Workshop calculator
Glass weight calculator
Width, height and thickness to kilograms, then whether it is a one-person lift, a two-person lift or a job for the lifting kit, and how we deliver it. The same numbers the workshop uses, in your browser.
Why it matters
Why weigh it before you order?
Every pane we cut is carried, fixed and delivered by somebody. The weight settles all three before the glass exists, and the formula is stated rather than hidden.
Weight decides how it is handled
A pane's weight tells you whether one person can carry it, what the fixings have to hold and whether the wall will take it.
It decides who lifts it
The calculator puts the panel in the workshop's one-person, two-person or mechanical band, with the limits printed, not guessed.
It decides how we deliver it
Kerbside by van, a two-person crew to the room, or a measure-and-fit visit where we survey the access first. The band tells you which.
9.0 kg
1000 x 600mm at 6mm: 0.60 m² x 6mm x 2500 kg/m³.
One-person lift
One person can carry it flat against the body with gloves on. Keep it upright on a padded edge when you put it down; never lay a pane flat on a hard floor.
Delivery: Kerbside by van. The driver hands it over at the door; you carry it in.
The link reopens the calculator with the same panel.
Lifting and delivery
The three handling bands
The calculator places every panel in one of three bands by its weight and its longest edge. The bands are our workshop’s rule for glass. They sit under the HSE’s manual handling filter (INDG143), whose guideline figure for a two-handed lift held close to the body at waist height is 25kg for men and 16kg for women; a pane is carried away from the body, on edge, with cut corners, so we set the one-person ceiling lower and add a length limit.
| Band | Limit | Handling | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-person lift | Up to 20kg and no edge longer than 1500mm | One person can carry it flat against the body with gloves on. Keep it upright on a padded edge when you put it down; never lay a pane flat on a hard floor. | Kerbside by van. The driver hands it over at the door; you carry it in. |
| Two-person lift | Up to 50kg, or any edge over 1500mm up to 2500mm | Two people, one at each end, with the pane carried on edge. A pane this size catches the wind, so plan the route indoors before you lift. | A two-person crew brings it to the room. Tell us at checkout about stairs, narrow doorways and how far the van can park from the door. |
| Mechanical handling | Over 50kg, or any edge over 2500mm | Suction lifters and a glass trolley at the least; a crane or a glazing robot for large panes and upper floors. The workshop plans this with you, it is not a lift to attempt by hand. | Book a measure and fit. We survey access first and bring the right kit; panes in this band are not kerbside deliveries. |
Not sure the panel will go up the stairs, or whether the wall will take the fixings? Book a measure visit and we survey the route in, the access for the van and the fixings before anything is cut. Delivery zones and prices are on the delivery page.
Worked examples
Three panels the workshop cuts every week
Hob splashback
900 x 600mm, 6mm toughened
8.1 kg
0.90 x 0.60 x 0.006 m x 2500 kg/m³
One-person lift
Kerbside by van. The driver hands it over at the door; you carry it in.
Dining table top
1200 x 700mm, 10mm toughened
21.0 kg
1.20 x 0.70 x 0.01 m x 2500 kg/m³
Two-person lift
A two-person crew brings it to the room. Tell us at checkout about stairs, narrow doorways and how far the van can park from the door.
Frameless shower screen
800 x 2000mm, 8mm toughened
32.0 kg
0.80 x 2.00 x 0.008 m x 2500 kg/m³
Two-person lift
A two-person crew brings it to the room. Tell us at checkout about stairs, narrow doorways and how far the van can park from the door.
Wondering whether glass is the right material at all? The glass versus acrylic comparison weighs the two for the same panel and says plainly where each wins. Choosing a thickness? The thickness by use guide lists the trade-standard pick for shelves, tables, screens and more.
No black boxes
Glass weight questions
How is glass weight calculated?
Width x height x thickness x 2500 kg/m³, the density of soda-lime float glass in BS EN 572-1. Put simply, every millimetre of thickness weighs 2.5 kg per square metre, so a square metre of 10mm glass weighs 25 kg and a square metre of 4mm weighs 10 kg.
Does toughened glass weigh more than float?
No. Toughening changes the stress locked into the surface, not the density, so a toughened pane weighs the same as float of the same size and thickness. Laminated glass is the exception: it is two plies plus an interlayer, and the calculator counts the plies.
How much does a 12mm toughened glass panel weigh?
30 kg per square metre. A 1000 x 800mm balustrade panel in 12mm weighs 24 kg, which is a two-person lift by our workshop's rule, and a 2000 x 1000mm panel weighs 60 kg, which is mechanical handling.
Can one person carry it?
Our workshop's rule is one person up to 20 kg with no edge over 1500mm, two people up to 50 kg or any edge up to 2500mm, and mechanical handling beyond that. The HSE's manual handling filter (INDG143) gives 25 kg for men and 16 kg for women for a lift held close to the body at waist height; glass is carried away from the body with cut edges, so we set the limit lower.
What does the weight mean for delivery?
One-person panels come kerbside by van; two-person panels come with a two-person crew to the room; anything heavier or longer is a measure-and-fit job where we survey the access first. Delivery is priced by zone at checkout.