polystyrene pipe weight calculator
Enter the dimensions of a polystyrene pipe and this works out its volume and weight. Solid general-purpose polystyrene, not the expanded foam.
- Weight of one pipe
- 0.465 113
- Volume of one piece
- 442.965
- Weight per metre of length
- 0.465 113 kg/m
- Density used
- 1050 kg/m3
Show the working
- Outside diameter = 50
- Wall thickness = 3
- Length = 1000
- Number of pieces = 1
- volume_mm3 = pi/4 * (50^2 - (50 - 2*3)^2) * 1000 = 442 965
- Volume of one piece = 442 965 / 1000 = 442.965
- Density used = 1050 = 1050
- Weight of one pipe = 442 965 * 1050 / 1e9 = 0.465 113
- Total weight = 0.465 113 * 1 = 0.465 113
- Weight per metre of length = 442 965 / 1000 * 1000 * 1050 / 1e9 = 0.465 113
Values are shown to six significant figures here; the arithmetic itself runs on exact fractions and is only rounded where a number is printed.
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The formula
- Volume = (pi / 4) x (OD^2 - ID^2) x length, where ID = OD - 2 x wall
- Weight = volume x density, with density = 1050 kg/m3
- One cubic millimetre of a material at 1000 kg/m3 weighs exactly one milligram, so the millimetre-to-kilogram step is a shift of the decimal point rather than a rounded factor.
Solid general-purpose polystyrene, not the expanded foam.
Dimensions are nominal. Mill tolerances on thickness, and the corner radii on formed sections, both move the real weight by a percent or two.
Every field takes inches or feet as readily as millimetres: change the unit next to it and the conversion is done exactly before the arithmetic starts.
Frequently asked
What is the density of polystyrene?
1050 kg/m3, which is 1.050 g/cm3. Solid general-purpose polystyrene, not the expanded foam.
How do you calculate the weight of a polystyrene pipe?
Volume = (pi / 4) x (OD^2 - ID^2) x length, where ID = OD - 2 x wall. Multiply the volume by the density of polystyrene, 1050 kg/m3, taking care that both are in the same unit system.
Can I enter dimensions in inches?
Yes. Each dimension field has its own unit selector, and inch, foot, millimetre, centimetre and metre entries are all converted exactly before anything is multiplied.
Where the numbers come from
- Densities are nominal room-temperature values for the grade named, drawn from the usual mill and handbook figures.