When replacing a toilet or buying a new one, you might want to know how heavy is a toilet, and whether you can lift it by yourself or whether you will need help. I wondered about this too. So I researched it and thought I’ll share the details I found about toilet weights and related questions like can a woman lift a toilet? Here are my findings.
How much does a toilet weigh? The average toilet weight is around 60 to 120 pounds (27 – 55 Kg). It depends on type and design. Standard two-piece toilets weigh around 60 to 100 pounds (30 – 45 kg). Better looking and expensive one-piece toilets weigh around 80 to 120 pounds (35 – 55 kg).
These are average dry weights (net weights) of standard toilets, without water, seat or lid. In ‘real world’ after you installed a toilet, it will weigh an extra 20 pounds (kilos) when you add the seat, lid and fill the tank and bowl with water.
In my above short answer, the toilet weight is a fairly broad range. The weight depends a lot on toilet type and design. So let’s get a little more specific so you can get a better idea about how much does a toilet weigh. Below are some of the popular two-piece and one-piece toilet models and how much they weigh.
Average Weight of Two-Piece Toilets (8 top models)
Two-piece toilets are the most common type of toilet. Your home toilet is most likely a 2-piece model. They usually weigh around 70 pounds to just over 100 pounds. Here is the weight of some of the popularly used 2-piece brands and models found in the US homes today.
- American Standard H2O – 68 to 75 lbs (several models with varying weights)
- American Standard Cadet 3 Concealed Trapway – 75 lbs.
- Kohler Wellworth – 86 lbs
- KOHLER Highline – 102 lbs
- TOTO Drake – 70 lbs
- TOTO Drake ADA – 92 lbs
- TOTO Drake II – 94 lbs
- Toto Vispin II – 106 lbs
As you can see even within the same toilet brand and series, the weight of different individual toilet models can vary a lot. For example, take the different models in the Toto Drake line. All Drake models all look alike with only feature differences. But weight wise they can vary as much as 20 or 30 pounds depending on the model. (Toto toilets are usually thicker and therefore more durable.)
Average Weight of One-Piece Toilets (3 top models)
One-piece toilets are normally more heavier than two-piece models. They are also more awkward and difficult to carry because you have to lift the whole toilet together. But they look more elegant and modern looking, so many people like to buy them. Here are the weights of some of the most sold one-piece toilets in the market today.
- American Standard Boulevard Flowise – 117 lbs.
- KOHLER San Souci – 92 lbs.
- TOTO Ultramax II – 99 lbs.
How Heavy Are Toilets For A Person To Lift?
An average untrained man can lift around 150 pounds of dead-weight. So toilets are not particularly heavy for men. However toilet are notoriously awkward and difficult to lift and move due to their awkward shape.
Lifting a normal 70-100 pound two-piece toilet isn’t that much trouble for a man. 2-piece toilets are the easiest to remove and install because they are lighter and the tank and bowl can be lifted and moved separately. But if it’s still in the box, it can be heavy to move or transport from one place to another alone (like from the store to the car or if its delivered like from Amazon, front door delivery to upstairs bathroom)
Even a heavier one-piece toilet that normally weigh around 80-120 pounds is not too heavy for men to lift. But these one-piece toilets are awkward and very difficult to carry and move over distances because they comprise of one solid block with a very awkward shape.
Note: Toilet tank lids weigh about 10 pounds on average. That’s another separable part that makes it lighter to lift a toilet.
Can A Woman Lift A Toilet?
Normally an untrained 130 pound woman is able to lift around 75 pounds of dead-weight. Since two-piece toilets are lighter and separable into two main pieces, the average women are able to lift and move them. I have even heard from couple of women who have removed and replaced their old two-piece toilets with new ones. But 1-piece toilets are heavier and awkward to lift or move even for men.
How Do You Lift A Toilet? (Use Wheelbarrow/Trolley)
Whatever the toilet type is, even strong, experienced plumbers try to keep lifting and carrying them to a minimum. As they are awkward than heavy, carrying, lifting and moving them can cause back-pains, spinal problems and other health issues if proper care is not taken.
I highly recommend using a wheelbarrow or hand trolley to move a toilet from one place to another. It’s safer for your backbone, muscles and health. If you don’t have a wheelbarrow or hand trolley, you will need someone to help you move it over distances together.
What Makes Toilets Heavy?
Almost all toilets are made from porcelain. Porcelain is mainly made with Kaolin clay and several other types of clay. Quartz is also added to make porcelain translucent. These natural substances are mined from the earth and they are tough and dense. These are the materials that make your toilets heavy and long-lasting.
Toilets can be made with lighter materials like steel or plastic but they aren’t as good as porcelain. Porcelain is not only tough, dense and long lasting but also waterproof, weather proof and comfortable. It maintains a comfortable, even temperature in all whether conditions, seasons and varying bathroom temperatures. Porcelain also has a look and feel that is irreplaceable by any other material.
Why Are 1-Piece Toilets Heavy Than 2-Piece Toilets?
This is a question you might get while looking at the weight differences between 1-piece and 2-piece toilets. The only reason I found mentioned for this was that two-piece toilets weigh less because the tank and bowl are fired separately and that reduces the weight. But I’m not entirely satisfied with this explanation.
I think 1-piece toilets are more heavy because they use more porcelain to get the smooth skirted toilet design. If you look at one-piece toilets, most of them a skirted design around the bowl that conceals the bowl’s innards and s-bend shapes. This skirted look will need more porcelain which might be the reason for the increased weight.
Average Toilet Tank Weight
Just like toilet weights, the toilet tank weight also varies a lot from model to model. I found that the general, average toilet tank weight is about 25 to 40 pounds. Or around 1/3 to 1/2 of the total toilet weight. You can get a idea about how much toilet tanks weigh by looking at these tank weights below. We can only measure the tank weight in two-piece toilets.
- TOTO Drake Tank with G-Max Flushing System – 39 lbs.
- American Standard Cadet Tank – 23-35 lbs. (Several tank models)
- Kohler 1.6 GPF Tank – 40 lbs.
- Mansfield Alto Toilet Tank – 31 lbs.
- Delta Faucet Haywood Toilet Tank – 35 lbs.
I notice the Toto Drake tank alone weighs 39 pounds while the whole Drake tank & bowl is only 70 lbs. So in this model the bowl is less heavy than the tank. I always thought the tank is less heavy than the bowl! This proves it’s not always the case.
Average Toilet Bowl Weight
The average weight of a toilet bowl is about to 50 to 60 pounds. But some exceptionally light weight bowls may weigh as low as 35 pounds. Here are some toilet bowls and how heavy they are so you can get a better idea.
- American Standard Cadet 3 FloWise Bowl – 59 lbs.
- KOHLER Wellworth Elongated Toilet Bowl – 35 lbs.
- TOTO Drake ADA Compliant Elongated Bowl – 56 lbs.
- KOHLER Highline Pressure Lite Toilet Bowl – 55 lbs.
- American Standard Madera 1.1-1.6 GPF Bowl – 53 lbs.
Like the tanks we can measure the weight of toilet bowls only in two-piece toilet models.
Average Weight of Wall Hung Toilets
Wall hung toilets or wall mounted toilets typically weigh around 55 to 75 pounds (25-35kg). Here are the weights of some popular wall hung toilet models:
- Toto Aquia Wall-Hung – 66 lbs. (without concealed tank & carrier)
- KOHLER Veil Wall-hung – 54 lbs. (without concealed tank & carrier)
- American Standard Glenwall – 114 lbs. (with tank)
Average Weight of Portable Toilets
Most portable toilets weigh around 10 to 15 pounds (5-8kg). So they are easy to take while traveling
or camping. They are made from plastic, so they are very lightweight compared to normal toilets that are made from porcelain.
Conclusion
Toilets are more awkward to lift than heavy. So its better to have someone to help you when removing and installing a toilet, specially with the heavy lifting part. Get a wheel barrow, trolley or small cart if you need to move or transport a toilet over a distance.
Thank you for reading this post. I hope I was able to provide the answers you were looking for regarding toilet weights. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, concerns and questions in the comments below.
