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Steel Weight & Cost Calculator ⚙️💰
Crunch weights and costs for rebars and 8+ structural shapes. Watch the live preview scale with your inputs and estimate real-world costs using 2025 country price indices—or your custom rate. Great for quick budgeting on site or at your desk.
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Steel Weight & Cost Calculator — What it is and how it works
A fast way to estimate mass (kg/m and total kg) and cost for rebars and common steel sections (I-beam, channel, angle, tees, flats, and HSS) using geometry + density, then scale by length, quantity, and a price index or your custom rate.
Report-ready • 2025 Index SupportWhat this calculator does
Computes unit weight (kg/m) from cross-section + density, then scales to total weight using length & quantity, and applies a price per kg to estimate cost.
Who it’s for
Estimators, site engineers, fabricators, QS, and students who need quick, explainable numbers for rebars and structural steel.
When to use it
Early budgeting, vendor comparison, cross-section selection, or sanity checks before doing detailed take-offs or BBS.
How it works — the simple flow
Choose Bar (rebar) or Section (I-beam, channel, angle, tee, flat, HSS).
For rebars: diameter. For sections: height/width/thickness or outer size + wall thickness.
Use 7,850 kg/m³ for mild steel (preset), 8,000 for stainless—or enter a custom value.
These scale the totals; they don’t affect unit weight.
Use 2025 indices (India/US/UK) or a custom currency & rate.
See KPIs: kg/m, total kg, price/kg, total cost. Generate an HTML report for records.
Formulas & assumptions
Cross-section area (mm²) = π·D²/4
Use this for quick rebar weights. The D²/162 rule of thumb aligns closely with theoretical values for typical steel densities.
General: kg/m = (Area in mm² × Density in kg/m³) ÷ 1,000,000
A ≈ 2·w·t + (h − 2t)·t
Channel (U):
A ≈ w·t + 2·(h − t)·t
Angle (L):
A ≈ (l₁ + l₂ − t)·t
Tee (T):
A ≈ w·t + (h − t)·t
HSS square:
A = s² − (s − 2t)²
HSS rectangle:
A = (H·W) − (H − 2t)(W − 2t)
HSS round (pipe):
A = π (Rₒ² − Rᵢ²)
These are fast approximations for budgeting. For final designs, consult exact manufacturer tables and section properties.
Worked example (I-Beam 200×100×10)
- Inputs: h=200 mm, w=100 mm, t=10 mm; density = 7,850 kg/m³; length = 12 m; quantity = 1
- Area: A ≈ 2·100·10 + (200 − 20)·10 = 3,800 mm²
- Unit weight: (3,800 × 7,850) ÷ 1,000,000 = 29.83 kg/m
- Total weight: 29.83 × 12 × 1 = 357.96 kg
- Total cost: Total weight × Price/kg (use index or your custom rate)
Next, export the calculation as an HTML report for your records or to share with stakeholders.
FAQs
No. kg/m depends only on the cross-section and density. Length and quantity only scale the total mass and cost.
For mild/carbon steel, 7,850 kg/m³ is a good default. Stainless is typically ~8,000 kg/m³. You can override for special alloys.
They are simplified for speed and align with IS 808-style geometry. For fabrication/procurement, cross-check with manufacturer data.
