Steel square tube weight calculator
Square HSS (hollow structural section) is the workhorse of small shop fabrication. Frames, trailers, railings, hitches. Enter the outside size and the wall thickness. 2×2×1/8 HSS is 3.05 lb/ft. 3×3×1/4 is 8.81 lb/ft. Weight shows up instantly.
Updated September 2026
Quick answer
Calculate HSS square tube weight by outside dimension and wall thickness.
Common HSS square tube weights
HSS is made to ASTM A500 with rounded corners: the outside corner radius is about twice the wall. The calculator and this table model that corner the same way AISC does for its published HSS weights, so 2×2×1/8 comes out 3.05 and 3×3×1/4 comes out 8.81, matching the AISC tables. Area = 2t(W + H − 2t) − (4 − π)(Ro² − Ri²), with Ro = 2 × wall and Ri = wall, then × 12 × 0.2836 for lb/ft.
Questions welders ask about this one
How much does 2×2×1/8 square tubing weigh?
3.05 lb per foot, the same as the AISC published weight. Math: the cross-section is 2 × 0.125 × (2 + 2 − 0.25) − (4 − π) × (0.25² − 0.125²) = 0.8973 in², then × 12 × 0.2836 = 3.05 lb/ft. The square-corner shortcut, (2² − 1.75²) × 12 × 0.2836, gives 3.19 because it fills in the rounded corners.
What is HSS?
Hollow Structural Section. Square and rectangular tubing made to ASTM A500 with specific yield strength, wall thickness, and corner radius requirements. It is what most fab shops call "square tube" when they order it. Mechanical tubing (non-structural) uses slightly different specs but the weight math is the same.
Is there a difference between A500 Grade B and Grade C for weight?
No. Grade B and Grade C are different chemistry and yield strength, not different density. The weight per foot is identical for the same nominal size and wall thickness.
Weight is only half of material cost. To turn these pounds into a number you can quote, run the weld cost calculator for wire, gas, and labor per inch, or the job pricing calculator to build the whole bid.
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