How Much Does A Pickup Truck Bed Weigh? (Why Does It Vary?)

If you have a pickup truck sometimes you might want to or need to remove the bed but before you do so it is important to know how much it weighs. Of course there are many variables to the exact weight as in recent years truck beds have been getting lighter so older trucks are likely to have heavier beds as well. 

The truck bed of a full size pickup will weigh between 300-400lbs. The truck bed of a smaller pickup (Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, etc.) will weigh between 200-250lbs. An aluminum pickup bed (such as those on the newer Ford models will weigh 225-275lbs. 

The weight of the bed will depend on how much steel went into it and that can vary by model year, car manufacturer and length of the bed. The numbers above are a pretty good estimate though for most makes and models that are on the road currently. 

The specific weight will vary depending on the model vehicle you are considering. In addition, there are several different factors that can affect the weight of a pickup truck bed.

Factors that affect the truck bed weight

There are many things that go into determining the exact weight of a truck’s bed. The most important factors are the length of the bed, type of the bed, and the material that the bed is made of. 

Pickup trucks come in all sorts of configurations, from light-duty to heavy duty and everything in between. Some models, such as some Ford F-150s and Ford Super Duty pickups have different suspension and frame pieces that will affect how much a bed weighs. For example, a newer F-150 has an aluminum frame which generally will weigh 20-30% less than the same length bed that is made of steel. 

So if you have a newer Ford pickup you will likely have a lighter bed than someone who has a Chevy, GMC, Toyota, etc. 

The truck bed style and design will also affect how much a pickup truck bed weighs. For example, a flatbed in particular will typically weigh quite a bit more than a step-side or box truck bed. This is simply because the way the bed is designed and the materials used to build it. Also, a flatbed truck bed will often be designed to be tilted which means it will have the additional weight from the mechanical parts needed for that. 

Steel is typically the most popular choice for truck beds, as it is strong and durable. However, aluminum can be stronger than steel depending on the type of aluminum alloy that is used and it will be considerably lighter. 

A lot of car manufacturers are trying to lighten their trucks’ overall weight to increase fuel economy so it’s likely that more and more trucks will start getting aluminum frames and beds in the future. 

The weight class of your truck will also affect the weight of the bed. For example, you can expect a Ford F-350 bed to weigh more than a F-150 bed as the bed on the larger truck is often longer, wider, or built to carry more weight which in turn makes it heavier as well. 

How much does a F-250 truck bed weigh?

The weight of a pickup truck bed will vary quite a bit depending on which F-250 model year that you have. Ford started using Aluminum in their trucks in 2017 so if you have an F-250 from before that it will be heavier than a truck bed from that model year or newer. 

An F-250 truck bed will weigh approximately 475lbs if the model is prior to 2017. A newer F-250 truck bed will weigh right around 300-350lbs. 

The truck beds are designed to hold heavy loads, so they are extremely durable and strong no matter whether they are made of steel or aluminum but when you are taking the bed off the weight difference between the two will be quite noticeable. 

With either a steel or aluminum truck bed, four stronger people should be able to pick it up and off the frame without too much difficulty and some people have even reported getting it off with only two people (although with the help of sawhorses and driving the truck out from under the bed)!

How does truck weight affect the gas mileage?

As fuel prices continue to soar around the world many people are concerned with the gas mileage that their truck is getting. That is the main reason why Ford has gone to an aluminum body is so that they can cut the weight of the truck and allow for better gas mileage. 

But, what exactly does weight do to fuel mileage on a typical vehicle?  

According to the EPA, for every 100lbs taken out of (or off of) a vehicle can increase the fuel mileage by around 1% (varies based on the vehicle size and original weight. That means if you are hauling 500lbs extra you could be seeing a 5% cut in fuel economy. 

That is why cutting weight on larger vehicles (like trucks and SUVs) has been an important step in helping car manufacturers increase their gas mileage on vehicles. If they are able to shave 1,000lbs off the total weight and the EPA estimate is correct then a truck could go from 15MPG to 16.5MPG by simply removing a bit of weight. 

How much weight can a Ford F150 carry in its bed?

The amount of weight that you can carry in the bed of your F-150 will vary a little bit depending on what year the truck was made and what optional trim package that you get on the truck. 

A standard 2021 Ford F-150 can handle 1,725 lbs of payload while the larger F-150s have a max payload of 3,325lbs according to Ford. If you have a trim line somewhere between the top and bottom then check your manual to see the exact payload that your trim level can handle. 

The number above is for the entire payload which is anything that you have inside the truck or the bed. So for example if you have two people inside each weighing 250lbs then the max that you should put in the truck bed will be 1,225lbs (1,725-500=1,225). 

All of the weight that you have inside the cab counts towards that payload total so be sure and do the math real quick if you plan to haul a load of heavy bricks, rocks, etc. in the truck bed to make sure that you don’t overload it. 

How much does a pickup truck weigh? 

How much a pickup truck will weigh depends a lot on whether it is a full size pickup truck, who the truck manufacturer is as well as which model year the truck is from. 

Fil size pickup trucks can weigh anywhere between 4,000lbs and 8,500lbs depending on the trim and motor choice. Some examples of specific popular truck weights are: 

• 2021 Ford F-150 weighs between 4,021-5.540lbs 
• 2021 Ford F-250 weighs between 5,677-7,538lbs
• 2021 Ford F-350 weighs between 5,877-7,713lbs
• 2021 Ford F-450 weighs between 7,712-8,587lbs
• 2021 Chevy Silverado 1500 between 4,400-5,150lbs
• 2021 Chevy Silverado 2500 between 6,105-7,886lbs
• 2021 Chevy Silverado 3500 between 6,231-8,300lbs

Obviously the above is just a small sampling from the full size pickups that are on the market currently and that is only for the 2021 model year. If you have a pickup truck that is older or newer than that then it is likely that the weight will be slightly different although the weights tend to be similar for most truck model years until they change the design/style or change the materials that the trucks are made of (such as the F-150 did). 

What is the maximum allowable weight for a pickup truck bed? 

There is currently no federal regulation that would state how much you can carry in your truck’s bed; however, each truck manufacturer does give some general guidance on how much weight (payload) a truck is rated to handle. 

Just because there is a payload limit does not mean that you can’t put more weight in the truck bed than that but what it does mean is that you risk damaging your truck if you haul more than that amount of payload in it. 

Most full size pickup trucks have a payload capacity of somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000lbs but you can certainly put more weight than that in your pickup truck but you risk damaging it. Typically you can go 10-20% more than the recommended payload and not have too many issues but you are putting extra stress on the frame, shocks, etc. so you could easily damage those and other parts if you aren’t careful.

How much does a Ford aluminum truck bed weigh? 

If you are wondering how much weight Ford has shaved off their pickup truck beds by changing from steel to aluminum then you are in the right place. 

Ford has made a big switch and is currently the only manufacturer that makes their entire bed out of aluminum. Their goal was to significantly reduce weight in order to save fuel and add some performance.

You can expect an aluminum truck bed to weigh somewhere between 225-275lbs depending on the trim level and the length of the truck bed. However, this can change depending on the model year of the Ford truck that you own. 

According to Ford, an all-aluminum pickup truck bed saves more than 90 pounds of weight compared to its steel counterpart, which translates into a 1 percent faster acceleration and 2 percent better gas mileage under normal driving conditions.

Since an aluminum truck bed weighs roughly 100 pounds less than the comparable steel box,  it’s no wonder why everyone wants one! The aluminum box also comes with a more advanced manufacturing process, which means that it is stronger than even the strongest steel construction.

However, the aluminum truck bed isn’t perfect. Over time, it can become rusted due to repeated exposure to the elements. In fact, Ford offers an aluminum truck bed cover that helps prevent rust and corrosion if you have any concerns with your bed.

If you are looking for a lighter, stronger pickup truck bed, then you should definitely consider an aluminum Ford F150 pickup truck bed .