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GUIDES / WEIGHT AND THICKNESS
Copper pipe weight calculator and thickness chart.
Copper pipe weighs 0.02809 × (OD − wall) × wall kilograms per metre, with both in millimetres. These charts convert SWG to mm and give the weight of ACR sizes from 1/4″ to 2-1/8″; the calculator does the rest.
By Saurabh Jain, Refrigeration Centre · ·
Copper pipe weight calculator.
Pick a standard ACR size and wall, or choose Custom size to enter any outside diameter, wall thickness and length. Units can be mixed between millimetres, centimetres, metres, inches and feet, with yards as well for the length; everything is converted to millimetres before the weight is worked out.
Type a number and pick the unit, or type the unit with it: 25.4 mm, 1-1/4 inch, 1/2″, 15 ft. Units can be mixed between fields.
Try an example:
Total weight2.97 kg
Weight per metre0.198 kg/m
| Outside diameter | 9.52 mm (3/8″) |
|---|---|
| Wall thickness | 0.81 mm (21 SWG) |
| Inside diameter | 7.90 mm |
| Length | 15 m |
| Weight per metre | 0.198 kg/m |
| Weight per foot | 0.060 kg/ft |
| Metres per kg | 5.05 m |
| Metal cross-section | 22.16 mm² |
| Copper volume | 332.5 cm³ |
| Total weight | 2.97 kg |
Calculated weight is theoretical, based on nominal dimensions and a copper density of 8.94 g/cm³. Actual pipe weight varies with manufacturing tolerance, alloy composition and dimensional variation, so check the invoiced weight on large orders.
Weight per metre chart.
Weight in kilograms per metre for ACR sizes from 1/4″ to 2-1/8″ at common wall thicknesses. Divide 1 by a figure to get metres per kilogram, or multiply it by 0.3048 for kilograms per foot.
| Size (OD) | 0.61 mm (23 SWG) | 0.71 mm (22 SWG) | 0.81 mm (21 SWG) | 0.91 mm (20 SWG) | 1.02 mm (19 SWG) | 1.22 mm (18 SWG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4″ (6.35 mm) | 0.098 | 0.112 | 0.126 | 0.139 | 0.153 | 0.176 |
| 3/8″ (9.52 mm) | 0.153 | 0.176 | 0.198 | 0.220 | 0.244 | 0.284 |
| 1/2″ (12.70 mm) | 0.207 | 0.239 | 0.270 | 0.301 | 0.335 | 0.393 |
| 5/8″ (15.88 mm) | 0.262 | 0.303 | 0.343 | 0.383 | 0.426 | 0.502 |
| 3/4″ (19.05 mm) | 0.316 | 0.366 | 0.415 | 0.464 | 0.517 | 0.611 |
| 7/8″ (22.23 mm) | 0.370 | 0.429 | 0.487 | 0.545 | 0.608 | 0.720 |
| 1-1/8″ (28.58 mm) | 0.479 | 0.556 | 0.632 | 0.707 | 0.790 | 0.937 |
| 1-3/8″ (34.93 mm) | 0.588 | 0.682 | 0.776 | 0.869 | 0.971 | 1.155 |
| 1-5/8″ (41.28 mm) | 0.697 | 0.809 | 0.921 | 1.032 | 1.153 | 1.373 |
| 2-1/8″ (53.98 mm) | 0.914 | 1.062 | 1.210 | 1.356 | 1.517 | 1.808 |
SWG gauge to mm chart.
Copper pipe in India is often sold by Standard Wire Gauge (SWG). The higher the gauge number, the thinner the wall.
| Gauge | Wall (mm) | Wall (inch) |
|---|---|---|
| 16 SWG | 1.63 mm | 0.064″ |
| 17 SWG | 1.42 mm | 0.056″ |
| 18 SWG | 1.22 mm | 0.048″ |
| 19 SWG | 1.02 mm | 0.040″ |
| 20 SWG | 0.91 mm | 0.036″ |
| 21 SWG | 0.81 mm | 0.032″ |
| 22 SWG | 0.71 mm | 0.028″ |
| 23 SWG | 0.61 mm | 0.024″ |
| 24 SWG | 0.56 mm | 0.022″ |
For R32 and R410A split ACs, many installation manuals set 0.8 mm as the minimum wall for 1/4″ to 1/2″ and 1.0 mm for 5/8″, so 22 SWG (0.71 mm) falls short where 21 SWG (0.81 mm) does not. See wall thickness for R32 and R410A.
Outside and inside diameter chart.
ACR copper tube is named by its outside diameter (OD) in inches. The inside diameter (ID) is the OD minus twice the wall thickness, so it changes with the wall.
| Size | OD | ID at 0.71 mm wall | ID at 0.81 mm wall | ID at 1.02 mm wall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4″ | 6.35 mm | 4.93 mm | 4.73 mm | 4.31 mm |
| 3/8″ | 9.52 mm | 8.10 mm | 7.90 mm | 7.48 mm |
| 1/2″ | 12.70 mm | 11.28 mm | 11.08 mm | 10.66 mm |
| 5/8″ | 15.88 mm | 14.46 mm | 14.26 mm | 13.84 mm |
| 3/4″ | 19.05 mm | 17.63 mm | 17.43 mm | 17.01 mm |
| 7/8″ | 22.23 mm | 20.81 mm | 20.61 mm | 20.19 mm |
| 1-1/8″ | 28.58 mm | 27.16 mm | 26.96 mm | 26.54 mm |
| 1-3/8″ | 34.93 mm | 33.51 mm | 33.31 mm | 32.89 mm |
| 1-5/8″ | 41.28 mm | 39.86 mm | 39.66 mm | 39.24 mm |
| 2-1/8″ | 53.98 mm | 52.56 mm | 52.36 mm | 51.94 mm |
How the weight formula works.
A tube’s wall has a cross-section of π × (OD − wall) × wall square millimetres. Multiply by copper’s density of 8.94 g/cm³ and the units work out to weight (kg/m) = 0.02809 × (OD − wall) × wall, with OD and wall in millimetres.
The same figure comes from the area of the metal ring, π/4 × (OD² − ID²), where ID = OD − 2 × wall. Square millimetres of section × 0.00894 gives kilograms per metre.
For example, 5/8″ tube is 15.88 mm OD. With a 1.02 mm wall it weighs 0.02809 × 14.86 × 1.02 ≈ 0.426 kg/m, so a 15 m length weighs about 6.4 kg. The same 15 m at a 0.81 mm wall weighs about 5.1 kg. Copper is priced by weight, which is why the wall thickness matters to the cost as well as the pressure rating.
Ordering copper pipe.
Refrigeration Centre stocks soft-drawn copper pipe from 1.5 mm to 28.6 mm OD and hard-drawn from 3 mm to 150 mm OD, in walls from 0.3 mm. Give the outside diameter and the wall in millimetres when you call or WhatsApp, and we confirm stock and the trade price on the call. Pipe is priced per kg, per coil or per metre, depending on the quantity. Soft-drawn coils are 50 ft (15.24 m) and hard-drawn straight lengths 10 ft (3.05 m), and either can be cut down to 1 ft; a full 50 ft coil of 3/8″ tube with a 0.81 mm wall weighs about 3.02 kg. See the copper pipe size table for the sizes held on the shelf.
Ordering pipe for a job?
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