how much fuel does a boeing 747 carry
A Boeing 747 typically carries on the order of 50,000–63,000 US gallons of jet fuel , depending on the exact model and configuration.
Quick Scoop: Core Numbers
- Early 747-100: about 48,400 gallons (≈183,000 liters).
- 747-200 / 300: roughly 52,000–52,500 gallons (≈199,000 liters).
- 747-400 (very common passenger version): about 57,285 gallons (≈216,840 liters).
- High-capacity ER/freighter 747-400 variants: up to around 60,000–63,700 gallons.
- Newest 747-8 Intercontinental: about 63,034 gallons (≈238,600 liters).
In weight terms, that’s roughly 170–190 metric tons of fuel when full for the larger variants.
Simple “one-line” answer
If you just need a quick, generic figure:
A typical Boeing 747 carries about 50,000–60,000 gallons of jet fuel , with the newest long‑range versions holding just over 63,000 gallons.
Mini sections
Why the numbers vary
- Different variants (747‑100 vs 747‑400 vs 747‑8) have different wing designs and optional tanks, so capacity changes.
- Some freighters and ER (extended range) versions have extra tanks, pushing them into the low‑60,000‑gallon range.
- Airlines can choose specific configurations, so published numbers are often given as ranges, not single exact values.
Rough real-world picture
- At cruise, a 747 burns on the order of about 1 gallon (≈4 liters) per second , so those tens of thousands of gallons translate into many hours of long‑haul flying.
- A full‑fuel 747‑8’s ~63,000 gallons is a bit under 10% of an Olympic swimming pool’s volume , which is about 660,000 gallons.
Small HTML table of key variants
html
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Boeing 747 variant</th>
<th>Approx. fuel capacity (US gallons)</th>
<th>Approx. fuel capacity (liters)</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>747-100</td>
<td>48,400</td>
<td>183,214</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>747-200 / 300</td>
<td>≈52,410</td>
<td>199,158</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>747-400 (passenger)</td>
<td>57,285</td>
<td>216,840</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>747-400 ER / freighter (max)</td>
<td>≈60,000–63,700</td>
<td>≈228,000–241,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>747-8 Intercontinental</td>
<td>63,034</td>
<td>238,610</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.