Glass · Handling
Glass weight calculator
Glass weighs 2.5 kg per square metre for every millimetre of thickness, or 0.23 kg (0.51 lb) per square foot per mm. So 6 mm glass is 15.0 kg/m² (1.39 kg/ft²) and a 1.2 × 2.2 m pane of it weighs 39.6 kg: weight = length × width × thickness × 2500 kg/m³. Chart for 3 to 25 mm under the calculator.
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Glass weight chart by thickness
Float glass weighs 2.5 kg per square metre for every millimetre of thickness, because its density is 2500 kg/m³. So 8 mm glass is 20.0 kg/m², which is 1.86 kg or 4.10 lb per square foot. The chart is the same arithmetic the calculator above runs, for the thicknesses that are actually sold. For a whole pane, multiply by its area — or type the size in above.
| Thickness | Nearest US nominal | kg/m² | kg/ft² | lb/ft² |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 mm | 1/8" | 7.5 | 0.70 | 1.54 |
| 4 mm | 5/32" | 10.0 | 0.93 | 2.05 |
| 5 mm | 3/16" | 12.5 | 1.16 | 2.56 |
| 6 mm | 1/4" | 15.0 | 1.39 | 3.07 |
| 8 mm | 5/16" | 20.0 | 1.86 | 4.10 |
| 10 mm | 3/8" | 25.0 | 2.32 | 5.12 |
| 12 mm | 1/2" | 30.0 | 2.79 | 6.14 |
| 15 mm | 5/8" | 37.5 | 3.48 | 7.68 |
| 19 mm | 3/4" | 47.5 | 4.41 | 9.73 |
| 25 mm | 1" | 62.5 | 5.81 | 12.80 |
How the chart is worked out: by the calculator on this page, with its own density and its own rounding. kg/m² = thickness in mm × 2500 kg/m³ ÷ 1000, to one decimal; kg/ft² = kg/m² ÷ 10.7639 and lb/ft² = kg/m² × 2.20462 ÷ 10.7639, to two decimals. Nominal thicknesses.
Laminated and insulating glass
Only the glass and the interlayer count. A PVB interlayer is taken at 1070 kg/m³; the air or argon in a cavity adds well under a tenth of a per cent and is left out, as are spacers and sealant.
| Make-up | What it is | kg/m² | lb/ft² |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33.1 | 3 + 3 mm, one 0.38 mm PVB | 15.4 | 3.16 |
| 44.2 | 4 + 4 mm, two 0.38 mm PVB (0.76 mm) | 20.8 | 4.26 |
| 55.2 | 5 + 5 mm, 0.76 mm PVB | 25.8 | 5.29 |
| 66.2 | 6 + 6 mm, 0.76 mm PVB | 30.8 | 6.31 |
| 88.2 | 8 + 8 mm, 0.76 mm PVB | 40.8 | 8.36 |
| 4-16-4 | double glazed unit | 20.0 | 4.10 |
| 6-16-6 | double glazed unit | 30.0 | 6.14 |
| 4-16-4-16-4 | triple glazed unit | 30.0 | 6.14 |
How this is calculated
The cavity of an insulating unit is filled with air or argon, both of which weigh so little next to glass that they are ignored here — argon in a 16 mm cavity adds about 0.03 kg/m², which is under a tenth of a per cent. Spacers, sealant and coatings are likewise left out. In practice this calculation runs slightly under the real delivered weight, by roughly one to two per cent.
| Nominal thickness | Weight per m² | 1.2 × 2.2 m sheet |
|---|---|---|
| 4 mm | 10.0 kg/m² | 26.4 kg |
| 6 mm | 15.0 kg/m² | 39.6 kg |
| 8 mm | 20.0 kg/m² | 52.8 kg |
| 10 mm | 25.0 kg/m² | 66.0 kg |
| 12 mm | 30.0 kg/m² | 79.2 kg |
| 15 mm | 37.5 kg/m² | 99.0 kg |
| 19 mm | 47.5 kg/m² | 125.4 kg |
About the handling advice
The note under the results uses the common workplace guideline of about 25 kg per person for occasional two-handed lifting in a good posture, and assumes suction cups and a clear route. It is a rule of thumb to help you plan, not a legal limit: the real figure depends on your country's manual handling rules, the height of the lift, how far it is carried, the shape of the pane and whether there are stairs. Glass is also awkward and dangerous in a way that a box of the same weight is not — a 60 kg sheet that catches the wind is a two-person job whatever the arithmetic says.
Questions people ask
- How much does glass weigh per square metre?
- Float glass weighs 2.5 kg/m² for every millimetre of thickness, because its density is 2500 kg/m³ (EN 572-1). 4 mm glass is 10.0 kg/m², 6 mm is 15.0 kg/m², 10 mm is 25.0 kg/m² and 12 mm is 30.0 kg/m².
- How much does 8 mm glass weigh per square foot?
- 8 mm glass weighs 20.0 kg/m², which is 1.86 kg or 4.10 lb per square foot.
- How much does 12 mm glass weigh per square foot?
- 12 mm glass weighs 30.0 kg/m², which is 2.79 kg or 6.14 lb per square foot.
- How much does 5 mm glass weigh per square foot?
- 5 mm glass weighs 12.5 kg/m², which is 1.16 kg or 2.56 lb per square foot.
- What is the unit weight of glass?
- The unit weight of soda-lime float glass is 2500 kg/m³ (EN 572-1), which is 24.5 kN/m³ with g = 9.81 m/s², or 156 lb/ft³. Over an area that is 2.5 kg/m² for every millimetre of thickness.
- What is the density of glass?
- Soda-lime float glass, the glass of windows and most flat panes, has a density of 2500 kg/m³ (EN 572-1). That is 2.5 kg per square metre for every millimetre of thickness, or about 0.51 lb per square foot per millimetre.
- How do you calculate the weight of glass?
- Multiply the length by the width in metres, by the thickness in millimetres and by 2.5: a 1.2 × 2.2 m pane of 6 mm glass weighs 1.2 × 2.2 × 6 × 2.5 = 39.6 kg. In square feet, multiply the area by the kg/ft² or lb/ft² of the chart for that thickness.
- What does a double glazed unit weigh?
- Only the glass counts: a 4-16-4 unit weighs about 20.0 kg/m² and a 6-16-6 about 30.0 kg/m². The air or argon in the cavity adds well under a tenth of a per cent.
- How heavy is a full sheet of glass?
- A jumbo sheet of 3210 × 2250 mm is 7.22 m²: in 6 mm float it weighs about 108 kg, in 10 mm about 181 kg.
- How much does laminated glass weigh?
- The glass plus the interlayer: a 4+4 pane with a 0.76 mm PVB interlayer weighs about 20.8 kg/m², 20.0 for the glass and 0.8 for the PVB (1070 kg/m³).
- How much does a round glass table top weigh?
- A circle 1000 mm across in 10 mm glass weighs 19.6 kg: its area is π × 1² ÷ 4 = 0.79 m². The calculator also does triangles, trapezoids and round-top panes.