BUYER RESOURCES
How much length
is on your coil?
Estimate steel coil length from the scale weight, coil width and gauge or measured thickness. Add a planned loss allowance to estimate how much length remains for production.
ESTIMATED LENGTH ON COIL
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ESTIMATED SHEET COUNT
Your calculation
- Material / basis
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- Net coil weight
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- Coil width
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- Weight per linear foot
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- Planned length loss
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Estimated length is not a guaranteed production yield. Actual thickness, crown, coating and setup losses affect the length you can use.
Plan for every setup.
Loading, unloading and reloading a coil may require additional threading, calibration trials and cropping. More setups and handling can consume more material or introduce damage, reducing usable length. The loss depends on your line, coil condition and process; use your own operating history when setting an allowance.
Understand the estimate
How is coil length calculated?
Net coil weight = scale weight − tare. With the card’s weight in lb/ft² and width in inches, length in feet = net weight × 12 ÷ (width × lb/ft²). Length in inches = net weight × 144 ÷ (width × lb/ft²).
Example: 10,000 lb net, 48 inches wide and 16-gauge carbon steel at 2.5 lb/ft² gives 1,000 feet (12,000 inches). A 20-foot planned loss leaves an estimated 980 feet for production.
Gauge mode uses the same Blue Star reference-card book weights as the sheet calculator. Thickness ranges follow AISI values. Range limits are not used as an average thickness or as a guaranteed length range.
What about crown and thickness variation?
Crown is a thickness difference across the strip width, often with a thicker center than edges. Thickness can also change along the coil. A single edge or end measurement may not represent the coil’s average cross-section.
For a fixed weight and width, thicker average material means less length; thinner average material means more. Use representative thickness information when available. A gauge-based result uses nominal book weight and cannot account for the coil’s actual thickness profile.
When should I use measured thickness?
For uncoated hot rolled, HRPO / P&O or cold rolled steel, measured mode uses length in inches = net weight ÷ (width × average measured thickness × 0.2836 lb/in³). Divide by 12 for feet. It is a density-based estimate and may differ from the rounded book-weight result.
Galvanized uses the finished coated-sheet book weights on the separate galvanized card. Measured mode is available for uncoated steel only: a finished galvanized thickness alone does not separate steel and zinc weight. Coating variation can affect the estimated length.
Why can usable length be lower?
Threading the line, setup / calibration trials, head and tail crops, damaged wraps, sampling and rejected sections can all consume length. Unloading and reloading may require repeating some of these steps. Handling alone does not remove a fixed amount of length; additional scrap or damage creates the loss.
The planned-loss field subtracts your combined future allowance in feet. It is not an automatic yield percentage. Sheet count divides the remaining estimated length by your finished sheet length and rounds down to whole sheets. The result is an estimate, not a guaranteed production yield.
Use the current coil’s net metal weight
Exclude the weight of pallets, cores, bands, wrapping and other packaging. Use the actual width of the strip being estimated and its own weight, rather than a parent coil’s original weight. Scale accuracy, moisture and nonmetal material can also affect the estimate.
Weigh a partial coil again after prior production or scrap removal. The calculator cannot infer how much metal was previously consumed.
Planning a cut-to-length order?
Review our steel leveling and cut-to-length services, then send your material, dimensions and quantity for confirmation.
Steel leveling & cut-to-length services ↗ · Discuss your order ↗