DIYbanter - View Single Post - How much would a 55 gallon metal drum filled with lead

Erik[_5_]

In article ,
wrote:

How much would a 55 gallon metal drum filled with lead wheel weights
weigh? A local service garage has filled one such barrel with all the
old wheel weights they take off tires. I asked them what that weighs,
they said they would like to know, because no one can even move it, much
less get it on a scale. All I know is that it's a hell of a boat
anchor....

Well, assuming it were 55 Gallons of solid lead...

IIRC, lead weighs about 94.7 lbs/gal. Multiplied by 55 comes to 5,208.5
lbs, plus the weight of the drum.

The wheel weights won't be packed in nearly that dense, and most of them
have steel rim clips occupying volume as well... there will be a several
cubic inches of dirt and other misc spooge too. There always is...

So all said and done, your guess is as good as mine. I think if I needed
a 'closeish' estimate, I might try filling & weighing some known volume
container with weights, like maybe an empty gallon paint can or some
such, and doing the math.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, it's really heavy... as a wild ass guess I
bet it's 25 hundred pounds or there bouts...

Erik