What a van's payload is
A van's payload is the difference between two numbers: how much the vehicle may weigh when loaded and how much it weighs empty. Whatever is left over is for your load. It's often this number that decides whether you move your materials in one go or have to make two trips. It has less to do with the volume of the load space than you'd expect.
Two numbers from the registration document
The maximum permitted mass is the ceiling the vehicle must not exceed. For vans you can drive on a category B licence, it's 3 500 kilograms, including the load, the occupants and the fuel.
The kerb weight is the weight of the vehicle ready to drive: with a full tank, a spare wheel and the mandatory equipment. If you subtract it from the maximum permitted mass, you get the payload.
You'll find both numbers in the vehicle registration certificate, i.e. the small registration document kept in the van. They're right next to each other and you can work it out in ten seconds. You don't have to rely on a guess or a table on the internet.
The driver and passengers count too
The occupants come out of the payload. The kerb weight usually includes one driver of standard weight, but every additional person reduces what you can load. If three of you are going to help with a move, you can easily lose a hundred and fifty kilograms of capacity.
Fuel is weight too. A full tank of diesel adds several dozen kilograms depending on the tank size. It is included in the kerb weight, but it's worth knowing that with an empty tank the van can actually carry more.
What else reduces capacity
Fit-outs, bulkheads and shelving all weigh something. A van with wooden panelling in the load space or a fixed bulkhead behind the cab has a lower payload than the bare version of the same model. The difference can be over a hundred kilograms.
Count tools and equipment too. A sack truck, a trolley, straps, blankets and a toolbox easily add up to fifty kilograms, which nobody usually includes in their plan.
The same model can have different numbers. A longer wheelbase, a higher roof or a more powerful engine change the kerb weight. So don't rely on a figure you found for another vehicle of the same model.
Payload varies by model
For our vans, payload usually ranges between 1 100 and 1 450 kilograms depending on the model. Check the specific figure for the specific van in our fleet before booking, so you plan with a real number.
How much you can actually load
Volume and weight are two different things
A big van doesn't necessarily mean a big payload. You can fill a spacious high-roof van with duvets and furniture without getting anywhere near the limit. Building materials, on the other hand, use up the payload before you've filled half the floor. Look at a different number depending on what you're carrying.
Rough weights of typical loads
With building materials you reach a tonne quickly. A bag of cement or mortar usually weighs 25 kilograms, and a pallet carries forty of them. So one such pallet on its own uses up a large part of the van's capacity.
Rubble and soil are the most deceptive. A cubic metre of building rubble weighs roughly one and a half tonnes, and wet soil even more. It looks like very little in the back, yet you're over the limit.
Furniture, on the other hand, weighs less than it looks. A sofa, a wardrobe or a mattress take up the whole space, but in weight terms we're talking tens of kilograms. When moving a whole flat's worth of furniture, you're more likely to hit the volume limit than the weight limit.
Floor tiles, wall tiles and plasterboard are somewhere in between. A pack of tiles for one square metre typically weighs around twenty kilograms, and a sheet of plasterboard about the same. When tiling a whole flat, that quickly adds up to several hundred kilograms.
Why overloading is no small matter
An overloaded van takes longer to stop. The brakes, shock absorbers and tyres are designed for a certain weight. Beyond that limit the braking distance gets longer and the van is harder to keep on line, especially when swerving.
Weight is also checked at roadside inspections. Overloading is a breach of road traffic rules and is dealt with on the spot, which is guaranteed to delay your journey.
There can also be problems with insurance. If something happens to a van loaded beyond the permitted limit, settling the damage becomes more complicated.
How to keep an eye on it in practice
Add up your load on paper in advance. For materials from a shop, the weight is on the delivery note; for furniture, you'll find it in the product description. It isn't accurate to the kilogram, but it shows you whether you have a margin or are balancing on the edge.
If you're not sure, take a bigger van. The price difference between sizes is smaller than a second trip across the whole of Prague. You'll find answers to common questions about weights and equipment in the FAQ, and more articles on our blog.
