What Is the Weight Capacity of a Typical Hand Truck?

What Is the Weight Capacity of a Typical Hand Truck?

The right tools and equipment are essential for maintaining the safety and well-being of workers in warehouses and the logistics industry — especially when it comes to transporting products, supplies, and other heavy loads.

Among all transportation equipment, the hand truck is one of the most convenient and widely used tools. Hand trucks are an efficient, convenient, and much safer way to move heavy loads. The L-shaped design, upright handle, and two durable wheels allow a person to safely and quickly move large items or multiple boxes without any trouble.

However, not all hand trucks have the same weight capacity.

Typical Weight Capacity of a Hand Truck

The weight capacity of the average hand truck can fall anywhere between 100 and 1,000 lbs. Some can even carry up to 1,500 lbs. The load capacity or maximum weight that it can safely support and transport varies based on several factors. These include:

  • The type of hand truck
  • The size of the hand truck
  • The frame construction
  • The materials used
  • The type of wheel or casters

Light-duty hand trucks are those designed for carrying lighter loads and are typically for personal use. These fall on the lower end of the weight capacity spectrum, around 100 to 300 lbs or so.

On the other hand, hand trucks typically used in warehouses and logistics tend to be more heavy-duty. These generally have a total load capacity of 500 to 1,000 lbs or even greater.

Due to the nature of the industries, these hand trucks are used to transport a lot of heavy products, equipment, and supplies. As such, it is crucial to ensure that the hand truck weight capacity can fully support the weight items it will be carrying. Failure to do so can potentially result in accidents and workplace injuries.

Different Types of Hand Trucks

There are a wide variety of hand trucks available on the market. Below are some of the common types of hand trucks used in warehousing and logistics.

  • General purpose upright hand trucks. These feature the standard vertical frame, two wheels, and flat sheet or nose plate at the bottom. Traditional hand trucks for industrial use usually have a load capacity of 500 to 600 lbs, though some may reach up to 800 lbs.
  • Folding hand trucks. As the name suggests, the vertical frame can be folded in half while the nose plate folds flat towards the frame. These hand trucks are designed to fit small spaces for maximum convenience and easy storage. Many folding hand trucks are made of aluminum to make them lighter.
  • Convertible hand trucks. These are hand trucks that can be converted into dollys — which are similar but feature four wheels and a raised flat platform. This allows for easier transport of larger, wider, and bulkier items. As such, these generally require a higher handtruck weight capacity.
  • Specialty hand trucks. This category includes stair-climbing hand trucks and others designed to carry specific loads, like crates, large furniture, barrels, and machinery.

Find the Best Heavy-Load Hand Trucks With LINCO

LINCO is the go-to online shop for all your heavy-duty hand truck needs. We fully understand the different uses, types, and weight capacities of hand trucks for different industries. That’s why LINCO not only offers our own brand of hand trucks but also ones made by equally reputable brands.

Three hand trucks with high load capacities we highly recommend are:

For more information or inquiries regarding bulk orders, kindly call our toll-free hotline at (866) 306-9566 or leave a message via our contact page