INFORMATION SHEET

Calculate the area of the load

You need to calculate the area or volume of a pipe

if you have a pipe weight table. You need only the
dimensions discussed above to find the unit weight on
the pipe table.

Note: If you do not have a pipe weight table or if the pipe you
are lifting is not on your table, treat the pipe as a plate that has
been rolled into a cylinder.

Find the unit weight of the load material

Weight of pipe = length of pipe x weight per linear foot

To calculate the weight of a pipe, locate the diameter

and nominal pipe size or schedule number in the table
in handout 2.1.3. Read the weight per foot or meter
given for that type of pipe.

LE 40
CH EDU
S
PIPE

Figure 28
Figure 28
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Calculate the net weight of the load

Find the unit weight of the pipe. Multiply the unit

weight by the pipe length to calculate the weight of
the pipe.

For example, consider a schedule 40 steel pipe, 36 inches

in diameter and 20 feet long. According to the table
in handout 2.1.3, one linear foot of this pipe weighs
282.36 pounds. To calculate the weight of the entire
pipe, multiply the weight for one linear foot by the
length of the pipe.

Weight = 282.36 LB/FT x 20 FT = 5,647.2 LB

The steel pipe weighs about 5,647 pounds

Sample problems

You have a load consisting of 50 pipes secured together.

Each steel pipe has three dimensions: outside = 0.84
inches, schedule number = 80, and the length = 20 FT.

UL E 80
SCHED
PIPE

Figure 29

Figure 29 What is the total weight of the load in pounds?

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Plates
Metal plates are standard construction materials. The
most common plate you will see on the job is steel
plate. Special tables like the ones used for pipe weights
are available to help you determine the weight of steel
plates. To use the tables, you need to know the length,
width, and thickness of each plate in the load.

Determine the dimensions of the load

You need three dimensions to calculate the weight of

a plate:

Length
Width
Thickness

Figure 30
Figure 30
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Calculate the area of the load

The area of a plate = length x width

Multiply the length and width measurements to calculate

the area. You do not need to calculate volume for plates
if you have the unit weight table for standard plate size.

If a plate is 8 feet long and 4 feet wide, you find the

area by multiplying 8 x 4.

Area = 8 ft x 4 ft = 32 square feet

Figure 31
Figure 31
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Sample problems

A plate has the following dimensions: length = 12 feet;

width = 6 feet.

Area of the plate = ____ square feet

Find the unit weight of the load material

Weight of a plate = area x weight per square foot

Locate plate thickness on the table. The table provides

weights per square foot for common plate thicknesses.
For example, a 3/8” steel plate weighs 15.3 lb/sq ft.

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Calculate the net weight of the load

Multiply the area of the plate by weight per square

foot from the table. For example, the area of a given
3/8” steel plate is 32 square feet.

Weight = 32 sq ft x 15.3 lb/sq ft = 489.6 lb

Sample problems

A steel plate has these dimensions: length = 10 feet;

width = 8 feet; thickness = 1 inch.

Weight of the steel plate = ____ pounds

Sometimes loads will include more than one plate or

pipe. When working with a stack of plates or bundle
of pipes, you must know the total number of pieces
and multiply the weight of each piece by the total
number of pieces.

For irregularly shaped plates, you must use specific

formulas for various shapes, such as circles and triangles.

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Solid boxes (cubes)

Sometimes you will lift rectangular or box-shape loads
such as steel bars or bundles of lumber.

Note: For steel plates not listed on the plate tables, use the
plate thickness as the height and treat the plate as a very short
cube.

Determine the dimensions of the load

To calculate the weight of a box-shaped load, you will

need three dimensions:

Length
Width
Height

Figure 32
Figure 32
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Calculate the volume of the load

We must find the volume of a box-shaped load in order

to determine its weight. To calculate the volume, multiply
the length by the width by the height.

The volume of a box = length x width x height.

The box shown below has a length of 10 feet, a width

of 5 feet, and a height of 5 feet. The volume of the
box = 10 ft x 5 ft x 5ft = 250 cubic ft.

Figure 33
Figure 33
Rigger I Study Guide
Sample problems

A box has the following dimensions: length = 8 feet;

width = 5 feet; height = 3 feet.

Calculate the volume of the box: ____ cubic feet

Find the unit weight of the load material

Use a unit weight table like the one in handout 2.1.1

to find the unit weights of materials like wood, steel,
or concrete. The unit weights may be given in pounds
per cubic feet or kilograms per cubic meter. Use the
same system of measurement (metric or English) for
all calculations.

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Calculate the net weight of the load

Weight of a solid box = volume x weight per unit volume.

To calculate the weight of a solid, box-shaped load,

multiply the volume of the cube by the unit weight of
the material. For example, a block of Portland cement
with the dimensions:

Figure 34
Figure 34
Rigger I Study Guide
The table states that one cubic foot of Portland cement
weighs 94 pounds. Calculate the weight of the cement
block by multiplying the unit weight of cement by the
volume of the block.

Weight of the cement block = 94 lb/cu ft x 250 cu ft

= 23,500 lb.

Sample problems

A rectangular load of spruce lumber has these

dimensions: length = 20 feet; width = 8 feet; height
= 6 feet.

Figure 35
Figure 35
Rigger I Study Guide
Weight of lumber = ____ pounds

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Columns
Columns and poles are similar to pipes, except they
are solid.

Determine the dimensions of the load

To estimate the weight of a column, you must know its

volume. To calculate volume, you must know:

radius of the column

height or length of the column

Figure 36
Figure 36
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Calculate the area or volume of the load

Volume of column = πR2 x H

(called “Pi”) is used to calculate the area of circles. Pi

equals 3.14. On a calculator with a π key, π will have
several decimal places, so your answers may be slightly
different.

R (radius) = diameter ÷ 2.

R2 (“R squared”) = radius x radius.

H = the height of the column.

Figure 37
Figure 37
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The diameter is 2 feet, so the volume = 1 x 1 x 3.14 x
3, or about 9 cubic feet.

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Handout 2.1.1
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT
MATERIAL
PER CUBIC FOOT

Aluminum 166 Lbs.

Asphalt 81 Lbs.
Brass 524 Lbs.
Brick (common) 120 Lbs.-(About 3 tons per thousand)
Bronze 534 Lbs.
Concrete 150 Lbs.-4,050 Lbs. per cu. yd.
Copper 537 Lbs.
Crushed Rock 95 Lbs.-2,565 Lbs. per cu. yd
Dry Earth, Loose 76 Lbs.-2,052 Lbs. per cu. yd.
Iron Casting 450 Lbs.
Lead 708 Lbs.
Lumber-Fir, Spruce 32 Lbs.-2,666 Lbs. per thousand feet
Lumber-Oak 62 Lbs.-5,166 Lbs. per thousand feet
Magnesium 109 Lbs.
Mercury 848 Lbs.-per flask 76 Lbs.
Portland Cement 94 Lbs.-376 Lbs. per bbl.
River Sand 120 Lbs.-3,240 Lbs. per cu. yd.
Steel 490 Lbs.
Water 62.5 Lbs.
Zinc 437 Lbs.
Figure 41

Figure 41
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Handout 2.1.2
WEIGHT OF STEEL PLATE

THICKNESS POUNDS PER SQUARE FEET THICKNESS POUNDS PER SQUARE FEET
IN INCHES SQUARE FOOT PER TON IN INCHES SQUARE FOOT PER TON

3/8 15.3 131 1-1/8 45.9 44

1/2 20.4 98 1-1/4 51.0 39
5/8 25.5 79 1-3/8 56.1 35.7
3/4 30.6 65 1-1/2 61.2 32
7/8 35.7 56 1-3/4 71.4 28
1 40.8 49 2 81.6 24

Figure 42
Figure 42
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Handout 2.1.3

Figure 43
Figure 43
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Handout 2.1.4

Figure 44
Figure 44
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