Quick Answer
The weight of stainless steel wire rope depends on diameter and construction. For example, a 3mm 7x7 wire rope weighs approximately 0.036 kg/m (0.011 lb/ft), while a 10mm 7x19 rope weighs approximately 0.41 kg/m (0.126 lb/ft). See the complete chart below for all sizes from 0.5mm to 16mm in both metric and imperial units.
Approximate values. Actual weight may vary by +/-5% depending on manufacturing tolerances.
How to Calculate Wire Rope Weight
Stainless steel wire rope weight can be estimated with a simple formula based on the rope's nominal diameter and its construction. The formula is:
Weight (kg/m) = d² × C
where d is the nominal diameter in millimeters, and C is a construction factor that accounts for the density of stainless steel and the packing efficiency of the wires within the rope. The construction factor differs slightly between constructions because each one packs steel into the circular cross-section with a different fill ratio:
- 7x7: C = 0.00393
- 7x19: C = 0.00401
- 1x19: C = 0.00384
As an example, for a 6mm 7x19 wire rope: Weight = 6² × 0.00401 = 36 × 0.00401 = 0.144 kg/m. This closely matches the value listed in the 7x19 chart below. The same formula works in reverse — if you know the weight of a coil and the rope's length, you can back-calculate the effective diameter for a quality check.
Once you know the weight per meter, you can also cross-reference expected strength for the same diameter using our wire rope breaking strength chart, since heavier ropes at a given construction generally correlate with higher breaking loads.
7x7 Construction Weight Chart
7x7 wire rope (7 strands of 7 wires, 49 wires total) is a moderately flexible, abrasion-resistant construction commonly used in balustrades, control cables, and static tensioning applications. For a deeper look at when to choose 7x7 over other constructions, see our 7x7 vs 7x19 construction comparison.
| Diameter (mm) | Diameter (inch) | Weight (kg/m) | Weight (lb/ft) | Approx. Weight per 100m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 1/64" | 0.001 | 0.0003 | 0.1 kg |
| 0.8 | 1/32" | 0.0025 | 0.0008 | 0.25 kg |
| 1.0 | 3/64" | 0.004 | 0.0012 | 0.4 kg |
| 1.2 | 3/64" | 0.006 | 0.0018 | 0.6 kg |
| 1.5 | 1/16" | 0.009 | 0.0027 | 0.9 kg |
| 2.0 | 5/64" | 0.016 | 0.0049 | 1.6 kg |
| 2.5 | 3/32" | 0.025 | 0.0076 | 2.5 kg |
| 3.0 | 1/8" | 0.036 | 0.011 | 3.6 kg |
| 4.0 | 5/32" | 0.063 | 0.019 | 6.3 kg |
| 5.0 | 3/16" | 0.098 | 0.030 | 9.8 kg |
| 6.0 | 1/4" | 0.141 | 0.043 | 14.1 kg |
| 8.0 | 5/16" | 0.251 | 0.077 | 25.1 kg |
| 10.0 | 3/8" | 0.393 | 0.120 | 39.3 kg |
7x19 Construction Weight Chart
7x19 wire rope (7 strands of 19 wires, 133 wires total) is the most widely used flexible construction, suited to rigging, pulleys, and dynamic applications where the rope bends repeatedly in service.
| Diameter (mm) | Diameter (inch) | Weight (kg/m) | Weight (lb/ft) | Approx. Weight per 100m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 | 1/16" | 0.009 | 0.0027 | 0.9 kg |
| 2.0 | 5/64" | 0.016 | 0.0049 | 1.6 kg |
| 2.5 | 3/32" | 0.025 | 0.0077 | 2.5 kg |
| 3.0 | 1/8" | 0.036 | 0.011 | 3.6 kg |
| 4.0 | 5/32" | 0.064 | 0.020 | 6.4 kg |
| 5.0 | 3/16" | 0.100 | 0.031 | 10.0 kg |
| 6.0 | 1/4" | 0.144 | 0.044 | 14.4 kg |
| 8.0 | 5/16" | 0.257 | 0.079 | 25.7 kg |
| 10.0 | 3/8" | 0.401 | 0.126 | 40.1 kg |
| 12.0 | 1/2" | 0.577 | 0.176 | 57.7 kg |
| 14.0 | 9/16" | 0.786 | 0.240 | 78.6 kg |
| 16.0 | 5/8" | 1.026 | 0.313 | 102.6 kg |
1x19 Construction Weight Chart
1x19 wire rope (a single strand of 19 wires, no strand-over-strand lay) is the stiffest and lowest-stretch construction, typically used for standing rigging and architectural cables under constant static tension.
| Diameter (mm) | Diameter (inch) | Weight (kg/m) | Weight (lb/ft) | Approx. Weight per 100m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.8 | 1/32" | 0.0025 | 0.0007 | 0.25 kg |
| 1.0 | 3/64" | 0.0038 | 0.0012 | 0.38 kg |
| 1.5 | 1/16" | 0.0086 | 0.0026 | 0.86 kg |
| 2.0 | 5/64" | 0.0154 | 0.0047 | 1.54 kg |
| 2.5 | 3/32" | 0.024 | 0.0073 | 2.4 kg |
| 3.0 | 1/8" | 0.035 | 0.011 | 3.5 kg |
| 4.0 | 5/32" | 0.061 | 0.019 | 6.1 kg |
| 5.0 | 3/16" | 0.096 | 0.029 | 9.6 kg |
| 6.0 | 1/4" | 0.138 | 0.042 | 13.8 kg |
| 8.0 | 5/16" | 0.246 | 0.075 | 24.6 kg |
| 10.0 | 3/8" | 0.384 | 0.117 | 38.4 kg |
| 12.0 | 1/2" | 0.553 | 0.169 | 55.3 kg |
PVC/Nylon Coated Wire Rope Weight
When wire rope is coated with PVC or nylon for corrosion protection, added grip, or cosmetic reasons, the coating adds material outside the bare metal diameter. Because coating is applied by thickness rather than by weight percentage, its contribution to overall weight is most significant on smaller diameters and less noticeable on larger ones. As a general rule of thumb, coated wire rope weighs approximately 10-20% more than the equivalent bare rope, depending on coating thickness and the ratio of coating volume to metal volume.
| Bare Diameter (mm) | Coated Diameter (mm) | Bare Weight (kg/m) | Coated Weight (kg/m, approx.) | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 (7x19) | 2.5 | 0.009 | 0.011 | ~18% |
| 3.0 (7x19) | 4.0 | 0.036 | 0.041 | ~15% |
| 5.0 (7x19) | 6.0 | 0.100 | 0.112 | ~12% |
| 8.0 (7x19) | 9.5 | 0.257 | 0.283 | ~10% |
When ordering coated rope by weight for cutting or shipping estimates, always confirm with your supplier whether the quoted weight refers to bare metal or the coated finished product, since the difference compounds quickly on long lengths.
Weight Difference Between 304 and 316
Grade 304 stainless steel has a density of approximately 7.93 g/cm³, while grade 316 is slightly denser at approximately 7.98 g/cm³. This is a difference of only about 0.6% — small enough that it can be safely ignored for weight estimation, shipping calculations, or load planning purposes. In practice, use the same weight chart values for both 304 and 316 wire rope of the same diameter and construction.
The real distinction between the two grades is corrosion resistance rather than weight. For a full breakdown of when to specify 316 over 304, see our 304 vs 316 stainless steel comparison.
How to Calculate Shipping Weight
The weight values in the charts above represent the net weight of the wire rope itself. For shipping and freight estimates, you also need to account for gross weight, which includes packaging.
Wire rope is most commonly shipped on wooden reels or spools, which typically add 3-5 kg of packaging weight for small-to-medium coils, and considerably more for large industrial reels. Coiled rope in cartons or plastic-wrapped rings adds less — usually under 1 kg for reasonable lengths.
To estimate shipping weight for a given order:
- Calculate net weight: rope length (m) × weight per meter (kg/m).
- Add packaging weight: 3-5 kg for wooden reels, less for coils or cartons.
- Round up to the nearest carrier weight bracket when requesting freight quotes.
For example, 500m of 6mm 7x19 wire rope on a wooden reel: net weight = 500 × 0.144 = 72 kg, plus approximately 4 kg of reel weight, for a gross shipping weight of roughly 76 kg.
If you are still deciding on diameter, construction, or grade before placing an order, our buyer's guide for stainless steel wire rope walks through the full selection process. Once you know your specification, our team can provide an exact net and gross weight for your order — contact us for a quote.
