STEEL BRIDGE RESOURCE

STEEL SPAN

WEIGHT CURVES

AISC 2016
by
American Institute of Steel Construction
All rights reserved. This book or any part thereof
must not be reproduced in any form without the
written permission of the publisher.
The AISC and NSBA logos are registered trademarks of AISC.

The information presented in this publication has been prepared in accordance with recognized engineering principles. While it is believed to be accurate, this information should not be used or relied
upon for any specific application without competent professional examination and verification of
its accuracy, suitability and applicability by a licensed professional engineer, designer, or architect.
The publication of the material contained herein is not intended as a representation or warranty on
the part of the American Institute of Steel Construction or of any other person named herein, that
this information is suitable for any general or particular use or of freedom from infringement of any
patent or patents. Anyone making use of this information assumes all liability arising from such use.
Caution must be exercised when relying upon other specifications and codes developed by other
bodies and incorporated by reference herein since such material may be modified or amended from
time to time subsequent to the printing of this edition. The American Institute of Steel Construction
bears no responsibility for such material other than to refer to it and incorporate it by reference at
the time of the initial publication of this edition.

Printed in the United States of America

STEEL SPAN

WEIGHT CURVES

The National Steel Bridge Alliance strives to deliver high quality information for use by departments
of transportation and designers alike. To that end, NSBA has created a series of steel bridge design
resources. The information in these resources was developed by NSBA staff in conjunction with industry professionals. The resources are intended to serve as a starting point for steel bridge design.
Steel Span Weight Curves is the first of these design aids. We plan to periodically update and refine
the information in these resources based on the feedback we receive from designers, owners and
constructors.
NSBA is proud of the steel bridge industry and looks forward to maintaining its tradition of excellence in steel bridge construction.

Bill McEleney
Managing Director
National Steel Bridge Alliance

About the Span Curves

These graphical design aids are intended to be used during the preliminary phases of design for evaluation of alternative structures to quickly determine the relative costs of various girder spacings and number of girder spans. The
curves have been constructed from cost-effective conceptual solutions that NSBA has prepared. They represent the
predicted pounds of steel per square foot for various span lengths and girder spacings for single spans, two spans,
and three or more spans.

Design Parameters

These curves represent predicted pounds of steel per square foot derived from data from more than 800 NSBA conceptual solutions optimized for economical bridge designs. Every bridge is unique and other factors can influence
the design, resulting in values outside the ranges shown in these curves. Care should be taken to ensure that an
appropriate analysis is conducted. The figure below represents a typical bridge section view.

OVERALL BRIDGE WIDTH

BRIDGE
DECK

SHOULDER

PARAPET
WIDTH

WEARING
SURFACE

TOTAL LANE(S) WIDTH

SHOULDER

PARAPET
WIDTH

BRIDGE GIRDER (TYP)

OVERHANG
(VARIES)

GIRDER SPACING (VARIES)

OVERHANG
(VARIES)

TYPICAL BRIDGE SECTION

N.T.S.

Assumptions

Section is designed as composite.

Girders are assumed continuous.
Design considers fatigue loading.
Span lengths are based upon the maximum span distance. Where more than one span exists, use the maximum span to determine span weight.
Trend line value represents the line of best fit based upon the discrete values.
Shaded area represents deck areas in which 68% of the sample bridges are located.
Both curved and straight girders are included in the curves.

NSBA STEEL SPAN WEIGHT CURVES

Single-Span Bridges

Single Span All Girder Spacing

160

Steel weight per square foot of

bridge deck surface (psf)

140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
50

75

100

125

150

175

200

225

250

275

300

325

350

275

300

325

350

Span (ft)
Trendline

Single Span 7' to 9' Girder Spacing

160

Steel weight per square foot of

bridge deck surface (psf)

140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
50

75

100

125

150

175

200

225

250

Span (ft)
Trendline

NSBA STEEL SPAN WEIGHT CURVES

Single-Span Bridges

Single Span 9' to 11' Girder Spacing

Steel weight per square foot of
bridge deck surface (psf)

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
50

75

100

125

150

175

200

225

250

275

Span (ft)
Trendline

Single Span 11' and Greater Girder Spacing

Steel weight per square foot of
bridge deck surface (psf)

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
100

125

150

175

200

225

250

275

Span (ft)
Trendline

NSBA STEEL SPAN WEIGHT CURVES

Two-Span Bridges

Steel weight per square foot of bridge deck surface (psf)

Two Span All Girder Spacing

120

100

80

60

40

20

0
50

75

100

125

150

175

200

225

250

275

300

325

350

Span (ft)
Trendline

Steel weight per square foot of bridge deck surface (psf)

Two Span 7' to 9' Girder Spacing

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
50

75

100

125

150

175

Span (ft)
Trendline

NSBA STEEL SPAN WEIGHT CURVES

Two-Span Bridges

Steel weight per square foot of bridge deck surface (psf)

Two Span 9' to 11' Girder Spacing

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
50

75

100

125

150

175

200

225

200

225

Span (ft)
Trendline

Steel weight per square foot of bridge deck surface (psf)

Two Span 11' and Greater Girder Spacing

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
50

75

100

125

150

175

Span (ft)
Trendline

NSBA STEEL SPAN WEIGHT CURVES

Three-or-More-Span Bridges

Steel weight per square foot of bridge deck surface (psf)

Three or More Spans All Girder Spacing

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
50

75

100

110

115

125

135

150

165

175

200

220

230

250

275

300

325

350

400

450

Span (ft)
Trendline

Steel weight per square foot of bridge deck surface (psf)

Three or More Spans 7' to 9' Girder Spacing

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
50

75

100

125

135

150
175
Span (ft)

200

230

250

275

300

Trendline

NSBA STEEL SPAN WEIGHT CURVES

Three-or-More-Span Bridges

Steel weight per square foot of bridge deck surface (psf)

Three or More Spans 9' to 11' Girder Spacing

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
50

75

100

110

125

135

150

165

175
Span (ft)

200

220

250

275

300

325

350

375

425

450

Trendline

Steel weight per square foot of bridge deck surface (psf)

Three or More Spans 11' and Greater Girder Spacing

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
100

125

135

150

165

175

200

220
230
Span (ft)

250

275

300

325

350

Trendline

NSBA STEEL SPAN WEIGHT CURVES

Steel: The Bridge Material of Choice.

National Steel Bridge Alliance
(a division of American Institute of Steel Construction)
One East Wacker Drive, Suite 700
Chicago, Illinois 60601
312.670.2400 www.steelbridges.org

NSBA-021