HP shapes are the steel H-piles you see driven for bridge abutments, industrial foundations, retaining walls, and buildings on soft ground. The designation looks like a wide flange (HP12x53 is 12 in. nominal, 53 lb/ft), but the section is built differently: the web and flanges are the same thickness, and the depth is close to the flange width. That makes the section stiff about both axes and able to take the pounding of a pile hammer.
This page lists every HP shape in the AISC catalog with weight per foot (imperial and metric) and dimensions, then covers the parts of a pile takeoff that don't show up in the section table: order lengths, splices, cutoffs, and pile points.
How to Read an HP Designation
Format: HP[nominal depth]x[weight per foot]
- HP12x53: 12 in. nominal (11.8 in. actual), 53 lb/ft
- HP14x89: 14 in. nominal (13.8 in. actual), 89 lb/ft
- HP18x204: 18 in. nominal (18.3 in. actual), 204 lb/ft
Like a W shape, the actual depth moves with the weight inside a size group. Unlike a W shape, the flange width stays close to the depth and the web is as thick as the flange.
HP Pile Sizes Chart (All AISC HP Sections)
Weights in lb/ft are from the AISC shapes catalog. kg/m is converted at 1 lb/ft = 1.48816 kg/m. Dimensions and area are from the AISC Shapes Database v15.0.
| Designation | Weight (lb/ft) | Weight (kg/m) | Depth d (in) | Flange width bf (in) | Web tw (in) | Flange tf (in) | Area (in²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP18x204 | 204 | 303.6 | 18.3 | 18.1 | 1.13 | 1.13 | 60.2 |
| HP18x181 | 181 | 269.4 | 18 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 53.2 |
| HP18x157 | 157 | 233.6 | 17.7 | 17.9 | 0.87 | 0.87 | 46.2 |
| HP18x135 | 135 | 200.9 | 17.5 | 17.8 | 0.75 | 0.75 | 39.9 |
| HP16x183 | 183 | 272.3 | 16.5 | 16.3 | 1.13 | 1.13 | 54.1 |
| HP16x162 | 162 | 241.1 | 16.3 | 16.1 | 1 | 1 | 47.7 |
| HP16x141 | 141 | 209.8 | 16 | 16 | 0.875 | 0.875 | 41.7 |
| HP16x121 | 121 | 180.1 | 15.8 | 15.9 | 0.75 | 0.75 | 35.8 |
| HP16x101 | 101 | 150.3 | 15.5 | 15.8 | 0.625 | 0.625 | 29.9 |
| HP16x88 | 88 | 131.0 | 15.3 | 15.7 | 0.54 | 0.54 | 25.8 |
| HP14x117 | 117 | 174.1 | 14.2 | 14.9 | 0.805 | 0.805 | 34.4 |
| HP14x102 | 102 | 151.8 | 14 | 14.8 | 0.705 | 0.705 | 30.1 |
| HP14x89 | 89 | 132.4 | 13.8 | 14.7 | 0.615 | 0.615 | 26.1 |
| HP14x73 | 73 | 108.6 | 13.6 | 14.6 | 0.505 | 0.505 | 21.4 |
| HP12x117 | 117 | 174.1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| HP12x102 | 102 | 151.8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| HP12x89 | 89 | 132.4 | 12.4 | 12.3 | 0.72 | 0.72 | 25.9 |
| HP12x84 | 84 | 125.0 | 12.3 | 12.3 | 0.685 | 0.685 | 24.6 |
| HP12x74 | 74 | 110.1 | 12.1 | 12.2 | 0.605 | 0.61 | 21.8 |
| HP12x63 | 63 | 93.8 | 11.9 | 12.1 | 0.515 | 0.515 | 18.4 |
| HP12x53 | 53 | 78.9 | 11.8 | 12 | 0.435 | 0.435 | 15.5 |
| HP10x57 | 57 | 84.8 | 9.99 | 10.2 | 0.565 | 0.565 | 16.7 |
| HP10x42 | 42 | 62.5 | 9.7 | 10.1 | 0.415 | 0.42 | 12.4 |
| HP8x36 | 36 | 53.6 | 8.02 | 8.16 | 0.445 | 0.445 | 10.6 |
Note on HP12x102 and HP12x117: these two sections are in the AISC shapes catalog we use for weights, but they are not in the v15.0 database tables, so we've left their dimensions blank rather than guess. Get them from the current AISC Shapes Database or the producing mill's section table before you use them for anything other than weight.
The physics check works here too: area × 3.4028 should be within about 1% of the weight. HP12x53 is 15.5 in² × 3.4028 = 52.7 lb/ft. HP14x89 is 26.1 × 3.4028 = 88.8 lb/ft.
HP vs W: Why You Can't Swap Them
Put an HP14x89 next to a W14x90 and they look like the same beam. They weigh about the same. The shapes are different:
| Section | Weight (lb/ft) | Depth (in) | Flange width (in) | Web tw (in) | Flange tf (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP14x89 | 89 | 13.8 | 14.7 | 0.615 | 0.615 |
| W14x90 | 90 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 0.440 | 0.710 |
(Both from the AISC Shapes Database v15.0.) The HP moves steel out of the flanges and into the web. A driven pile takes most of its load axially and has to survive driving stresses, so the thicker web earns its keep. For a beam in bending, the W puts the steel where it works harder. The W14x90 page has the W's full numbers.
For estimating, the point is simple: if the foundation plan says HP, price HP. HP and W shapes are ordered separately, may be a different grade (the AISC Manual lists A572 Grade 50 as the preferred material for HP shapes, where W shapes are usually A992; our steel grades guide covers the differences), and don't always come from the same supplier.
Where HP Shapes Appear on Drawings
- Foundation plans and pile schedules. The pile type, size, design capacity, and estimated tip elevation are usually in a pile schedule or general notes on the foundation sheets. The plan shows pile locations, often as symbols with a pile cap mark rather than a size at every pile. Count the symbols, then read the size from the schedule. The same pattern shows up in footing schedules; see grade beam and footing schedules.
- Soldier pile and lagging walls. Temporary and permanent shoring often uses HP or W sections as soldier piles, drilled or driven, with timber or concrete lagging between them.
- Bridge and civil sets. Abutments and piers call out HP piles in pile layouts with batter angles noted per pile.
- Columns and posts. Now and then an HP shows up above grade as a heavy column or a crane-rail support. It is priced like any other column.
Estimating Notes: What the Section Table Doesn't Tell You
The section weight is the easy part. The quantities that decide whether a pile bid makes money are the lengths and the extras.
1. Decide whose scope it is
On many jobs the piles are furnished and driven by a piling or foundation contractor, not the structural steel fabricator. Sometimes the steel sub furnishes the piles and the piling sub drives them. Before you take off a single pile, check the spec sections and the bid form. If you're carrying it, say so in your scope letter; if you're not, exclude it by name. Our bid scope letter guide has wording for both.
2. Order length vs. design length
Drawings usually give an estimated tip elevation and a cutoff elevation (the top of pile, where it will be embedded in the pile cap). The design length is the distance between them. The order length is longer, because:
- The top of the pile gets damaged by the hammer and is trimmed back to the cutoff elevation after driving.
- The actual tip elevation is set in the field by driving criteria, so piles can drive shorter or longer than the estimate.
- Test piles, if the spec calls for them, are often ordered longer than production piles.
The spec or geotechnical report sometimes sets a required overlength or states how estimated lengths are to be used. When it doesn't, write down the allowance you carried. Never bury it.
3. Splices
Long piles are delivered and driven in segments and spliced in the field. Each splice is either a full-penetration welded splice or a proprietary mechanical splicer, depending on the spec. Count one splice per joint per pile, and price the welding time, inspection, and any splicer hardware. If piles drive longer than estimated, extra splices get added in the field; know how your contract pays for them.
4. Pile points (driving shoes)
Where piles drive through hard layers or onto rock, the spec may call for cast steel pile points welded to the tip. They are counted per pile, one each. They are easy to miss because they're usually in a note or a detail rather than on the plan.
5. Cutoffs
The length trimmed off the top after driving is scrap. On a large job it's real tonnage. Carry it as waste in your material weight, and credit scrap value if you normally do. Our waste factors guide covers how to handle this in the rest of the estimate.
6. Coatings and other extras
Some piles are specified with a coating over part of the length, or with welded studs or plates at the top to engage the cap. Check the pile details and notes.
Worked Example
This example uses stated assumptions, not real project numbers.
Given: 48 piles, HP12x53. Cutoff elevation to estimated tip is 55 ft. Assume 2 ft of overlength per pile for head trimming, each pile delivered in two segments (one field splice), and a cast steel point on every pile.
| Item | Math | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Order length per pile | 55 ft + 2 ft | 57 ft |
| Total pile length | 48 × 57 ft | 2,736 ft |
| Pile steel weight | 2,736 ft × 53 lb/ft | 145,008 lb (72.5 tons) |
| Field splices | 48 piles × 1 | 48 |
| Pile points | 48 piles × 1 | 48 |
| Cutoff scrap (if all overlength is cut) | 48 × 2 ft × 53 lb/ft | 5,088 lb |
The material weight is the easy line. The splices and points are separate lines with their own labor and hardware, and the cutoff scrap is a credit or a loss depending on your supplier. To turn tonnage into dollars, use current supplier pricing; our cost per ton guide explains the parts that make up a per-ton number.
Estimating only. Pile size, capacity, length, and driving criteria are set by the engineer of record and the geotechnical engineer. Nothing on this page is a design recommendation.
Getting Pile Counts off the Drawings
Pile plans are repetitive: dozens or hundreds of identical symbols grouped under pile cap marks. Counting them by hand is slow and it's easy to double-count a cap. Steelflo reads the member callouts on your PDF drawings, including HP sizes in schedules and notes, and builds a takeoff you review and export. See how it works.
For pile work inside a larger misc metals package, the Division 5 estimating guide covers how to keep it organized.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does HP12x53 mean?
HP12x53 is an H-pile section with a 12 in. nominal depth and a weight of 53 lb per foot. Per the AISC Shapes Database, it is 11.8 in. deep with a 12.0 in. flange, and both the web and flanges are 0.435 in. thick. A 57 ft pile weighs 3,021 lb.
What is the difference between an HP pile and a W beam?
An HP shape has web and flanges of equal thickness and a depth close to its flange width. A W shape of similar weight has a thinner web and thicker flanges. HP shapes are made for driving and axial load; W shapes are more efficient as beams.
How do I estimate pile length for a takeoff?
Start from the cutoff elevation and the estimated tip elevation on the drawings or in the geotechnical report. Add the overlength the spec requires, or a stated allowance for head trimming, and note how the contract handles piles that drive longer or shorter than estimated.
Are pile splices and pile points part of the steel takeoff?
If you are furnishing the piles, usually yes. Splices are counted per joint per pile and pile points are counted one per pile when the spec calls for them. Both are easy to miss because they're often in notes or details rather than on the plan.
What is the heaviest HP pile section?
In the AISC catalog, the heaviest HP shape is HP18x204, at 204 lb/ft (about 303.6 kg/m). It is 18.3 in. deep with an 18.1 in. flange and 1.13 in. web and flange thickness.