Reference
Flooring Weights per Square Foot
What each kind of floor weighs, what a box and a pallet weigh, and how that compares with the loads floors are designed for.
Weight per square foot
Installed weights, from manufacturer data sheets and typical material densities. Your product may differ by 20% or more; the specification sheet or the box weight divided by its coverage gives the exact figure.
| Material | lb per sq ft | kg per m² | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porcelain tile, 3/8 in | 4.5 | 22 | About 6.0 lb (29 kg/m²) set on thinset |
| Ceramic floor tile, 5/16 in | 3.5 | 17 | |
| Natural stone tile, 3/8 in | 5.5 | 27 | Marble, slate, limestone; thicker stone more |
| Mortar bed, 1 1/4 in | 12.5 | 61 | Sand-cement at about 120 lb per cu ft |
| Sand-cement screed, 2 in | 20 | 98 | Per inch about 10 lb per sq ft |
| Solid hardwood, 3/4 in oak | 2.6 | 13 | Maple and hickory slightly more |
| Engineered wood, 1/2 in | 1.8 | 9 | |
| Laminate, 12 mm | 2.0 | 10 | |
| Rigid-core vinyl plank, 6 mm | 1.6 | 8 | |
| Sheet vinyl, 2 mm | 0.5 | 2.4 | |
| Carpet with pad | 0.6 | 2.9 | |
| Cork, 10 mm | 1.2 | 6 | |
| Rubber gym flooring, 3/8 in | 1.5 | 7 | About 1 lb per sq ft per 1/4 in |
Used by the flooring weight calculator, the removal and disposal calculator (for debris), the rubber gym flooring calculator and the floor screed calculator.
Boxes and pallets
| Package | Typical weight |
|---|---|
| Box of 12 × 24 in porcelain, 16 sq ft | 70 to 75 lb |
| Carton of 3/4 in hardwood strip, 20 sq ft | about 50 lb |
| Box of laminate, 20 sq ft | about 40 lb |
| Box of vinyl plank, 24 sq ft | about 40 lb |
| Bag of thinset or screed | 50 to 80 lb |
| Pallet of tile | 2,000 to 3,000 lb |
| Roll of 8 mm rubber, 4 × 25 ft | about 125 lb |
| 4 × 6 ft rubber stall mat, 3/4 in | 70 to 100 lb |
Floor loads
The International Residential Code (Table R301.5) designs living-area floors for a live load of 40 lb per square foot, the weight of people and furniture, and floor framing is sized assuming a dead load, the floor’s own weight with its finishes, of about 10 lb per square foot. Most flooring adds a small share of that: vinyl, laminate and wood under 3 lb, tile around 6 lb set. A mortar bed, a screed or thick stone can add 12 to 20 lb, and on a timber floor upstairs that is a question for a structural engineer before ordering.
Weight also matters on the day of delivery. A pallet stacked in the middle of an upstairs room concentrates a ton on a few square feet; spread boxes near the walls, over the joists, and carry in only what will be laid that day.
The large-format tile guide covers the stiffness heavy tile needs, the garage and gym guide covers rubber, and the floor tile calculator counts the boxes whose weight is listed above.