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I'm building a bed platform in a campervan and trying to determine what type of aluminum tube to buy.

I'm thinking to purchase 6061-T6511 aluminum Square Tube with 1.5" width, 1.5" height and 0.125" wall thickness. Each tube would be 72" long.

My question is, how much weight can each of these support if fixed on both ends? I used a beam bending calculator to determine the max displacement, but I'd also like to know the weight capacity.

Any help is appreciated.

My final design would have 5 of these 72" long beams spaced about 1 foot apart. A plywood bed platform would lay on top of these beams.

Beam bending calculator specs

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    $\begingroup$ How do you propose to fix the ends? If you weld them to another tube the tube will twist. Your calculator is the wrong one for this job, you need to calculate forces, and stresses, not deflections. Taking that into account the relevant calculation is the only one I ever bother remembering, M/I=s/y where M=F*L/4, I is a section property, s is the yield strength, and y is half the depth of the section. By eye you have massively overdesigned the frame, mine is supported around the edge and relies on a single 2x1 steel box on its side to stiffen the middle. $\endgroup$
    – Greg Locock
    Commented Feb 21 at 6:52

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