# How heavy is a thing that is heavy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 25, 2013, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631 "2013-09-25T06:59:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/1 "2013-09-25T06:59:18Z")
There is a thing. It is in the shape of a cube, rectangle, or other easily grasped form, but not idealized like a barbell. You will lift it from the floor to just above your waist, and set it on a cart. If it was lighter, it would not be heavy. If it was heavier, it would be a two person lift. You can do it, but it’s heavy. How heavy is it? I would appreciate as wide a variety of answers as possible, preferably with your personal information re: height, weight, sex, and any other factors like your appearance at last year’s World’s Strongest Man contest, or your lack of a right arm. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/2 "2013-09-25T07:02:57Z")
25kg Male, 180cm tall, medium build, not particularly fit. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/3 "2013-09-25T07:06:53Z")
I’ve been trained to lift things many times by many companies, all trying to save money by me not getting hurt. So anything more than about 10 pounds gets me to pay attention when lifting. But ‘heavy’ starts at maybe 50-60 pounds. If it’s a small dense item, up to 100 pounds is still a one-person lift though. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/4 "2013-09-25T07:13:46Z")
One hundredweight (1 cwt) which has been the standard weight for one man to pick up and carry in recent centuries. That is heavy enough for me. 😃 Average middle-aged man not particularly strong. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/5 "2013-09-25T07:21:37Z")
About 50lbs, male, 46, 6’1", ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/6 "2013-09-25T07:58:37Z")
Hmmm… As a teenager (18 or thereabouts), 1.72 m, 70kg, I used to stack 50 litre beer kegs three high, Had a job unloading 25 kg sugar bags from a 20’ container, Could pick up and carry 2 x 40kg cement bags (but only for a short time) Right now - I’d say, 50-60kg wouldn’t present so much of a problem that I couldn’t do it alone - and wouldn’t bother me enough to chase down someone to help ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/7 "2013-09-25T10:10:22Z")
> [@](#): > > If it was lighter, it would not be heavy. If it was heavier, it would be a two person lift. This is a pretty big range. If it was lighter, it would not be heavy: 10kg (22 pounds). That’s near the limit where I go whuf that’s kinda heavy. It’s certainly not “light”. If it was heavier, it would be a two person lift: 30kg (66 pounds). If I’m just picking it up and putting it on a cart, I could do it easily at 30kg. I wanted to say 45kg (being the weight of a grown woman) but it’s hard to say - unless I really had to do it myself, it really ought be a 2 person job. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/8 "2013-09-25T12:04:57Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > 25kg > > Male, 180cm tall, medium build, not particularly fit. Hah! You weakling! I say 50 pounds. Male, 5’ 11", average build, dreamy brown eyes. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/9 "2013-09-25T12:38:00Z")
A large suitcase is probably the heaviest thing I’ve had to lift in the last few years (outside of lifting a barbell in the gym). Male; average height, average weight, average age, average build, above average driving skillz (like everyone else). Curious as to why you’re asking, **3trew**? ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/10 "2013-09-25T13:21:17Z")
Artillery rounds are dense and easy to balance, it’s possible to walk with a 96-pound round on each shoulder. I could never pick up the second one, somebody had to hand it to me- but lots of guys could pick up two at once. Once loaded, off you go! across rough ground, sometimes at night or in weather. Good training, that was. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/11 "2013-09-25T13:33:42Z")
Probably about 80 pounds. Male, 5’4" 160 lbs. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/12 "2013-09-25T13:42:18Z")
I pick things up and put them down… Is our hypothetical object a stream of somethings that needs to be lifted again and again, such as car parts on an assembly line? Something like a portable table saw that you need to pick up and put in the back of your truck every day? Or is this a one-off task like picking up a car battery and putting it in a shopping cart? At the moment, anything over 20 pounds is “heavy” for me as I’m recovering from spinal surgery and am still under lifting/carrying restrictions. I recently had the battery in my truck replaced - paying $20 to the shop was a bit irritating, but picking up 65 pounds of lead is far out of my current abilities. Before surgery, that would have certainly been a manageable weight for a one-time lift, but I’d really not want to be in a position where I had to pick up and rack car batteries all day long for work. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/13 "2013-09-25T14:08:02Z")
About 50 lbs. I’m male, 59 years old, and 5’10", and not in great shape. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/14 "2013-09-25T14:09:42Z")
It should weigh more than your brother… ---
**Author:** ![BleizDu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@BleizDu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BleizDu)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/15 "2013-09-25T14:12:19Z")
Between 30 and 50kg. Male, 1m63, 72kg, 31 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/16 "2013-09-25T14:43:39Z")
My standard measure is a sheet of 3/4" plywood at 75 lbs. It’s heavy, but not out of the realm of possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/17 "2013-09-25T15:07:48Z")
Female, mid-thirties, no stamina, but average strength. Something that would be “light” if it were slightly less heavy - carrying two one-gallon milk jugs in one hand. If I split them one per arm, they’re quite light. Something that is heavy? That varies. Is it something I’m only doing once? Carrying a 50 lb bag of catfood around the store, out to my car, and into the house is heavy, but not such that I worry that I would hurt myself, but not so light that I would want to (or be able to) carry it for a long time (more than 20 minutes). Is it something I’m doing regularly? I was part of a sandbag crew, and the sandbags were the standard 1 foot by 2 foot-ish size. I have no clue how heavy they were, but an afternoon of that was strenuous. Something that is on the edge of a two-person job? If it’s awkward, then it will be a lighter weight than if it’s easily hefted. Same for if it’s something that shifts and settles while moving it. I’d say anywhere around about 80 to 100 lbs I’d \*want \*someone else to help me , and once it gets past around 120 or so, I’d \*need \*someone to help me. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/18 "2013-09-25T15:14:28Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > This is a pretty big range. > > If it was lighter, it would not be heavy: 10kg (22 pounds). That’s near the limit where I go whuf that’s kinda heavy. It’s certainly not “light”. > > If it was heavier, it would be a two person lift: 30kg (66 pounds). If I’m just picking it up and putting it on a cart, I could do it easily at 30kg. I wanted to say 45kg (being the weight of a grown woman) but it’s hard to say - unless I really had to do it myself, it really ought be a 2 person job. My numbers are almost identical. At 20 lbs, it’s “heavy” but nothing to complain about. (20 lbs is about the point where I’d almost always use two hands.) Somewhere around 60 pounds is the max I want to lift myself. I know from experience that I can handle 80 pounds if I have to, but I’d prefer to ask for help. And this is assuming an actual lift. I recently manhandled a 230-lb box by “rolling” it end over end, so I can do quite a bit when I have to get creative. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/19 "2013-09-25T16:07:52Z")
My dog weighs between 80 and 90 lbs, and I have to pick her up from time to time and it’s not that bad, so I say 80 lbs. I find myself picking up 27" CRT TVs a lot too (I recycle them for people) and according to the Internet they weigh about 80 lbs, and it’s not that bad (albeit cumbersome). I’m a rather large and stocky female in her 30s. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631/20 "2013-09-25T16:23:16Z")
About 100 lbs. At that weight, it becomes more about how easy it is to grip as opposed to how absolutely heavy the object is. A featureless cube would be much harder to lift compared with a milk-crate filled with bricks (because of the handles). I’m male, 5’7", 165 lbs, 53 years old, and a gym rat. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-heavy-is-a-thing-that-is-heavy/669631.md?page=2)