Glass Weight Chart

The constant, and where it is published

The National Glass Association publishes the reference density for typical soda lime float glass — the flat glass used in shower doors, mirrors, storefronts, and windows — in Glass Technical Paper FM05-12 (2023), “Physical and Mechanical Properties of Typical Soda Lime Float Glass.” The paper states the density as approximately 156 pounds per cubic foot (2,500 kilograms per cubic meter). Dividing by 12 inches per foot gives 13.0 pounds per square foot for every inch of thickness — the single derived number every figure on this page is built from. Tempering does not change this: heat-treating alters a glass surface's stress pattern, not its density, so a tempered pane and an annealed pane of the same size weigh the same.

Source: National Glass Association, Glass Technical Paper FM05-12 (2023) — PDF

The formula

Panel weight in pounds equals width in inches times height in inches, divided by 144 to get square feet, times the thickness in inches, times 13.0. An equivalent one-step version — width times height times thickness, divided by 1,728 cubic inches per cubic foot, times 156 — never touches the derived 13.0 figure and works as an independent check on the same arithmetic.

Worked example — a 36" × 78" panel of ½" glass

A 36 inch by 78 inch pane of half-inch glass covers 19.5 square feet (36 times 78, divided by 144). At 6.5 pounds per square foot (half an inch times 13.0), that panel weighs 126.75 pounds, rounded to 127 pounds. The cubic-foot route reaches the same number without using the 13.0 figure: 36 times 78 times 0.5 equals 1,404 cubic inches, divided by 1,728 equals 0.8125 cubic feet, times 156 equals 126.75 pounds.

Weight per square foot by thickness

Weight per square foot is rounded to two decimal places; panel weight is rounded to the nearest pound. Rounding happens once, on the full-precision result — every figure below sits within half a pound of the exact arithmetic. Every weight is computed from the fractional inch: 3/8 inch as 0.375 inch, and so on. The millimeter column is the SI designation ASTM C1036 pairs with that fraction — a name for the size, not the thickness these weights were computed from. ASTM C1036 allows a band of actual thickness around each designation and the fraction sits inside that band rather than at the top of it, so a delivered lite can run a few percent heavier or lighter than the figure shown. These are planning figures. Where the margin matters, measure the actual lite.

Panel weight in pounds, by size and thickness

Pounds per person, if a panel is shared

The table below divides panel weight by the number of people carrying it — arithmetic only, not a lift assessment. The NIOSH load constant of 51 pounds is printed alongside it for comparison. Because a delivered lite can be a few percent thicker than its fractional designation, round these figures up rather than down when planning a carry.

For scale only, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health publishes a load constant of 51 pounds in its Revised Lifting Equation — the starting recommended weight for an ideal two-handed lift, before any adjustment for distance, height, or frequency. It is printed here for comparison only. This page does not apply the NIOSH equation, does not compute a recommended weight limit, and makes no claim about whether any lift is safe.

How to check this yourself

Take the density figure from the NGA paper linked above — 156 pounds per cubic foot. Multiply the panel's width, height, and thickness in inches, divide by 1,728 to convert to cubic feet, then multiply by 156. The result will match the table below to within the rounding described above.

1. Take the density from the NGA paper above: 156 lb/ft³.
2. Convert the panel to cubic feet: width_in × height_in × thickness_in ÷ 1,728.
3. Multiply by 156.
4. Compare to the table — it will match within the stated rounding.

Published by Infinity Glass & Glazing. This is a neutral reference table — not a structural, load-capacity, or safety rating of any kind.