How to Convert Cubic Feet of Galvanized Steel to Pounds

Galvanized steel is steel that has been coated in a thin layer of zinc to protect against corrosion. Because the layer is thin enough to be immeasurable on the scale of cubic feet, the density of plain steel can be used to convert galvanized steel from volume to weight. A relevant figure therefore is to know that steel ranges from 7.85 to 7.88 grams per cubic centimeter. For the sake of exposition, the density used will be 7.85 g per cubic centimeter.

Instructions

1. Convert 7.85 g per cubic centimeter to pounds per cubic foot. This can be done quickly with an online calculator. For example, entering "convert 7.85 grams per cubic centimeter to pounds per cubic foot" into Google returns 490. pounds per cubic foot. (The decimal indicates that the zero is a significant figure.)

2. Multiply by the number of cubic feet of galvanized steel. For example, 100 cubic feet of steel x 490 pounds /cubic feet is 49,000 pounds, or 25.5 tons.

3. Round to three significant figures if you use the conversion factor above, since it's based on a steel density known to, at best, three significant figures.

References

• Engineer's Edge: Properties of Metals
• Hypertextbook: Density of Steel