How Much Does a Refrigerator Weigh? (Plus Moving Tips)

Refrigerators have a wide range of weights depending on capacity and conveniences. A refrigerator is one of the heaviest standard appliances in the home, and for many residents, it has gotten larger and larger. But before purchasing your fridge, it’s important to know how much a refrigerator weighs.

The average refrigerator weighs 250 pounds, but depending on the size and model can weigh between 200 and 400 pounds. Smaller refrigerators measure closer to 100 pounds, while larger ones with French doors weigh 300-400 pounds. A family of four uses a refrigerator that has a capacity of 14 to 24 cubic feet.

When choosing a fridge for your kitchen, you have a lot to think about, including the refrigerator size. Although you might not think the appliance’s weight is a big deal, think again. Besides having to move the fridge, you need to know how much the refrigerator weighs so you can make sure you have the right support.

There are four styles of freestanding refrigerators, the newest being the really popular French door refrigerator, which reviewers refer to as luxurious. A number of these French door models certainly have a luxurious price tag.

The other models are the more traditional side-by-side, top freezer, and bottom-freezer refrigerators. A fifth top-of-the-line model is a built-in refrigerator, professionally installed in kitchen cabinetry. Each style comes with its own features that influence how much the refrigerator weighs.

When buying a new or used refrigerator, buyers want to consider how much capacity the family really needs. In today’s refrigerator models, capacity is a major factor in the weight of the unit. With advancements in technology, refrigerators are not as heavy as comparable units from thirty years ago.

However, many of today’s refrigerators have much larger capacities and many more weight-adding features, such as door-in-door. Your fridge will be heavier if has lots of features and conveniences that can add to the weight of the unit.

For example, extra doors, extra partitions, fancy ice makers, water filters, and specialized shelves and bins all contribute to how much the refrigerator weighs. Plus, consider all the mechanical stuff to efficiently operate these extra features and cool a larger refrigerator.

The capacity and configuration, or style, is important to enjoying the refrigerator for years to come. The pros and cons of a previous refrigerator should generate a list of what is essential in a new refrigerator.

Buying more capacity than is really needed or the wrong style of refrigerator can be expensive in the long run. The large capacity refrigerator tends to get overstocked, and food may go unused. Likewise, an inconvenient refrigerator configuration can also lead to wasted food. You can lose sight of what you have in the fridge and eventually need to throw it away.

Also, the refrigerator is an appliance that is constantly operating. While the new refrigerator models are energy efficient, they are still running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Ideally, if you live alone or with just one other person, a fridge with a capacity of 4 to 13 cubic feet works well. If you have a household of 3 to 4 people, consider getting a fridge that has 14 to 24 cubic feet. Larger families with 5 or more people likely need a much larger fridge, over 25 cubic feet.

Alternatively, some larger families opt for two refrigerators. They keep their primary fridge in the kitchen, and then they have a spare in the garage or even on a back patio.

Buyers often do not consider weight when they see that beautiful French Door refrigerator on the showroom floor. They may only consider whether or not the refrigerator will fit in their kitchen space.

However, floors are designed to hold only so much weight. Wooden floors are still the most popular floor structure in residential homes. No matter what your flooring material is, it’s important to know what it can hold safely.

In residential building codes, a floor has a dead load and a live load. These are measures of how much weight a floor can support. You’ll need to determine these measurements in addition to knowing how much the refrigerator weighs.

A floor’s live load refers to human occupancy, furnishings, non-fixed equipment, and anything else not permanently fixed to the floor. Most local residential building codes require the International Residential Code for live loads. This uniform code specifies a load of 40 lbs. per square foot (psf) for wood flooring.

The uniform code calculation will vary with other types of flooring, such as concrete, which supports a much higher live load. Live loads are further defined as evenly distributed weight on the floor area.

Using the International Residential Code as reference, you can calculate how much weight can be safely applied to an area. Below is a table showing some of the top-rated freestanding refrigerators.

The third column in this table shows the unit weight in pounds of each refrigerator model. The next column shows in inches the width and length dimensions of each refrigerator on the floor.

Based on those dimensions, the next column shows the total square footage that each refrigerator occupies on a floor. The last column shows the building code live load a wooden floor can safely support in the square footage area.

Eight of the refrigerators shown exceed the uniform code live load for the square foot area. But, it’s important to remember you can’t just consider the weight of the refrigerator by itself.

Add 50 lbs. of food, and seven more refrigerators are over the live load limit. In some larger capacity refrigerators, food can add one hundred pounds or more.

The newest French Door refrigerators are very popular. However, all but one of the ten models shown here, either empty or with 50 lbs. of food, exceed the live load specification. Top freezer models are the most compliant with the uniform code specification. For almost all shown here, their unit weight allows for a stocked refrigerator that is still within code specification.

Generally, the larger the refrigerator, the less likely it will be within code specification for wooden floors. This is especially true when stocked with food.

These are just some of the possible conditions for the wooden floor to no longer support the live load. Checking the entire kitchen floor for wood fatigue or moisture may prevent a later more costly construction project.

So, before you move that luxury Kitchen Aid bottom freezer (525 lbs. empty) into your home, make sure you know how much the refrigerator weighs. You want to determine what your floor can support. You also want to check on the current condition of your floor, especially where the refrigerator will be.

If moving a refrigerator, size and weight might determine whether or not you can do it yourself. You may be hauling the refrigerator to a garage or storage area while remodeling. Or, you might be hauling it to a new home across town.

Either way, knowing how much a refrigerator weighs is critical when prepping to move it. While it can be done, you might consider leaving the move of a heavier French door refrigerator to the professional movers. The prospect of damaging the refrigerator or yourself in the move is real.

To move a refrigerator yourself, you need a plan and the right equipment for the move. The larger the refrigerator, the more complicated moving it might be. Most refrigerators are heavy, bulky items. If you have the manual, look for the unit weight of the refrigerator. Or you can go online and find the unit weight in the specs for your refrigerator model.

If remodeling, for example, map the route the refrigerator will be taking through the house, out of it, and back into the house. You want to measure doorways, hallways, entry ways, and any turning corners for fit.

If you don’t know the measurements (width, depth, height) of your refrigerator, do those also. You may need to remove doors from the refrigerator and/or doors in the house. Add the half-inch or so of the blanket or padding used to protect walls, furnishings, and the refrigerator itself.

If moving to a new home, the same kind of measuring needs to be done. Also, stairways and possible outdoor impediments to the moving path need to be considered.

Consider cleaning the refrigerator coils while the refrigerator is not yet in place. This is routine maintenance that will keep the refrigerator running efficiently. You may want to put some added moisture-barrier protection on the floor underneath the refrigerator. Moisture is a primary factor in wood deterioration.

If the refrigerator was on its side for transport, it needs equal time standing upright before being plugged in. This procedure is to protect the critical cooling system. However, it is a good idea to do this even if the refrigerator traveled upright.

After plugging in the refrigerator, depending on the refrigerator model, it will take time to return to its temperature settings. You may want to wait a day before putting food back in it. Moving a refrigerator is not an easy task, but it can be a more efficient task with the necessary planning, equipment, and help.

Related Questions

Do I have to unplug and move the refrigerator to clean the condenser and coils?

Unless there is easy access to the back of the refrigerator, you have to move it out from the wall to clean. If you have an icemaker, you need to detach the water supply line for the move.The move and cleaning will take more than 30 minutes. So, the perishable foods in the refrigerator will also have to be moved to a cooler or another refrigerator.This cleaning maintenance should be done about once a year. When done, the refrigerator will operate more efficiently.

What is the correct temperature for my refrigerator?

Just above freezing – around 35F to 38F degrees. This temperature range is above freezing and yet below the temperatures that cause foods to spoil. Use a refrigerator thermometer to get an accurate reading in your fridge.