# Stamping Material Density and Shear Strength Reference Table

> Source: https://netray.co/tools/stamping-material-density-and-shear-strength-reference
> Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems.
> Section: Free Tools

## Short answer

Look up density and typical shear strength for the alloys most often stamped, to feed weight, tonnage and cost estimates.

## Category

industry-templates

## Industry

Metal Stamping

## Audience

- Estimator
- Die designer
- Buyer

## Tool

**Kind:** worksheet

**Mode:** reference

**Columns:**

#### Material

**Key:** material

**Type:** text

#### Typical grade or temper

**Key:** grade

**Type:** text

#### Density (lb/in3)

**Key:** dens_lb

**Type:** number

**Format:** decimal

#### Density (g/cm3)

**Key:** dens_g

**Type:** number

**Format:** decimal

#### Approx. shear strength (ksi)

**Key:** shear

**Type:** text

#### Stamping note

**Key:** note

**Type:** text

**Rows:**

**Material:** Carbon steel

**Grade:** CR 1008/1010, drawing quality

**Dens lb:** 0.284

**Dens g:** 7.85

**Shear:** 35 to 45

**Note:** Baseline for most tonnage and weight estimates.

**Material:** Carbon steel

**Grade:** HR pickled and oiled, 1010

**Dens lb:** 0.284

**Dens g:** 7.85

**Shear:** 38 to 48

**Note:** Thickness tolerance is wider than cold rolled.

**Material:** Carbon steel

**Grade:** Spring steel 1050 to 1095, annealed

**Dens lb:** 0.284

**Dens g:** 7.85

**Shear:** 55 to 75

**Note:** High force; check tonnage and punch wear.

**Material:** Galvanized steel

**Grade:** G60/G90 coated

**Dens lb:** 0.284

**Dens g:** 7.85

**Shear:** 35 to 45

**Note:** Coating adds a small weight; zinc can build up on tooling.

**Material:** HSLA steel

**Grade:** 50 to 80 ksi yield

**Dens lb:** 0.284

**Dens g:** 7.85

**Shear:** 45 to 65

**Note:** More springback; use more clearance.

**Material:** Stainless steel

**Grade:** 304 annealed

**Dens lb:** 0.289

**Dens g:** 8

**Shear:** 55 to 70

**Note:** Work hardens; sharp tooling and good lubrication.

**Material:** Stainless steel

**Grade:** 316 annealed

**Dens lb:** 0.289

**Dens g:** 8

**Shear:** 55 to 70

**Note:** Similar to 304; often more galling.

**Material:** Stainless steel

**Grade:** 301 full hard

**Dens lb:** 0.285

**Dens g:** 7.88

**Shear:** 90 to 120

**Note:** Very high force; common for springs and clips.

**Material:** Stainless steel

**Grade:** 430 annealed

**Dens lb:** 0.28

**Dens g:** 7.75

**Shear:** 40 to 50

**Note:** Ferritic; lower work hardening than 304.

**Material:** Aluminum

**Grade:** 1100-O to H14

**Dens lb:** 0.098

**Dens g:** 2.71

**Shear:** 7 to 11

**Note:** Soft; good for deep draws.

**Material:** Aluminum

**Grade:** 3003-H14

**Dens lb:** 0.099

**Dens g:** 2.73

**Shear:** 14 to 16

**Note:** Common general-purpose aluminum.

**Material:** Aluminum

**Grade:** 5052-H32

**Dens lb:** 0.097

**Dens g:** 2.68

**Shear:** 18 to 21

**Note:** Good formability and strength balance.

**Material:** Aluminum

**Grade:** 6061-T6

**Dens lb:** 0.098

**Dens g:** 2.7

**Shear:** 28 to 32

**Note:** Cracks when bending sharp radii in T6.

**Material:** Copper

**Grade:** C110, half hard

**Dens lb:** 0.322

**Dens g:** 8.91

**Shear:** 24 to 30

**Note:** Used for busbar and terminals.

**Material:** Brass

**Grade:** C260, half hard

**Dens lb:** 0.308

**Dens g:** 8.53

**Shear:** 38 to 46

**Note:** Cartridge brass; strong deep draw alloy when annealed.

**Material:** Phosphor bronze

**Grade:** C510, half hard

**Dens lb:** 0.32

**Dens g:** 8.86

**Shear:** 45 to 55

**Note:** Spring contacts and connectors.

**Material:** Beryllium copper

**Grade:** C172, annealed

**Dens lb:** 0.298

**Dens g:** 8.25

**Shear:** 45 to 60

**Note:** Hardens on heat treat; special handling for fumes and dust.

**Material:** Titanium

**Grade:** Grade 2

**Dens lb:** 0.163

**Dens g:** 4.51

**Shear:** 35 to 50

**Note:** Galling; often warm formed.

**Notes:** Densities are standard handbook values. Shear strengths are approximate ranges for planning and vary with temper, thickness and lot; use the mill certificate for design. A common shortcut is shear strength of about 0.75 times ultimate tensile strength for steels.

## Content

**Intro:** Weight, cost and press tonnage all start with two material properties: density and shear strength. This reference lists both for the alloys most often stamped, so you can fill the calculators without searching a handbook.

**Sections:**

#### How to use the table

**Body:** Search by alloy, grade or temper. Use density in lb/in3 to convert strip area and thickness into weight, as in the strip layout and coil calculators, and use g/cm3 when a metric supplier quotes by kilogram. Use the shear column as a starting point in the tonnage calculator. Where an alloy appears at several tempers, pick the one that matches the purchase order; the strength range can be a factor of two between annealed and full hard.

#### Where the numbers come from

**Body:** Densities are the standard handbook figures for each alloy family. Shear strength ranges are typical for the temper listed and are rounded. For steels, ultimate shear strength is about 75 percent of ultimate tensile strength. For aluminum, the ratio is about 0.6 to 0.65. These are planning values, not specifications; they do not replace the mill test report for the lot you will actually run.

**Bullets:**

- Density does not change with temper in any practical way.
- Shear strength rises sharply with cold work.
- Coatings such as zinc add small weight; ignore for estimating unless the spec is tight.

#### Common mistakes

**Body:** Using steel density for stainless or aluminum is the most common mistake in weight estimates, and it is easy to do when a calculator default is left unchanged. Another is using tensile strength in a tonnage formula that expects shear strength. A third is ignoring that full hard and spring tempers can double the force; verify the temper on the print before you pick a press.

**Cta:** If material properties and grades are scattered across item descriptions and spreadsheets, we can help structure them in the ERP so weight and cost calculations stay consistent.

**Faq:**

#### What is the density of steel in lb/in3?

**Answer:** Carbon steel is about 0.284 lb/in3, which is 7.85 g/cm3. Stainless 304 and 316 are about 0.289 lb/in3 or 8.0 g/cm3. These are the values used in most sheet metal weight calculations.

#### How do I estimate shear strength from tensile strength?

**Answer:** For many steels, ultimate shear strength is roughly 75 percent of ultimate tensile strength. For aluminum, use about 60 to 65 percent. Use the mill certificate if you have it; it is better than a table range.

#### Why do ranges differ so much for the same alloy?

**Answer:** Temper and cold work. Annealed stainless is around 55 to 70 ksi shear, while full hard 301 can be above 100 ksi. Always confirm the temper on the print before using a value for tonnage.

#### Can I use these for non-stamping work?

**Answer:** Densities are general. Shear values are for sheet and strip in typical stamping tempers, so check them against the relevant material standard for structural or fatigue design.

## Search terms

sheet metal density table, steel density lb/in3, aluminum density lb per cubic inch, shear strength of sheet metal, stamping material properties, brass copper density, material density for coil weight, blanking shear strength chart

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