how much does a helicopter blade weigh

A typical helicopter blade weighs anywhere from about 5 kg to over 30 kg, depending on whether it’s a small tail rotor blade or a large main rotor blade on a bigger helicopter. In pounds, that’s roughly 10–70+ lb per blade.

Quick Scoop: Typical Blade Weights

For a quick mental picture, here’s an approximate range of individual blade weights across common helicopter types.

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<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Blade type / example</th>
      <th>Approx. weight per blade</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Small flexible tail rotor blade (e.g. Eurocopter EC120)</td>
      <td>About 1–3 kg (2–6 lb)[web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Small tail rotor blade (e.g. Airbus H125)</td>
      <td>About 2–5 kg (4–11 lb)[web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Light main rotor blade (e.g. Robinson R22)</td>
      <td>About 8 kg (≈18 lb)[web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Typical main rotor blade (e.g. Bell 206)</td>
      <td>Roughly 10–15 kg (22–33 lb)[web:5]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Heavier main rotor blade on larger helicopters</td>
      <td>Often 20–30+ kg (44–66+ lb)[web:5][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Rotor sets for small homebuilt-type rotors (2 blades + hub)</td>
      <td>About 28–30 kg (≈62–68 lb for the whole set)[web:3]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Why the Weight Varies

Several design choices make one blade much heavier or lighter than another.

• Material
  • Modern blades use composites like carbon fiber plus aluminum or titanium, which are strong but relatively light.

* Older or heavy‑duty blades may use more metal, which adds weight but boosts toughness.

• Size and role
  • Main rotor blades do most of the lifting, so they’re long and fairly heavy.

* Tail rotor blades are much smaller and usually only a few kilograms each.

• Internal balance weights
  • Designers sometimes add dense materials (lead or similar) near the tips or inside the structure to balance the blade and reduce vibration.

* That extra mass improves smoothness and safety but makes the blade noticeably heavier to handle on the ground.

Real‑World Examples

Here are some concrete numbers taken from real helicopter models.

• Robinson R22 main rotor blade: about 8.2 kg (18 lb) per blade.

• Bell 206 main rotor blade: about 14.5 kg (32 lb) per blade.

• Airbus H125 tail rotor blade: about 2.3 kg (5 lb) per blade.

• Eurocopter EC120 tail rotor blade: about 1.9 kg (4.2 lb) per blade.

• Small “24T”–“25T” rotor sets (2 blades plus center section) weigh around 28–30 kg (62–68 lb total), so each individual blade is under half that.

Put simply, if you’re picturing picking one up: a small training‑helicopter blade feels like lifting a sturdy bicycle, while a big military‑style blade can take multiple people to move safely.

TL;DR:

• Small tail rotor blade: roughly 1–5 kg (2–11 lb).

• Light main rotor blade: roughly 5–15 kg (11–33 lb).

• Large main rotor blade: often 20–30+ kg (44–66+ lb).

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.