Density of Some Common Building Materials

Building MaterialsWalker's Building Estimator's Reference BookThese values for density of some common building materials were collected from sites across the Internet and are generally in agreement with multiple sites. Most are from ASAE (American Society of Engineers and Architects) tables. However, if you have values that you believe are more accurate, use them for your calculations, and please send me an e-mail to let me know what your values are. Note that original units were lb/ft3, so actual number of significant places in kg/m3 column are the same as the original unit; i.e., aluminum density is really only known to three significant places even though four are presented.

 

Material Density
Aluminum 171 lb/ft3 2,739 kg/m3
Asphalt, crushed 45 lb/ft3 721 kg/m3
Brick, common red 120 lb/ft3 1,920 kg/m3
Cast Iron 450 lb/ft3 7,208 kg/m3
Cement, Portland 94 lb/ft3 1,506 kg/m3
Concrete, Limestone w/Portland 148 lb/ft3 2,370 kg/m3
Concrete, Gravel 150 lb/ft3 2,400 kg/m3
Crushed Stone 100 lb/ft3 1,600 kg/m3
Earth, loam dry excavated 90 lb/ft3 1,440 kg/m3
Earth, packed 95 lb/ft3 1,520 kg/m3
Glass, window 161 lb/ft3 2580 kg/m3
Gravel, loose, dry 95 lb/ft3 1,520 kg/m3
Gravel, with sand 120 lb/ft3 1,920 kg/m3
3/8 inch Gypsum or Plaster Board 1.56 lb/ft2 7.62 kg/m2
1/2 inch Gypsum or Plaster Board 2.08 lb/ft2 10.2 kg/m2
5/8 inch Gypsum or Plaster Board 2.60 lb/ft2 12.7 kg/m2
Ice, crushed 37.0 lb/ft3 593 kg/m3
Ice, solid 57.4 lb/ft3 919 kg/m3
Limestone 171 lb/ft3 2,739 kg/m3
Marble, solid 160 lb/ft3 2,560 kg/m3
Mineral Fiber fiberglass Insulation 2.0 lb/ft3 32 kg/m3
Mud, packed 119 lb/ft3 1,906 kg/m3
Oyster Shells, ground 53 lb/ft3 849 kg/m3
Extruded Polystyrene Insulation 1.8 lb/ft3 29 kg/m3
Expanded Polystyrene Insulation 1.5 lb/ft3 24 kg/m3
Polyurethane Insulation 1.5 lb/ft3 24 kg/m3
Porcelain 150 lb/ft3 2,400 kg/m3
Sand, dry 100 lb/ft3 1,600 kg/m3
Snow, compacted 30 lb/ft3 480 kg/m3
Snow, freshly fallen 10 lb/ft3 160 kg/m3
Tar 72 lb/ft3 1,150 kg/m3
Vermiculite 40 lb/ft3 641 kg/m3
Water 62.4 lb/ft3 1,000 kg/m3
Wool 82 lb/ft3 1,310 kg/m3
Framing Lumber Douglas Fir

  2X4 = 1.28 lb/linear ft

  2X6 = 2.00 lb/linear ft

  2X8 = 2.64 lb/linear ft

  2X10 = 3.37 lb/linear ft

  2X12 = 4.10 lb/linear ft

  4X4 = 2.98 lb/linear ft

  6X6 = 7.35 lb/linear ft

  6X8 = 10.0 lb/linear ft

35 lb/ft3 561 kg/m3
4 inch Brick w/½" mortar 42 lb/ft3 673 kg/m3
8 inch Concrete Block w/½" mortar 55 lb/ft3 881 kg/m3
12 inch Concrete Block w/½" mortar 80 lb/ft3 1,281 kg/m3
1/4 inch Plywood 0.710 lb/ft2 3.47 kg/m2
3/8 inch Plywood 1.06 lb/ft2 5.18 kg/m2
1/2 inch Plywood 1.42 lb/ft2 6.93 kg/m2
5/8 inch Plywood 1.77 lb/ft2 8.64 kg/m2
3/4 inch Plywood 2.13 lb/ft2 10.4 kg/m2
Asphalt Roofing Shingles 3.0 lb/ft2 15 kg/m2
1/4 in. Slate Shingles 10 lb/ft2 49 kg/m2
Aluminum Roofing 26 gauge 0.3 lb/ft2 1.5 kg/m2
Steel Roofing 29 gauge5 0.8 lb/ft2 3.9 kg/m2
Built-Up 3 Ply & Gravel Roofing 5.5 lb/ft2 27 kg/m2
Bank Sand 2,500 lb/yd3 1,483 kg/m3
Torpedo Sand 2,700 lb/yd3 1,602 kg/m3
Framing Steel 490 lb/ft3 7,849 kg/m3

 

Here is a more extensive table on the Simetric website.

 

 

Posted November 17, 2021