One formula, five alloys and the eight sizes buyers order most — with the container maths your forwarder will ask about. Everything below is derivable, so you can check our numbers.
Weight is area × thickness × density. For the two sign alloys that means 5.46 kg/m² per millimetre of 3003-H14 (2.73 g/cm³) and 5.36 kg/m² per millimetre of 5052-H38 (2.68 g/cm³). A 1200 × 600 mm blank at 2.0 mm in 3003 weighs 3.93 kg bare; the same panel at 3.0 mm in 5052 weighs 5.78 kg. Channel adds roughly 0.9–1.5 kg per metre depending on section.
The formula needs only three numbers, and two of them are fixed by the alloy. Everything below is computed from them, so you can re-derive any size we do not list — including the freight estimate your forwarder will ask for.
Sheet weight in kilograms per square metre equals thickness in millimetres times density in g/cm³. The densities below are the standard handbook values for the wrought alloys we roll.
| Alloy | Density (g/cm³) | kg/m² at 1.5 mm | kg/m² at 2.0 mm | kg/m² at 3.0 mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1060-H14 | 2.70 | 4.05 | 5.40 | 8.10 |
| 3003-H14 | 2.73 | 4.10 | 5.46 | 8.19 |
| 3004-H32 | 2.72 | 4.08 | 5.44 | 8.16 |
| 5052-H38 | 2.68 | 4.02 | 5.36 | 8.04 |
| 6061-T6 | 2.70 | 4.05 | 5.40 | 8.10 |
Multiply kg/m² by the panel area in m². Imperial check: 1 lb/ft² = 4.882 kg/m², so a 2.0 mm 3003 sheet runs about 1.12 lb/ft².
The eight sizes below cover most regulatory and warning signs we cut. Weights are bare blanks — no film, no channel, no fasteners.
| Panel (mm) | Area (m²) | 2.0 mm 3003 | 3.0 mm 5052 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 610 × 610 | 0.37 | 2.03 | 2.99 |
| 900 × 600 | 0.54 | 2.95 | 4.34 |
| 1200 × 600 | 0.72 | 3.93 | 5.79 |
| 1200 × 900 | 1.08 | 5.90 | 8.68 |
| 1500 × 750 | 1.13 | 6.14 | 9.05 |
| 1800 × 900 | 1.62 | 8.85 | 13.02 |
| 2400 × 1200 | 2.88 | 15.72 | 23.16 |
| 3000 × 1500 | 4.50 | 24.57 | 36.18 |
Film adds under 0.5 kg per panel at these sizes; 6063 channel adds roughly 0.9–1.5 kg per metre of run depending on width and wall. Add channel weight to finished-sign estimates before you ask a forwarder for a rate.
Bare sheet is payload-bound, not volume-bound: a 20 ft box offers roughly 28 t of payload against 33 m³ of cargo space, and packed sheet stacks at about 2,700 kg per cubic metre — three times the density the box can carry. Working the 1200 × 600 × 2.0 mm size as an example: at 3.93 kg a panel, the weight limit is reached at around 6,500 panels once pallets, bearers and packing are counted — about 25 t and only 10–11 m³ of the cube.
It is crated finished signs that cube out first. A crate adds air around every face, so a container of finished 1200 × 900 panels may be full at 12–14 t. This is also why mixed pallets — blanks at the floor, channel and finished faces above — are the normal way we load: the sheet uses the payload the crates waste.
These are planning numbers, not a load plan: final stowage depends on your pallet arrangement and the carrier's floor restrictions.
Use it for freight estimates, post and channel sizing conversations, and roof or gantry load questions. It is not a substitute for the engineering sign-off your road authority or structure designer owes the project — we supply the material numbers; the structure calculation belongs to the party that designs the installation.
Densities used throughout are the standard handbook values for wrought aluminium alloys (2.68–2.73 g/cm³ across the 1xxx–6xxx series), as tabulated in the ASM Metals Handbook published by ASM International. Thickness tolerances for the delivered sheet follow EN 485-3 (CEN) and, for the US equivalent system, ASTM B209 from ASTM International.
Sources: ASM International, Materials Park, OH · CEN, Brussels · ASTM International. Cited 29 October 2026.
Under half a kilogram on any panel in the table above. For freight purposes, weigh the bare blank and add 2–3% for film, printing inks and edge sealing on a finished face.
No. H14, H24, H32 and H38 describe how the alloy was work-hardened or annealed; the density stays the same, so a 2.0 mm 5052-H38 blank weighs the same as a 5052-H32 one.
Magnesium (2.5 %–3.5 % in 5052) is lighter than the manganese and iron typical of 3003, so the density drops from 2.73 to 2.68 g/cm³ — about 1.8 % less weight for the same sheet.
Yes, with the quotation. Send the size list and we will return a packing plan with pallet count, gross and net weights per pallet, and the container utilisation — the numbers your forwarder needs to price the leg.
Specification questions are answered by the same person who quotes the job.