Dry weight (vehicle)

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Dry weight is a technical term that refers to the weight of a vehicle without any consumables, passengers, or cargo. It is one of the two common weight measurements included in automobile and motorcycle specifications, the other one being curb weight. Dry weight is usually a preferred measure in motorcycle specs.

By definition, dry weight does not include any of the following:

• Gasoline or any other fuel
• Engine oil
• Coolant
• Brake fluid

In automobiles, the list of consumables also may contain windshield washer fluid, power steering fluid, etc. The difference between dry weight and wet weight depends on many variables such as the capacity of the gas tank.

Over time, most domestic vehicle manufacturers have more commonly used the term 'shipping weight', which refers to the vehicle in as-built, no-option condition. This would INCLUDE engine oil, coolant, brake fluid and at least some small quantity of fuel, as vehicles have traditionally been driven off the assembly line and these fluids were neccesary to do so. Hobbyists have debated the accuracy of these figures, as they often seem low versus occasional real world checks on the same-specification vehicle. One theory is that shipping weight was intentionally calculated on the low side to realize a cost savings in the freight transport of vehicles across the country.

In motorcycles, manufacturer-published dry weight figures are used as a marketing tool and, as such, should be taken with a grain of salt. For example, battery is typically excluded from dry weight, although few manufacturers state this explicitly. For a typical sport bike, the difference between wet weight and "manufacturer claimed" dry weight is around 70 lbs.[1] This difference includes 25-30 lbs of gasoline, 5-7 lbs of engine oil, 5-7 lbs of coolant, 7-9 lbs of battery.

The term can also be used with regards to a spacecraft or a launch vehicle, meaning the weight of a vehicle without propellants and pressurizing gases.