Describe the simple method to determine the approximate weight of a panel without openings.

• A. Multiply area by density of concrete
• B. Multiply area in ft2 by thickness in inches, then multiply by 12
• C. Use panel length only
• D. Weight equals volume times 62.4

Answer: (B)

Weight of a solid concrete panel comes from its volume times the concrete density. A handy quick method uses the panel’s area in square feet and its thickness in inches, then applies a simple conversion to get pounds. Multiply area by thickness, then multiply by 12. The idea behind this is that concrete is about 150 lb per cubic foot, so per square foot of panel, each inch of thickness adds roughly 12 pounds of weight (150 ÷ 12 ≈ 12.5, rounded to 12 for simplicity). So the approximate weight in pounds is area (ft2) × thickness (in) × 12.

This works well because weight scales with volume, and volume is area times thickness. Do not rely on area alone, since thickness matters; using the wrong density (like water’s 62.4 lb/ft3) would give incorrect results, and using only length or ignoring one dimension (width or thickness) misses part of the volume.