Acrylic and PVC sheet weight: formula, tables and container planning
Calculate the weight of acrylic, PVC foam and PS sheets from size and thickness, with ready-made tables for 4 × 8 ft sheets and tips for planning a container.
Short answerSheet weight (kg) = length (m) × width (m) × thickness (mm) × density (g/cm³). A 1220 × 2440 mm acrylic sheet weighs about 3.54 kg per millimetre of thickness, so a 3 mm sheet is about 10.6 kg.
Freight, pallet loading and even your quote depend on weight. Most suppliers sell acrylic and PVC by the kilogram, so knowing how to turn sheet sizes into tonnes saves a lot of back-and-forth.
The formula
Weight (kg) = length (m) × width (m) × thickness (mm) × density (g/cm³)
Because one square metre at one millimetre thick is exactly one litre, multiplying area in m² by thickness in mm by density in g/cm³ gives kilograms directly.
Densities to use
| Material | Density (g/cm³) |
|---|---|
| Acrylic (PMMA), cast or extruded | 1.19 |
| Polystyrene (PS) | 1.05 |
| Rigid PVC | 1.40 |
| PVC foam board, free foam | 0.45–0.55 |
| PVC foam board, Celuka | 0.55–0.80 |
| Polycarbonate (for reference) | 1.20 |
Acrylic weight per 1220 × 2440 mm sheet
| Thickness | Weight per sheet | Sheets per tonne |
|---|---|---|
| 2 mm | 7.1 kg | 141 |
| 3 mm | 10.6 kg | 94 |
| 5 mm | 17.7 kg | 56 |
| 8 mm | 28.3 kg | 35 |
| 10 mm | 35.4 kg | 28 |
| 20 mm | 70.8 kg | 14 |
Values are nominal. Real sheets vary with thickness tolerance, so allow ±5% when booking freight.
Planning a container
Sheets are dense, so a 20 ft container usually reaches its payload limit long before it is full. That leaves space above the pallets that rolls of vinyl, flex or film can fill without adding much weight. This is why mixed loads are so cost-effective: you ship the heavy sheet you need and fill the air with light roll media.
- 20 ft container: plan for about 20 tonnes of goods including pallets.
- 40 ft container: payload is similar, but you gain volume for rolls and light boards such as free-foam PVC.
- Iron or steel pallets add 40–70 kg each but protect sheet edges far better than wood on long sea routes.
Use our sheet weight and container calculator to run your own sizes, or send us your list and we will return a loading plan with the quote.
Frequently asked questions
What is the density of acrylic?
1.19 g/cm³ (1190 kg/m³) for both cast and extruded PMMA.
How many 3 mm acrylic sheets fit in a 20 ft container?
Payload, not volume, is the limit: at roughly 10.6 kg per 4 × 8 ft sheet and about 20 tonnes of usable payload including pallets, a 20 ft container holds around 1,700–1,800 sheets of 3 mm.
What is the density of PVC foam board?
Between 0.45 and 0.80 g/cm³ depending on grade. Free foam is usually 0.45–0.55; Celuka board 0.55–0.80.
Tags: Acrylic PVC Logistics
