A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 holds about 38,600 US gallons of jet fuel, which is roughly 146,000 liters in standard configuration.

MD-11 fuel capacity basics

  • Typical published usable fuel capacity is about 38,615 US gallons for both passenger and freighter variants.
  • In metric terms, that is about 146,100 liters of fuel across all tanks.
  • This capacity supports long‑haul ranges of roughly 4,000 nautical miles in typical airline configurations, depending on payload and engines.

Where the fuel is stored

  • Fuel is distributed in multiple tanks: wing tanks, center fuselage tanks, and a tail tank in the MD-11.
  • One breakdown lists about 82,600 liters in the wing tanks, about 55,700 liters in center tanks, and about 7,400 liters in the tail, totaling around 145,800 liters.
  • A small additional amount (on the order of a few hundred liters) resides in lines and pumps and is not normally counted as usable fuel.

Variants and small differences

  • Standard passenger MD‑11s and MD‑11 freighters generally share the same nominal fuel capacity figure of 38,615 US gallons.
  • Some aircraft can be fitted with auxiliary tanks, which increase total capacity beyond the standard figure for extended‑range operations.
  • Exact usable fuel on a specific airframe can vary slightly based on configuration, operator options, and any modifications.

In practical terms

  • At around 38,600 gallons, a full MD‑11 uplift is roughly equivalent to filling more than 750 typical 50‑gallon car fuel tanks.
  • Fuel load is often limited by maximum takeoff weight and required payload long before the tanks truly reach their theoretical maximum on many routes.
  • Flight planning tools and airline manuals use the certified usable fuel numbers rather than the raw “total tank volume” for performance calculations.

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