Structural Steel (C-51) · Lesson 2 of 6

Steel Weight Takeoff: Pounds per Foot, Plates, Welds, and Tons

"Steel Weight Takeoff: Pounds per Foot, Plates, Welds, and Tons" is lesson 2 of 6 in the Structural Steel (C-51) Learning Hub. It opens with "Why Every Steel Bid Starts with Weight" and works through 5 short steps, then a worked example you can check yourself against.

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Steps in this lesson

  1. Why Every Steel Bid Starts with Weight
  2. Linear Members: Pounds per Foot x Length in Decimal Feet
  3. Plates: Volume x 0.2833 Pounds per Cubic Inch
  4. Count the Small Steel the Payment Rules Count
  5. Total It, Then Convert to Tons

The worked example in the course applies this lesson to a realistic job in 7 steps, from "Base plates" through "Heaviest single pick".

What you'll be able to do

  • Explain the main idea of "Steel Weight Takeoff: Pounds per Foot, Plates, Welds, and Tons" in plain language you can use on the exam.
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Plates: Volume x 0.2833 Pounds per Cubic Inch".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Count the Small Steel the Payment Rules Count".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Total It, Then Convert to Tons".
  • Test yourself on the worked example and the quick-check quiz inside the classroom.
Steel Weight Takeoff: One Bent FrameFRAME ELEVATIONW18x50 x 28'-6"W12x58 x 14'-0"W12x58 x 14'-0"2 base platesPL 1x16x16 eachsteel = 0.2833 lb per cu in20 lf of 3/8 fillet weldADD IT UP2 columns: 58 x 14.0 x 2 = 1,624 lb1 beam: 50 x 28.5 = 1,425 lb1 plate: 16 x 16 x 1 in = 256 cu in256 x 0.2833 = 72.5 lb; 2 plates = 145 lbWeld: 20 lf x 0.30 lb/lf = 6 lbTOTAL = 1,624 + 1,425 + 145 + 6 = 3,200 lb3,200 / 2,000 = 1.60 tons28'-6" is 28.5 ft: convert inches firstHeaviest single pick: the beam, 1,425 lbFrame total = 3,200 lb = 1.60 tonsSource: Caltrans Std Specs 55-1.04 (0.2833 lb/cu in; 3/8 fillet = 0.30 lb/lf); lb/ft from the calloutsCC
The diagram for this lesson, exactly as it appears in the Learning Hub.

The first steps of this lesson

Step 1: Why Every Steel Bid Starts with Weight

Structural steel is bought, shipped, and priced by weight, and the heaviest piece decides which crane and rigging you need. The State's own payment rule starts the same way: the payment quantity for structural steel is the weight determined from the dimensions shown, using stated rules and assumptions. The CSLB C-51 study guide's sample question is the same arithmetic: pounds per foot times length for five 40-foot tubes, then a price per pound plus galvanizing priced per ton. Source: 2025 Caltrans Standard Specifications, Section 55-1.04 (Std Specs text, page 908); CSLB C-51 Study Guide, sample question 1.

Step 2: Linear Members: Pounds per Foot x Length in Decimal Feet

For beams, columns, angles, and channels, weight = lb/ft x length in feet, with the lb/ft read from the callout. The length must be in decimal feet: 28'-6" is 28.5 ft (6 in / 12 = 0.5), not 28.6. A W18x50 at 28'-6" weighs 50 x 28.5 = 1,425 lb. Caltrans computes rolled shapes from nominal weight and dimensions with no deduction for copes, cuts, and holes, so your takeoff should not subtract them either. Source: 2025 Caltrans Standard Specifications, Section 55-1.04, item 2.

The remaining 3 steps, the worked example and the quiz are in the course. This is a preview. The full lesson, with the step-by-step explanations, a worked example and a quick-check quiz, is inside the classroom.

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