m³
- SS 316 flat bar — 8000 kg/m³
- AL 6061 flat bar — 2700 kg/m³
- Copper flat bar — 8940 kg/m³
- Brass flat bar — 8500 kg/m³
- HDPE flat bar — 960 kg/m³
- PVC flat bar — 1400 kg/m³
Other SS 430 sections
The same density applied to every shape the site covers.
- SS 430 round bar — A = π/4 · d²
- SS 430 square bar — A = a²
- SS 430 hexagonal bar — A = (√3/2) · AF² ≈ 0.8660 · AF²
- SS 430 plate — A = w · t
- SS 430 round tube — A = π/4 · (D² − d²), d = D − 2t
- SS 430 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
Flat Bar area from A = w · t. Mass computed as area × length × density at 7,700 kg/m³ (ASTM A240 (UNS S43000)). 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.