Freight quotes fail on polycarbonate sheet weight more often than on price. A forwarder prices a 20-foot container by volume, the supplier loads by sheet count, and the two numbers meet at the port with a discrepancy that somebody has to pay for.
Solid polycarbonate sheet weight by thickness
Solid polycarbonate runs at a nominal density of 1.20 g/cm³, which makes the arithmetic simple: a 1220 × 2440 mm sheet is 2.977 m², so each millimetre of thickness adds 3.57 kg.
- 2 mm — 7.1 kg per sheet
- 3 mm — 10.7 kg
- 4 mm — 14.3 kg
- 5 mm — 17.9 kg
- 6 mm — 21.4 kg
- 8 mm — 28.6 kg
- 10 mm — 35.7 kg
- 12 mm — 42.9 kg
- 15 mm — 53.6 kg
- 20 mm — 71.5 kg
From sheet weight to pallet weight
A standard export pallet of 1220 × 2440 mm PC carries 20 sheets of 6 mm, which is 428 kg of sheet plus about 35 kg of pallet, corner boards and strapping. That matters for two reasons: a 20-foot container rated at 28 tonnes will cube out long before it weighs out on thin PC, while a 20 mm order will hit the weight limit first. On 15 mm the crossover is around 380 sheets, and beyond that the load has to be split.
The packing details that protect the weight
Sheets stacked flat carry their own load. Beyond 400 mm stack height, a 6 mm sheet in the middle of the stack takes enough compressive load at the corners to mark the surface, and the marks become visible crazing after a hot crossing. Block the stack on edge protection at 200 mm centres and strap at 600 mm centres, and never strap directly over a cut edge without a corner board.
Twin-wall and multi-wall polycarbonate is a different calculation: a 10 mm twin-wall sheet weighs roughly 1.5–1.7 kg/m², less than a quarter of solid 10 mm, which is why greenhouse buyers can fill a container where glazing buyers cannot. If the job is a roof rather than a screen, the 10 mm solid PC strength data and the thickness decision guide are the two pages worth reading next.
Weight also decides the lifting method. Two people can handle a 6 mm sheet at 21 kg on a short carry; the same two cannot handle a 15 mm sheet at 54 kg through a doorway without a trolley, and that is a site safety plan rather than a purchasing detail. State the per-sheet weight on the delivery note so the receiving team can plan before the truck arrives.
For estimating a mixed load, work in kilograms per square metre rather than per sheet: solid PC at 1.20 g/cm³ is 1.2 kg/m² per millimetre, so 6 mm is 7.2 kg/m² and 15 mm is 18 kg/m². That figure transfers to any sheet size and any cut-to-size schedule without recalculating the footprint.
One more figure worth carrying into a specification is the load per pallet foot. A 428 kg pallet of 6 mm sheet sits on four feet, which is 105 kg per foot and well inside a standard warehouse floor rating, but a stack three pallets high starts to matter for a mezzanine floor. Weight planning is rarely about the sheet; it is about what the sheet sits on.
Send your panel schedule to oversales@rpplexiglass.com and we will return a weight-and-packing sheet you can hand straight to your freight forwarder.
Three numbers cover most of the arguments between supplier, forwarder and site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much does a 1220×2440 polycarbonate sheet weigh?
A: At 1.20 g/cm³ a 1220 × 2440 mm sheet weighs 3.57 kg per millimetre of thickness: 21.4 kg at 6 mm, 35.7 kg at 10 mm and 53.6 kg at 15 mm.
Q: How many sheets fit in a 20-foot container?
A: On 6 mm the container cubes out before it weighs out, at roughly 600 sheets. On 15 mm the weight limit arrives first, near 380 sheets.
Q: Does twin-wall polycarbonate weigh the same?
A: No. A 10 mm twin-wall sheet is about 1.5–1.7 kg/m², roughly a quarter of solid 10 mm, so volume usually governs the load.