The Bible text about the bronze altar is Exodus 27:1-8.
The New International version reads as follows "27:1 "Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. 2 Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze . 3 Make all its utensils of bronze --its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. 5 Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar . 6 Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze . 7 The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain."
The altar is described as being made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze. We know that it had four "horns", one on each corner on which the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled. We cannot tell for sure if the bronze was guilded or sheet overlay. We are going to assume it was heavy bronze leaf. Thick bronze would not have necessarily protect the wood from the heat and would have only added weight. The acacia wood seems to have been the structure and the bronze seems to have been a decorative overlay which added some weather and damage protection to the altar. We do not know how long the poles would have been to carry the altar. Based on the idea of minimum weight we will assume poles long enough for 4 men to transport the altar with one man at each corner. This would make the poles 3 to 4 feet longer on each side for a total pole length of about 15 feet or 10 cubits.
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