{"id":3513,"date":"2026-10-09T04:40:56","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T20:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.expressvelachery.com\/blog\/?p=3513"},"modified":"2026-10-09T04:40:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T20:40:56","slug":"what-is-the-weight-of-aluminium-square-tubing-per-foot-4dce-8514c2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.expressvelachery.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/09\/what-is-the-weight-of-aluminium-square-tubing-per-foot-4dce-8514c2\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the weight of Aluminium Square Tubing per foot?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey everyone, if you\u2019ve ever shopped for metal materials for a project\u2014whether it\u2019s building a deck frame, making custom shelves, putting together a small-scale greenhouse, or even fabricating truck racks for work\u2014you\u2019ve probably wondered at some point, \u201cHow much does this aluminum square tubing actually weigh per foot?\u201d It\u2019s one of those practical questions that pops up way more often than you\u2019d think, and trust me, getting this number right saves you from so many headaches later: overestimating weight means wasting money on extra material you don\u2019t need, and underestimating? Well, that\u2019s how you end up with a frame that\u2019s too flimsy, or worse, hauling way more weight than your truck or workshop can handle. As a guy who\u2019s been selling aluminum square tubing for over 8 years now (I started out in my garage with a truckload of leftover stock and a handwritten notepad, so I\u2019ve heard every possible angle of this question), I\u2019ve spent way too many late nights talking customers through this exact math, so let\u2019s break it down simply\u2014no fancy engineering jargon, I promise. Aluminium Square Tubing<\/a><\/p>\n

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First off, let\u2019s get one thing straight: aluminum square tubing isn\u2019t a flat, solid block. It\u2019s hollow, right? That\u2019s the whole point! Solid aluminum bar is way heavier and usually way more expensive for structural uses, so square tubing is hollow with consistent walls along all four sides. That\u2019s why calculating weight per foot isn\u2019t just pulling a number out of thin air\u2014you need three key measurements, and one super important detail about aluminum itself. Let\u2019s start with the measurements because that\u2019s what trips most people up.<\/p>\n

When we talk aluminum square tubing sizes, we always give the outer dimensions first, right? Like 1\u201d x 1\u201d, 2\u201d x 2\u201d, 1.5\u201d x 1.5\u201d\u2014those are the outer lengths of each straight side, measured from the very outside edge of one wall to the very outside edge of the opposite wall. Then there\u2019s the wall thickness (let\u2019s just call it \u201cWT\u201d for short, everyone in the business uses that) which is how thick each of those four walls is, measured from outer edge to inner edge of the wall. For example, a 2\u201d x 2\u201d tube might have a 0.125\u201d wall, which is super common for general-purpose use, or you might find heavy-duty stuff with 0.25\u201d walls if you\u2019re building something that needs to hold a lot of weight. Also, important note: square tubing is always perfectly square, so the length of each side is identical\u2014no odd-shaped rectangles here, those are technically rectangular tubing, and we sell that too, but today we\u2019re sticking to square because that\u2019s what the question\u2019s about.<\/p>\n

Now, the actual math for weight per foot. I\u2019ve got a simple formula we use in the shop every single day, no need for a calculator with extra steps, and it\u2019s accurate enough for 99% of hobbyists, contractors, and fabricators. Here\u2019s how it works: first, calculate the cross-sectional area of the hollow part of the tube (that\u2019s the space inside the walls). Then subtract that from the area of the full outer square to get the area of the aluminum itself. Then multiply that area by the weight of aluminum per cubic inch, and that gives you weight per foot. Wait, let\u2019s make that super concrete so you can test it at home. The weight of aluminum is a standard number we use: 0.0975 pounds per cubic inch. That\u2019s a fixed value for most commercial-grade aluminum, which is what 90% of our stock is (we stick to 6061 alloy for most projects\u2014it\u2019s strong, easy to cut and weld, and doesn\u2019t rust like steel, so it\u2019s the go-to for almost everything).<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s use an example that\u2019s super popular for small projects: 1\u201d x 1\u201d square tubing with 0.065\u201d wall. That\u2019s the stuff you see used for screen frames, small brackets, and hobby builds. Let\u2019s run the numbers. First, outer square area is side length squared: 1\u201d x 1\u201d = 1 square inch. The inner hollow space: we take the outer side length and subtract twice the wall thickness (because there\u2019s a wall on both sides, right? Left and right walls take 0.065\u201d each, so total 0.13\u201d off the outer side). So inner side length is 1\u201d – (2 * 0.065\u201d) = 1 – 0.13 = 0.87\u201d. Inner area is 0.87\u201d x 0.87\u201d = 0.7569 square inches. Now subtract inner area from outer area to get the aluminum\u2019s cross-section: 1 – 0.7569 = 0.2431 square inches. Now multiply that by the aluminum weight per cubic inch (0.0975): 0.2431 * 0.0975 = ~0.0237 pounds per inch. Now we need per foot, so multiply by 12 inches: 0.0237 * 12 = ~0.285 pounds per foot. Wait, that\u2019s barely more than a can of soda? That makes total sense for thin-walled 1\u201d square tubing\u2014you can even carry a 10-foot stick of that with one hand, no exaggeration.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s do a more common heavy-duty size, too, because I know a lot of you are working on bigger projects. Let\u2019s say 2\u201d x 2\u201d square tubing with 0.125\u201d wall\u2014this is used for trailer frames, deck railings, and small structural supports. Let\u2019s run that math fast: outer area is 22=4 square inches. Inner side length is 2 – (2<\/em>0.125) = 1.75\u201d. Inner area is 1.75*1.75=3.0625 square inches. Aluminum area: 4 – 3.0625 = 0.9375. Multiply by 0.0975: 0.9375 * 0.0975 = ~0.0914 per inch. Times 12 inches: ~1.097 pounds per foot. So a 20-foot stick of that is just under 22 pounds\u2014super manageable for one person to lift, way lighter than steel would be for the same strength (that\u2019s the big draw of aluminum, by the way).<\/p>\n

Wait, but hold up\u2014all this math is great, but who wants to do this every time they\u2019re at the store (or messaging their supplier, like me)? That\u2019s why we have standard weight charts for every size and wall thickness we carry, and we put those right on our site and on every product page. But I always tell customers to double-check a few things because not all aluminum is the same. First, alloy matters a little. We use 6061 for almost everything, like I said, which is the standard structural aluminum. If someone needs pure aluminum for something like foil or gutters, that\u2019s 3003, which is slightly lighter\u2014about 2% lighter than 6061. That\u2019s not a huge difference, but if you\u2019re talking about a big order for a fleet of trucks, that adds up fast. Also, wall thickness tolerance\u2014some cheap tubing you might find at a big box store cuts corners with thinner walls than listed, so their weight is less, but it\u2019s also weaker. We stick to strict ASTM standards for our wall thickness, so what we say is 0.125\u201d is actually 0.125\u201d, not 0.11\u201d like some no-name brands. That\u2019s why paying a little extra for reliable tubing saves you from having to rework a whole project later.<\/p>\n

Another thing I get asked all the time: does length matter? Wait, obviously a 10-foot stick is heavier than a 1-foot stick, but we\u2019re talking per foot, so length only matters for total order weight, not the per-foot number. If you buy a 2\u201d x 2\u201d 0.125\u201d tube, every single linear foot of that tube weighs ~1.1 pounds, whether it\u2019s 1 foot long or 20 feet long. That\u2019s why per-foot weight is such a handy metric\u2014it lets you plan total load, shipping costs, material needs, without having to recalculate for whatever length you order.<\/p>\n

Let me share a real customer story to drive this home, because I think that\u2019s way more useful than just math. Last year, a guy reached out to me because he was building a custom utility trailer for his landscaping business. He was planning to use steel tubing at first, but realized his truck\u2019s payload was only 1,500 pounds, so switching to aluminum would let him carry more landscaping materials without maxing out his load. He had two sizes he was considering: 2\u201d x 2\u201d 0.125\u201d and 2\u201d x 2\u201d 0.188\u201d (that\u2019s thick wall, super heavy-duty). He calculated that for a 16-foot trailer frame, using the thin wall would be ~17.6 pounds per frame section, and the thick wall would be ~26.8 pounds. But he also realized that the shipping cost for 500 feet of tubing would be based on total weight, so the thinner wall saved him almost $120 on shipping, which was enough to pay for a few extra brackets. Plus, the frame was strong enough for his needs\u2014he wasn\u2019t hauling 1,000 pounds of dirt every day, just plants and tools. So he went with the thin wall, and texted me a month later saying the trailer worked perfectly, and he saved enough to take his wife out for a nice dinner. That\u2019s the kind of small win that getting the weight right gives you.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s talk about the most common mistakes I see people make when calculating this. First, mixing up outer and inner dimensions. I had a customer once who ordered a tube because he saw \u201c1\u201d x 1\u201d\u201d and assumed the inner was 1\u201d, so he calculated way too heavy, and almost ordered twice as much as he needed. That\u2019s why it\u2019s critical to know: when we list square tubing sizes, outer dimensions first, always. Second, using solid aluminum weight instead of hollow. Another guy thought a 2\u201d x 2\u201d tube would weigh the same as a solid 2\u201d x 2\u201d aluminum bar\u2014spoiler: that\u2019s like 10 pounds per foot, way heavier than the 1.1 pounds per foot we sell. That would have been a disaster for his truck\u2019s payload. Third, forgetting that wall thickness is two-sided. I\u2019ve had people subtract wall thickness once instead of twice, which makes their inner area way smaller, so their calculated weight is way higher. Easy fix: always subtract (2 * wall thickness) from the outer side length, because both left and right, top and bottom walls are the same thickness.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re the type who just wants to skip the math and get a straight answer, here\u2019s a quick cheat sheet for the most common sizes we sell:<\/p>\n