Wire Weight Calculator

Use our free wire weight calculator to calculate how much copper, conduit, aluminum, gold, and many more types of wire weigh. You can measure in meters, feet, inches, or centimeters. Find out how much wire you will need based on the thickness, length, and width of the wire. By knowing the weight, you can estimate the material requirements for specific installations, ensuring you have enough wire to complete the job without overbuying and wasting resources, especially when working with expensive materials like copper or gold, where every inch counts.

How to Use the Wire Weight Calculator

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Select the wire material:
   Choose the type of wire you’re working with from the dropdown menu. The calculator supports common materials like copper, aluminum, gold, conduit (steel), silver, nickel, lead, brass, bronze, titanium, zinc, iron, platinum, stainless steel, and tin. Each material has a different density, so selecting the correct one ensures an accurate result.
   • Example: 1 pound (lbs) of copper weighs approximately 453.6 grams, while 1 pound of aluminum weighs only 272.7 grams due to its lower density.
2. Enter the wire thickness (diameter):
   Input the thickness of your wire in millimeters. The diameter is critical for calculating the volume of the wire. Thicker wires will naturally weigh more for the same length compared to thinner wires.
   • Tip: For example, a 10 mm diameter copper wire will weigh significantly more than a 5 mm diameter wire of the same length.
3. Input the wire length:
   Enter the total length of the wire you want to calculate.
   • You can choose units like meters, feet, inches, or centimeters to match your preference. The calculator will convert the length to centimeters automatically for consistent calculations.
4. Click the “Calculate Weight” button:
   Once you’ve entered all the details, hit the button, and the calculator will provide the total weight of the wire in both kilograms (kg) and pounds (lbs).

Example Calculations:

Example 1: Calculate the weight of 100 feet of copper wire with a diameter of 10 mm:

• Select Copper as the material.
• Enter 10 mm for thickness.
• Input 100 and select feet for the length.
• Click “Calculate Weight.”
  Result: The weight will be approximately 70.5 lbs (31.97 kg).

Example 2: Calculate the weight of 50 meters of aluminum wire with a diameter of 5 mm:

• Select Aluminum as the material.
• Enter 5 mm for thickness.
• Input 50 and select meters for the length.
• Click “Calculate Weight.”
  Result: The weight will be around 6.66 lbs (3.02 kg).

When to Use the Wire Weight Calculator:

1. Estimating Material Costs:
   If you need 100 meters of copper wire, knowing it will weigh approximately 89.6 kg (197.5 lbs) helps calculate transport costs or the price of raw materials.
2. Planning DIY Projects:
   Need to replace old conduit with stainless steel wire? Calculate the weight and avoid buying more than you need.
3. Electrical Projects:
   Understand the weight differences between materials. Aluminum is ideal for overhead wiring due to its light weight, while copper is preferred for high-conductivity installations.
4. Industrial Use:
   If you’re working with heavy metals like gold or lead, precise weight calculations are important for both cost and functionality.

Wire Weight Chart

Use the wire weight chart for copper, aluminum, gold, and many other materials to get a quick view of how wire weight is calculated per foot.

Why I Created the Wire Weight Calculator

Knowing how much wire weighs is important if you’re the one buying the wire. You don’t want to end up with wasted wire that gets tossed into the bottom of a drawer, tool box, or even a scrap pile. Knowing exactly how much you’ll need, especially if weight matters, can save you money. Eventually, that wasted wire will end up in the scrap yard, where you’ll get much less money for it than you paid.

If you’re trucking or having a huge amount of wire delivered, knowing the weight is essential because truckers have to stay within specific weight limits. Laws regulate the weight trucking companies can haul to protect roads from damage and ensure the safety of other vehicles.

Wires made of gold usually have a weight-based price. If you’re a jewelry maker, you buy gold by weight, which determines how much money you need to spend on golden wire.

Copper wire is heavier and more conductive than aluminum. When I do electrical work at home, I always check the weight of copper wire to get a sense of what I might spend and how much material I’ll need for the job.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, knowing your wire weight can help you save money. You don’t want to throw extra wire away due to poor calculations.

There are many variables for why you might need to know the weight of some wire, and sometimes those reasons are personal. Use our wire weight calculator to get accurate estimates based on thickness, length, and density—all with the tap of a finger.