ISMC Channel Weight Chart — IS 808 Complete Table

What the ISMC Designation Means

ISMC stands for Indian Standard Medium Weight Channel. The number after ISMC is the web height (h) in millimetres. So ISMC 150 has a web height of 150mm. The flange width, web thickness, and flange thickness are all fixed by IS 808:1989 for each size — you do not specify these separately.

India has three C-channel weight categories under IS 808: ISJC (Junior), ISLC (Light), and ISMC (Medium). Medium weight channels are the standard for most structural and fabrication applications. Light channels (ISLC) are used where weight reduction matters. Junior channels (ISJC) are reserved for light-duty shelving, cable trays, and similar secondary members.

SAIL (Steel Authority of India) is the dominant producer of IS 808 hot-rolled sections in India. JSW Steel also produces ISMC sections in their Vijayanagar plant. Both suppliers produce to IS 2062 steel grade.

ISMC Channel Weight Chart — IS 808:1989, Complete Table

Channel ka wajan per meter neeche diya gaya hai. This is the complete IS 808 table for all ISMC sizes. Use the kg/m value directly for weight estimation — multiply by cut length in metres.

Source: IS 808:1989 — Dimensions for Hot Rolled Steel Beam, Column, Channel and Angle Sections. All weights in kg/m for 7.85 g/cm³ steel.

How to Calculate ISMC Weight for a Cut Length

The IS 808 table gives weight in kg per metre of length. To find the total weight for a cut piece, multiply the tabulated kg/m value by the cut length in metres. For detailed dimensions of commonly used lighter sizes, check the ISMC 100 and ISMC 125 reference pages.

Formula: Weight (kg) = IS808_kg/m × cut length (m)

For ISMC 150 cut to 3000mm: 16.8 × 3.0 = 50.4 kg

For ISMC 200 cut to 4500mm: 22.1 × 4.5 = 99.45 kg

Our Metal Weight Calculator supports channel sections — select the section type, enter web height, flange width, thicknesses, and length to get an instant result without manual lookup.

Worked Example: ISMC 200 Portal Frame Purlins

A portal frame shed required secondary purlins in ISMC 200, cut to 4800mm and welded to the rafter flanges. The BOM called for 8 purlins per bay.

Weight per purlin = 22.1 kg/m × 4.8 m = 106.1 kg

Total for 8 purlins = 106.1 × 8 = 848.8 kg

At ₹72/kg for SAIL ISMC 200 ex-Mumbai, material cost = ₹61,114 for the purlin steel alone. Getting this number right before placing the purchase order avoids a costly underestimate on the bill of materials.

ISMC vs Flat Bar: When to Use Which

ISMC channels have a high second moment of area (I-value) relative to their weight. This makes them efficient in bending — spanning applications like lintels, purlins, and brackets. Flat bar has very low bending stiffness but is cheap, easy to weld, and ideal for gussets, base plates, and non-structural connections.

If you are choosing between ISMC 100 (9.2 kg/m) and a 100×10mm flat bar (7.85 kg/m), the flat bar is lighter and cheaper per metre — but the ISMC 100 will carry roughly 12× more bending load for the same span. For any spanning member, the channel section is almost always the right choice.

SAIL and JSW Stock Availability

In practice, ISMC 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, and 200 are consistently available ex-stock from steel service centres across India. ISMC 225, 250, and 300 are produced but may require a mill order or 2–3 week lead time from a distributor. ISMC 350 and 400 are less commonly stocked and typically need to be ordered directly from SAIL Bhilai or JSW Vijayanagar.

Always confirm availability in your target cut lengths before finalising a design that specifies the larger ISMC sizes — substituting ISMC 300 with two ISMC 200 channels may be quicker and cheaper if the larger size is not in stock.