Understanding the weight of books is more important than it might seem at first glance.
For those who sell books—online booksellers, book scouts, or students selling their old textbooks—it’s a way to optimize logistics and profitability. Book weight directly affects shipping costs, the choice of the carrier, and methods for shipping.
In this post, we’ll take a look at the average weights of various book types and provide insights into calculating book weights accurately.
- Why Book Weight Information Is Important?
- Who Needs to Know about Book Weight?
- How to Learn about the Weight of a Book?
- So, How Much Does a Book Weigh?
- How Much Does the Average Book Weigh?
- Do You Need to Know the Book’s Weight to Sell It via BookScouter?
Why Book Weight Information Is Important?
When you sell books online, you should give accurate weight information. This helps calculate shipping costs, explore cost-effective shipping options, and offer reliable shipping estimates. It’s one of the parameters that can make a difference to your customers when they consider making a purchase from you.
Understanding book weights also helps eliminate unexpected shipping charges and improves the overall customer experience.
Who Needs to Know about Book Weight?
- Online booksellers need accurate book weight information to provide potential customers with precise shipping estimates.
- Used book traders often sell books by weight instead of individually, so book weight is also important for them.
- Brick-and-mortar bookstores that buy used books from customers can also weigh books to determine how much store credit or cash they can offer for them (if they sell in bulk, for instance).
- Mail carriers need accurate weight data to calculate shipping rates.
How to Learn about the Weight of a Book?
Undoubtedly, the most accurate way to determine a book’s weight is by using a scale.
So, if you plan to sell books regularly, investing in a basic postage scale is highly recommended. These scales are designed specifically for weighing packages and calculating shipping costs accurately.
1. Weigh Books with a Scale
Alternatively, a kitchen scale can also work for most books. Kitchen scales are readily available and can provide a reasonably accurate weight measurement for your books.
2. Discover Book Weights Through Online Resources
You can also look for book weight information online. In this case, make sure you’re looking for the correct edition. Check the ISBN number of your copy against the one you’ve found online to ensure accurate weight information.
3. Use Book Weight Calculator
To calculate the weight of a book, you can use online book weight calculators. These tools typically require you to input details such as the book’s dimensions, page count, and binding type to provide an estimated weight. Here are a few examples:
- Lugaru Software Book Weight Calculator requires details like book dimensions, page count, binding type, paper type, and printing location to estimate the weight and thickness of a book.
- Bookmobile Book Weight Calculator asks you to enter the book’s trim size, paper weight, number of pages, and binding type to calculate the weight of the book.
- Thomson-Shore’s Book Weight Calculation Guide provides a step-by-step guide with formulas to calculate approximate book weight based on trim size, paper weight, page count, and binding type. It also offers estimates for carton and pallet weights.
So, How Much Does a Book Weigh?
The weight of a book can vary significantly depending on several factors, including the number of pages, the type of paper used, and the binding method.
A standard book can weigh anywhere from a few ounces to several pounds.
In case you don’t have access to either a postage or kitchen scale, you can get a rough estimate of your book’s weight by considering the following factors:
- Paperbacks: A typical paperback book weighs between 6 and 12 ounces (170 to 340 grams), depending on the number of pages and the quality of the paper used.
- Hardcovers: Hardcover books are usually heavier, with an average weight ranging from 1 to 3 pounds (0.45 to 1.36 kg). Larger or more extensive hardcover books may weigh even more.
- Page count: As a general rule, the more pages a book has, the heavier it will be. A 300-page book can weigh anywhere from 10 ounces (283 grams) for a paperback to around 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg) for a hardcover edition.
How Much Does the Average Book Weigh?
So, based on the information above, you can roughly suggest that the average weight of a book typically falls within the range of 1 to 2 pounds (0.45 to 0.9 kg). However, this can vary based on the book’s format and dimensions.
| Book Type | Average Weight |
| Paperback | 6–12 ounces (170–340 grams) |
| Trade paperback | 8–16 ounces (227–454 grams) |
| Hardcover | 1–3 pounds (0.45 –1.36 kg) |
| Coffee table book | 2–10 pounds (0.91–4.54 kg) |
| Textbook | 2–6 pounds (0.91–2.72 kg) |
| Сomic book | Around 2.2 ounces (62.4 grams) |
| Graphic novel | 8 ounces–over 1 pound (227–450 grams) |
| Children’s picture book | 5–16 ounces (142–454 grams) |
Now, let’s get into more detail and check how much different books weigh on examples.
How Much Does a Paperback Book Weigh?
Paperback books are generally lighter than hardcover books.
A typical mass-market paperback book weighs between 6 and 12 ounces (170 to 340 grams), depending on the number of pages and the quality of the paper used. Most such paperbacks with coarse paper rarely exceed half a pound, except for some lengthier titles.
Trade paperbacks, which are usually higher-quality paperback versions (e.g., popular fiction and nonfiction books, comic books, graphic novels, etc.) usually weigh between 8 to 16 ounces (227 to 454 grams).
What a Plant Knows by Daniel Chamovitz, mass-market paperback, 7.6 oz
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, mass-market paperback, 12.3 oz
How Much Does a Hardcover Book Weigh?
Hardcover books tend to be heavier due to their sturdy binding and thicker covers. The average weight of a hardcover book ranges from 1 to 3 pounds (0.45 to 1.36 kg), with larger or more extensive books potentially weighing even more.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, hardcover, 11.6 oz
The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle, hardcover, 11.7 oz
Amber Dispels The Darkness by Aquila Lucida, hardcover, 23.8 oz
How Much Does a 300-Page Book Weigh?
A 300-page book can weigh anywhere from 10 ounces (283 grams) to 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg), depending on whether it’s a paperback or a hardcover edition. The weight can vary based on the paper quality, binding method, and the presence of additional elements like illustrations or photographs.
Higher Education in America by Derek Bok, trade paperback, 480 pages, 1.36 lb
How Much Does a Coffee Table Book Weigh?
These books, along with art books and cookbooks, can vary significantly in size but rarely weigh less than 2 pounds (0.91 kg), with some reaching up to 10 pounds (4.54 kg).
Rothko by Jacob Baal-Teshuva, trade paperback, 12.8 oz
Bridges Explained by Trevor Yorke, trade paperback, 10.6 oz
How Much Does a Textbook Weigh?
Hardcover textbooks usually weigh between 2 to 6 pounds (0.91 to 2.72 kg), some heftier textbook volumes may exceed this range. Paperback textbook weight depends on the book size and paper quality.
Master the SAT, paperback, 3.44 lb
How Much Does a Comic Book Weigh?
The average weight of a traditional comic book is 2.2 ounces (62 grams). The small differences in weight between comics from different publishers suggest that they were made using different materials.
Graphic novels are likely heavier than comic books and can range from 8 ounces to over 1 pound (227–450 grams) depending on page count and binding.
The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner, graphic novel, trade paperback, 15.5 oz
How Much Does a Children’s Picture Book Weigh?
Children’s picture books have different dimensions and sizes; therefore they can weigh anywhere from 5 to 16 ounces (142 to 454 grams), with smaller-format books weighing just a few ounces.
Do You Need to Know the Book’s Weight to Sell It via BookScouter?
When you sell a book via BookScouter, you don’t have to enter its precise weight. All you need to do is enter the ISBN and check whether the vendors offer the exact match to your edition (e.g., publisher, publishing date, binding, etc.). That’s it. The information about the book’s weight is already in the system, as we receive it together with the book characteristics related to its ISBN.
Men in Style: The Golden Age of Fashion from Esquire—book details on BookScouter
Men in Style: The Golden Age of Fashion from Esquire—book details on BooksRun; vendor page
Conclusion
We hope that today’s article will help you improve your bookselling experience.
After all, in book scouting and selling, the weight of books is more than just a number—it’s a factor that influences other things, shipping costs, specifically—and understanding the subject as well as learning how to weigh books and use book weight calculators are the surest ways to provide accurate shipping estimates.
