Structural steel shape weights (AISC designations)

How a steel member weight reads straight from its AISC designation (a W24x76 weighs 76 lb per foot), plus reference shapes.

This is the exact table the Crane Cost Estimator runs on. Cite it as: Antero Trail, "Structural steel shape weights (AISC designations)", anterotrail.com/tools/reference/steel-shape-weights. Primary sources are listed with each value and at the bottom of the page.

Weight basis for the steel_beam_set crane scenario (PRP-CALC-2). Primary derivation PARSES the member self-weight directly from the AISC section designation: for W/S/M/HP/C shapes the integer after the 'x' is the nominal weight in lb/ft (AISC naming convention, cited). member_length_ft x lb/ft = member self-weight; the derivation adds a stated rigging allowance. The reference_shapes table below is a spot-check of common sections (value = lb/ft = the designation suffix), not the compute path. No cited lb/ft table was located for open-web steel bar joists or steel/CFS trusses; those require a user-supplied weight from the shop drawing.

designation rule

regex
^(?:W|S|M|HP|C|MC)\s?\d+(?:\.\d+)?\s?[xX]\s?(\d+(?:\.\d+)?)$
capture is
nominal_weight_lb_per_ft

reference shapes LB per FT

Open-web steel joist self-weight is NOT encoded in the K/LH designation; it appears on the SJI load table / shop drawing. v1 requires a user-supplied weight. TODO(backlog): add a cited SJI K-series lb/ft table.

W8x10
10
W8x31
31
W10x22
22
W12x26
26
W12x53
53
W14x22
22
W16x26
26
W16x50
50
W18x35
35
W18x76
76
W21x44
44
W21x101
101
W24x55
55
W24x76
76
W24x131
131
W30x99
99
W36x150
150
S12x50
50
C10x30
30
HP12x53
53
citation
AISC Shapes Database v16.0 - designation suffix = lb/ft (spot-check subset).

All sources on this page

These calculators produce planning estimates from published public rate schedules. They are not a formal quote. Confirm equipment, access, and pricing with a licensed operator or rental yard before you rely on any number for an estimate.