Engineering & PLMFree referencePDF, Excel, Word export

Metal Density Reference Table (g/cm3, kg/m3, lb/in3)

Density is the first number you need for any weight, freight or material cost estimate. This table lists nominal densities for the steels, stainless grades, aluminum alloys, copper alloys, titanium and nickel alloys that machine shops and buyers handle most.

Download:

Material	Family	Density g/cm3	Density kg/m3	Density lb/in3	Note
Carbon steel (general)	Steel	7.85	7850	0.284	Default for plate, bar, tube
Alloy steel 4140 / 4340	Steel	7.85	7850	0.284	Same as carbon steel for weight work
Tool steel D2	Steel	7.70	7700	0.278	High chromium raises alloy content, lowers density
Tool steel H13	Steel	7.80	7800	0.282	Hot work die steel
Stainless 304 / 304L	Stainless	7.93	7930	0.286	Austenitic
Stainless 316 / 316L	Stainless	8.00	8000	0.289	Austenitic, molybdenum bearing
Stainless 430	Stainless	7.70	7700	0.278	Ferritic
Stainless 410	Stainless	7.74	7740	0.280	Martensitic
Stainless 17-4 PH	Stainless	7.78	7780	0.281	Precipitation hardening
Duplex 2205	Stainless	7.80	7800	0.282	Ferritic-austenitic
Grey cast iron	Cast iron	7.20	7200	0.260	Range roughly 6.9 to 7.3
Ductile iron	Cast iron	7.10	7100	0.256	Range roughly 7.0 to 7.2
Aluminum 1100	Aluminum	2.71	2710	0.098	Commercially pure
Aluminum 5052	Aluminum	2.68	2680	0.097	Sheet, marine
Aluminum 6061	Aluminum	2.70	2700	0.098	General structural
Aluminum 7075	Aluminum	2.81	2810	0.102	High strength aerospace
Copper (C11000)	Copper alloy	8.96	8960	0.324	Electrical tough pitch
Brass (C36000 free-cutting)	Copper alloy	8.50	8500	0.307	Screw machine stock
Bronze (C93200 bearing)	Copper alloy	7.60	7600	0.275	Leaded tin bronze
Titanium Grade 2	Titanium	4.51	4510	0.163	Commercially pure
Titanium Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V)	Titanium	4.43	4430	0.160	Aerospace workhorse
Inconel 718	Nickel alloy	8.19	8190	0.296	Superalloy
Inconel 625	Nickel alloy	8.44	8440	0.305	Corrosion resistant superalloy
Monel 400	Nickel alloy	8.80	8800	0.318	Nickel copper
Magnesium AZ31B	Magnesium	1.77	1770	0.064	Lightest structural metal here
Zinc (die cast ZAMAK 3)	Zinc	6.60	6600	0.238	Die casting
Lead	Lead	11.34	11340	0.410	Shielding, ballast
Tungsten	Refractory	19.25	19250	0.695	Counterweights, tooling

Values are nominal handbook figures rounded for weight estimating. Casting, porosity, temper and exact chemistry shift real density by a small amount. Use the certificate value when mass matters.

Material master cleanup review

Optional: send us a sample of your item weights and we will flag likely unit and density errors.

Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.

How to use the table

Type a material or family into the search box, for example 316, aluminum or titanium. Read the density in the unit your calculation needs: g/cm3 for dimension-in-mm formulas, kg/m3 for SI work, or lb/in3 for US customary drawings. Export the filtered table to Excel or CSV if you want to paste densities into an item master, costing sheet or estimating workbook.

g/cm3 times 1000 gives kg/m3
g/cm3 times 0.036127 gives lb/in3
lb/in3 times 27.68 gives g/cm3
Search by family to compare alternatives

Where the numbers come from

Figures are standard handbook values, the same ones you see in producer datasheets and engineering references. Carbon and alloy steels cluster around 7.85 g/cm3. Austenitic stainless is slightly heavier because of nickel and molybdenum, while ferritic grades are lighter. Aluminum alloys range from about 2.66 to 2.84 g/cm3 depending on copper and zinc content. Densities are given at room temperature.

Reading the result in practice

A 1 m long 50 mm round bar weighs about 15.4 kg in carbon steel, 15.6 kg in 304 and 5.3 kg in 6061 aluminum. The spread between steel and stainless is only about 1 percent, so many shops use one steel density for both when estimating, but the difference matters when you invoice by weight or ship near a truck limit. For titanium and aluminum, always use the specific alloy value.

Common mistakes

People often pick the density of pure metal for an alloy, confuse lb/in3 with lb/ft3, or use a casting density for wrought stock. Another frequent mistake is storing weight in an ERP without recording the unit of measure and density basis, so later users cannot tell whether the figure is theoretical or weighed.

Pure copper is heavier than most brasses and bronzes
Cast iron varies more than wrought steel
Hot-rolled and cold-drawn bar have the same density
Record the source of weights in your item master notes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the density of steel in kg/m3?

Carbon and low alloy steel are taken as 7850 kg/m3, which is 7.85 g/cm3 or 0.284 lb/in3. Stainless steels run from about 7700 to 8000 kg/m3 depending on the grade.

How much lighter is aluminum than steel?

Aluminum alloys at about 2.7 g/cm3 are roughly one third the density of steel at 7.85 g/cm3. For the same volume, aluminum weighs about 34 percent of steel, though strength differences usually change the design volume.

Does density change with heat treatment?

Only very slightly. Heat treatment changes microstructure and can alter density by a fraction of a percent, which is below the tolerance of normal weight estimating. Chemistry and porosity matter far more.

Which unit should I store in my ERP?

Store the unit your ERP base unit of measure needs, typically kg or lb per piece, and keep density only in a costing sheet. Weight per unit drives freight and costing, while density is a calculation input.

If you maintain material weights across thousands of ERP items, Netray can help automate a read-only check against these densities. Ask for a scoping call.

Talk to an Expert Explore More Free Tools

Related Tools

Engineering & PLM

More Engineering & PLM tools

See all

Back to All Tools