Free laundry load calculator. Estimate weekly laundry weight and machine loads from household size and kilograms per person per week.
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Weekly laundry weight is household size times kilograms per person per week. Loads are that weight divided by machine capacity, rounded up, since a part load still runs a full cycle.
Weekly laundry weight is household size times kilograms per person per week. Loads are that weight divided by machine capacity in kg, rounded up, since a part load still runs a full cycle. The calculator shows both numbers, so you can see whether a big total comes from many people, heavy laundry habits, or a small machine.
Enter the number of people in the household, the kilograms of laundry each person produces per week, and your washing machine capacity in kg. Use 5 kg per person per week as a starting point if you are unsure, then adjust it up for sports kits, uniforms and babies, or down for a light wardrobe. The result is weekly laundry weight in kg and machine loads per week.
Four people at 5 kg each give 20 kg of laundry per week. A 7 kg machine needs 3 loads for 20 kg, since 2 loads only cover 14 kg. Spread those 3 loads across the week rather than running them all on one day, and keep bedding loads separate when they fill the drum before reaching the weight limit.
Use this chart as a rough guide to washing machine load size. A 5 to 6 kg machine suits 1 to 2 people, a 7 to 8 kg machine suits a family of 3 to 4, a 9 to 10 kg machine suits 5 to 6 people, and an 11 to 12 kg machine suits large households and bulky bedding. Capacity is measured in dry laundry weight, so wet clothes always weigh more than the number on the dial.
A laundry load weight calculator works by adding up item weights. As a rough guide, a T-shirt weighs about 0.25 kg, a pair of jeans about 0.7 kg, a towel about 0.5 kg and a bed sheet about 0.6 kg. Weighing a full basket on a bathroom scale, by weighing yourself with and without it, gives a better figure for your own clothes than any generic table.
A single person typically does 2 to 3 loads per week, an average household does about 5 to 6 loads, and larger families may need 8 to 12 loads to keep up. Towels, bedding, uniforms and sports clothes are what push a household above the average, not everyday shirts alone. If your result looks high, check whether bedding and towels are skewing the per person figure.
To avoid overloading, fill the drum about three quarters full and leave room for clothes to tumble. An overloaded machine washes badly, rinses poorly, takes longer to spin, and wears out faster. A load that is under the weight limit can still spin badly if one heavy towel bunches on one side, so pause and redistribute the load if the machine struggles.
Run full loads only, since a half load uses nearly as much water and electricity as a full one. Wash in cold water where the care label allows it, sort delicates into their own load, and air clothes that are only lightly worn instead of washing them again. These habits cut weekly loads and bills without stuffing the drum.
At 5 kg per person per week, a family of 4 produces about 20 kg, which is 3 loads in a 7 kg machine. Larger households and children in sports kits push the figure higher, while a light wardrobe pulls it lower.
A single person typically does 2 to 3 loads per week, covering everyday clothing, towels and bedding on rotation. One load a week can be enough for a minimal wardrobe, but bedding and towels usually need their own cycle.
A common planning figure is about 5 kg per person per week, covering clothes, towels and bedding averaged out. Active lifestyles, uniforms and babies raise it, while a small wardrobe and re-wearing clothes lower it.
There is no single normal load weight, since it depends on your machine, wash program and items. As a rough scale, five small towels total about 1 kg, and a comfortably filled drum matters as much as the weight, so leave room for laundry to move.
Fill the drum about three quarters full, leaving a hand width of space at the top for clothes to tumble freely. A drum packed tight washes badly even when it is under the rated kg capacity.
Yes. Weigh yourself holding the dry laundry basket, then weigh yourself without it, and subtract the empty basket weight. A luggage or kitchen scale works better for lighter loads, since bathroom scales can be imprecise for small differences.
No. An overloaded machine washes poorly, takes longer to dry, and wears out faster. Round up to whole loads and leave room for clothes to move, even if that means one extra load per week.
Yes. Larger machines may use more power per cycle, but fewer cycles with a large machine can be more efficient than many small loads. Running full loads, using cold water and cleaning the lint filter all help keep costs down.