Welded Sculpture Material Calculator

Estimate steel stock, welding consumables, and costs for welded metal sculpture.

Sculpture height (in)

Sculpture width (in)

Sculpture depth (in)

Metal type

Form density

Tab to move between fields

Total material cost

$161.55

≈ 11 movie tickets

Stock to purchase (ft)62.1

20-ft sticks needed4

Stock weight (lbs)52

Steel stock cost$31.30

Estimated weld joints270

Weld wire (lbs)5.4

Shielding gas (cu ft)41

Welding consumables$20.25

Grinding/cutting discs$110.00

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the sculpture's overall dimensions (height, width, depth) in inches.
Select metal type (mild steel, stainless, aluminum, cor-ten) and form density (sparse/moderate/dense).
Review total stock length (ft), sticks needed, total weight (lbs), and material cost.
Add 15-20% for waste and welds -- welding burns off material and short pieces may not be reusable.
Factor in finishing costs: grinding, wire brushing, priming, and coating for outdoor works.

How the result changes with Sculpture height (in)

Sculpture height (in): Overall height of the welded sculpture.
Sculpture width (in): Maximum width of the sculpture.
Sculpture depth (in): Maximum depth of the sculpture.
Metal type: 0 = mild steel, 1 = stainless steel (304), 2 = Cor-Ten (weathering), 3 = aluminum.
Form density: 0 = open/skeletal, 1 = moderate, 2 = dense/filled.

Total material cost: Combined cost of steel stock, welding wire, gas, and abrasives.
Stock to purchase (ft): Total linear feet of steel stock including 15% waste.
20-ft sticks needed: Number of standard 20-foot lengths to purchase.
Stock weight (lbs): Total weight of steel stock to purchase.
Steel stock cost: Cost of the raw steel stock.
Estimated weld joints: Approximate number of weld joints in the sculpture.
Weld wire (lbs): MIG/TIG filler wire needed.
Shielding gas (cu ft): Shielding gas volume needed.
Welding consumables: Cost of wire and gas.
Grinding/cutting discs: Cost of cutoff wheels and flap discs.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Sculpture height (in) = 48, Sculpture width (in) = 36, Sculpture depth (in) = 24, Metal type = 0 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate Total material cost
Total material cost = stockCost + weldWireCost + gasCost + abrasivesCost
161.55 = $161.55
Calculate Stock to purchase
Stock to purchase = totalStockLengthFt * wasteMultiplier
62.1 = 62.1
Calculate 20-ft sticks needed
20-ft sticks needed
4 = 4