Enter your aircraft's gross weight and wing area to calculate wing loading — the key parameter that determines take-off speed, landing performance, stall speed, and turning ability. Choose between imperial (lbs/ft²) or metric (kg/m²) units. You'll get the wing loading value along with a performance classification so you can benchmark your aircraft against known designs.
Wing Loading
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Gross Weight
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Wing Area
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Aircraft Classification
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Wing loading is the ratio of an aircraft's gross weight to the projected area of its wings. It is expressed in units of lbs/ft² (imperial) or kg/m² (metric). A higher wing loading means the wing must generate more lift per unit area, which affects stall speed, maneuverability, and fuel efficiency.
Wing loading is calculated using the formula: Wing Loading = Gross Weight ÷ Wing Area. For example, if an aircraft weighs 750,000 lbs and has a wing area of 9,095 ft², the wing loading is approximately 82.5 lbs/ft². This calculator handles both imperial and metric units automatically.
Wing loading is a critical aircraft design parameter because it directly affects take-off and landing speeds, stall speed, cruise performance, and turning radius. Aircraft with lower wing loading tend to be more maneuverable and can fly slower, while higher wing loading leads to faster cruise speeds but also higher stall speeds.
A typical glider (sailplane) has a very low wing loading, usually between 4–10 lbs/ft² (20–50 kg/m²). This low wing loading allows gliders to fly at very slow speeds and exploit thermal updrafts efficiently, maximizing their glide ratio and time aloft.
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor has a wing loading of approximately 77 lbs/ft² (375 kg/m²) at maximum take-off weight. This relatively high wing loading for a fighter allows high-speed cruise performance while its thrust vectoring compensates for reduced low-speed agility.
Most large commercial airliners operate in the range of 100–150 lbs/ft² (490–730 kg/m²). For example, the Boeing 747 has a wing loading of around 150 lbs/ft² and the Airbus A380 around 139 lbs/ft². These higher values are optimized for efficient high-altitude cruise rather than low-speed handling.
Wing loading is directly related to stall speed — a higher wing loading results in a higher stall speed. This is because a heavier aircraft relative to its wing area requires faster airflow to generate sufficient lift. Pilots and designers use wing loading as a quick indicator of how slow an aircraft can safely fly.
Wing loading is most commonly measured in pounds per square foot (lbs/ft²) in the imperial system, or kilograms per square meter (kg/m²) in the metric system. To convert between them, multiply lbs/ft² by 4.8824 to get kg/m², or divide kg/m² by 4.8824 to get lbs/ft².