This tool computes weight per length and total weight for a steel pipe. You can pick a pipe by NPS + Schedule from ASME tables or enter a custom OD + wall. Optional layers—corrosion allowance, outer coating, inner lining—and an optional fluid fill are supported. Results appear in kg/m and lb/ft, plus total kg and lb.

How to use it

  1. Choose Size mode:
    • NPS + Schedule → select Standard, NPS, and Schedule. OD and wall auto-fill.
    • Custom OD + Wall → type your OD and wall and pick their units.
  2. Enter Pipe length and its unit.
  3. Pick Material or set a Custom density.
  4. (Optional) Toggle Corrosion allowance, Outer coating, Inner lining, and Fluid inside, then fill their fields.
  5. Choose Decimal places for rounding.
  6. Press Calculate. Read Weight per length, Total weight, and Dimensions used.

Abbreviations Guide

  • NPS: Nominal Pipe Size. A size label, not a direct measurement. For NPS ≤ 12 the label ≠ OD; for NPS ≥ 14 the label = OD (inches).
  • SCH: Schedule. Wall-thickness series for a given NPS (5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160; stainless: 5S, 10S, 40S, 80S).
  • STD: “Standard weight.” Industry alias for Schedule 40.
  • XS: “Extra strong.” Industry alias for Schedule 80.
  • XXS: “Double extra strong.” Heavier than XS.
  • OD: Outside Diameter. The actual outside diameter of the pipe.
  • ID: Inside Diameter. Computed bore: ID = OD − 2 × (t + CA + tlin). Clamped at ≥ 0.
  • t: Wall thickness (nominal), from the schedule table or user input.
  • CA: Corrosion allowance. Extra thickness added to the wall for service life and for weight.
  • tcoat: Outer coating thickness.
  • tlin: Inner lining thickness.
  • ρ: Density of the pipe metal (kg/m³ or lb/ft³).
  • ρcoat: Density of the outer coating.
  • ρlin: Density of the inner lining.
  • ρfluid: Density of the internal fluid.
  • L: Pipe length used for total weight.
  • kg/m: Kilograms per metre. Weight per unit length (SI).
  • lb/ft: Pounds per foot. Weight per unit length (US).
  • kg: Kilograms. Total mass.
  • lb: Pounds. Total mass (US).
  • kg/m³: Kilograms per cubic metre. Density unit (SI).
  • lb/ft³: Pounds per cubic foot. Density unit (US).
  • mm: Millimetre.
  • cm: Centimetre.
  • m: Metre.
  • in: Inch.
  • ft: Foot.
  • DP: Decimal places. Number of digits shown after the decimal point.

Every setting explained

Size mode

NPS + Schedule: You select the pipe by its catalog label.

  • Standard:
    • ASME B36.10M — carbon/alloy steel pipes.
    • ASME B36.19M — stainless steel pipes.
  • NPS (Nominal Pipe Size): A size label. It is not a direct measurement. For NPS ≤ 12 the label is not equal to the OD; for NPS ≥ 14 the label equals OD in inches.
  • Schedule (SCH): A wall-thickness series for a given NPS. Common sets: 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 (STD), 60, 80 (XS), 100, 120, 140, 160, and stainless variants 5S, 10S, 40S, 80S. Changing schedule changes wall thickness; OD stays fixed for that NPS.
  • Outside diameter (in) and Wall thickness (in): Auto-filled from the standard you chose.

Custom OD + Wall: You enter the OD and Wall thickness yourself and pick their units (mm, cm, m, in, ft).

Pipe length

The length of pipe you want to weigh. Units: mm, cm, m, in, ft.

Material

  • Carbon steel sets density to 7850 kg/m³.
  • Stainless steel sets density to 8000 kg/m³.
  • Custom density: Enter your own density and choose kg/m³ or lb/ft³.

Density affects only the metal mass. Coatings, linings, and fluid use their own densities.

Corrosion allowance (optional)

Extra thickness added to the nominal wall for weight calculations. Effective wall = wall + CA. Inside diameter reduces by 2 × CA. If CA is large enough to make the inside negative, the tool clamps the inside to zero.

Outer coating (optional)

A uniform layer on the outside. You provide:

  • Coating thickness
  • Coating density (e.g., zinc ~7130 kg/m³, paint/epoxy varies)

The tool adds the volume of a thin cylindrical shell around the pipe and multiplies by the coating density.

Inner lining (optional)

A uniform layer on the inside. You provide:

  • Lining thickness
  • Lining density (e.g., cement mortar ~1200 kg/m³ as a typical placeholder)

The tool subtracts lining from the flow diameter and adds the lining mass.

Fluid inside (optional)

Weight of the fluid occupying the inner bore (after lining). You provide:

  • Fluid density (water ~1000 kg/m³ at 4 °C)
  • Fluid-filled length (how much of the pipe is filled)

Decimal places

Controls display rounding for all numbers. Internal calculations use double precision.

Outputs explained

  • Weight per length: Mass per meter and per foot (kg/m and lb/ft).
  • Total weight: Mass of the specified length (kg and lb).
  • Dimensions used: Echo of the actual geometry after options: OD, ID, wall, and length. ID reflects CA and lining.

 

Steel Pipe Weight Calculator

Formulas and calculation details

Symbols below use meters and kilograms. Conversions handle all supported units.

  • Inside diameter: ID = OD − 2 × (wall + CA), clamped at 0.
  • Metal area per unit length (hollow cylinder): Aₘ = (π/4) × (OD² − ID²).
  • Metal mass per unit length: mₘ/L = ρ_metal × Aₘ.
  • Outer coating area per unit length: A_c = (π/4) × ((OD + 2 t_c)² − OD²), mass per unit length m_c/L = ρ_coat × A_c.
  • Inner lining area per unit length: A_ℓ = (π/4) × (ID² − (ID − 2 t_ℓ)²), mass per unit length m_ℓ/L = ρ_lin × A_ℓ.
  • Fluid area per unit length (after lining): A_f = (π/4) × (ID − 2 t_ℓ)², mass per unit length m_f/L = ρ_fluid × A_f.
  • Total mass per unit length: m/L = (mₘ + m_c + m_ℓ + m_f)/L.
  • Total mass for length L: m_total = (m/L) × L. If the pipe is filled for a different length L_f, fluid mass uses L_f.

These are standard hollow-cylinder relations from elementary geometry. In imperial practice a common shortcut for bare steel is Weight/ft ≈ 10.69 × (OD − t) × t when OD and t are in inches and steel density ≈ 0.2836 lb/in³. The shortcut is consistent with the formulas above.

Units and conversions

  • Lengths: mm, cm, m, in, ft → converted to meters for math.
  • Densities: kg/m³ or lb/ft³ → converted to kg/m³ for math.
  • Results: shown as kg/m and lb/ft, and as total kg and lb.

Data, standards, and scope

  • Dimensions come from ASME pipe standards:
    • B36.10M — wrought steel pipe (carbon/alloy).
    • B36.19M — stainless steel pipe.

    OD is fixed per NPS; wall depends on schedule. The widget includes a compact subset of those tables for fast lookup.

  • Default densities: carbon steel 7850 kg/m³, stainless 8000 kg/m³, water 1000 kg/m³. Override if your specification requires different values.

Checks, limits, and good practice

  • All thicknesses must be ≥ 0. The tool prevents negative ID.
  • Use the same unit family for OD, wall, CA, coatings, linings, and length as you intend in practice.
  • Real pipes have tolerances; standards prescribe thickness and diameter tolerances not modeled here.
  • Temperature changes density; set custom densities if your case demands it.

Examples

  • NPS 4, Sch 40 (B36.10M): OD = 4.500 in, wall = 0.237 in. With ρ = 7850 kg/m³ and no options:
    • Weight per length ≈ 10.8 lb/ft (≈ 16.1 kg/m).
    • Total weight for 6 m ≈ 96.6 kg.
  • Custom: OD = 114.3 mm, wall = 6 mm, L = 6 m, ρ = 7850 kg/m³:
    • Compute ID = 114.3 − 2×6 = 102.3 mm.
    • Apply the hollow-cylinder formulas to get kg/m, then multiply by length.

Sources Used For Building The Calculator

What is your scenario of using this tool? Would you like to have any more features in it? Let us know in the comments below!

CalcuLife.com