Understanding your result
In the weight direction, the headline is the total to carry, paint plus cans, and the sub-line gives the paint for the job and the trips. The three figures show the paint alone, the cans and the trips. The table shows the density used, the paint and its weight, the cans bought with their paint and container weight, the total and the trips at your limit.
In the paint-left direction, the headline is the paint remaining in the can, and the sub-line its weight. The table shows the scale reading, the typical empty-can weight subtracted, the paint weight and the volume. The calculation is only as good as the empty-can figure; a can crusted with old paint around the rim weighs more, so the answer is slightly high.
Weight is useful at both ends of a job. Before it, with the whole-house estimator or the can size optimizer, it tells you whether the order fits the car. After it, the leftover planner takes the volume found here and decides what to keep, and the quantity converter turns it into the units on the label.
How we calculate this
The densities are typical figures for each product class, taken from the specific gravities that manufacturers’ safety data sheets give: about 1.35 for latex wall paint (11.3 lb per gallon), 1.32 for latex primer, 1.14 for alkyd enamel, 1.44 for elastomeric and 1.02 for stains. Specific gravity times 8.345 gives pounds per US gallon, because a gallon of water weighs 8.345 lb; in metric, specific gravity is kilograms per litre directly. The volume solids guide explains why heavily pigmented paints are dense.
The cans are rounded with the site’s standard rule (quarts, gallons, 5-gallon pails; 1, 2.5, 5 and 10 L), the same as every quantity calculator, and the empty containers are typical weights: a pail about 2 lb, a gallon can 0.7 lb, a quart 0.3 lb. The can sizes page lists the containers.
The assumptions behind the numbers
| Assumption | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Latex wall paint | 11.3 lb per gallon (1.35 kg/L) | Specific gravity about 1.30–1.40 on manufacturers’ safety data sheets |
| Latex primer | 11.0 lb per gallon | Specific gravity about 1.30–1.35 |
| Oil-based or alkyd enamel | 9.5 lb per gallon | Specific gravity about 1.05–1.20 |
| Elastomeric or masonry | 12.0 lb per gallon | Specific gravity about 1.40–1.50 |
| Stain | 8.5 lb per gallon | Specific gravity about 1.0 |
| Water | 8.345 lb per US gallon | Physical constant at room temperature |
| Empty containers | pail 2 lb, gallon 0.7 lb, quart 0.3 lb; 10 L 1 kg, 5 L 0.5 kg | Typical steel and plastic container weights |
| Carry limit | 50 lb (23 kg) per trip | A round figure; set your own |
Assumptions last reviewed October 8, 2026.
The calculator does not model the dried paint in an old can, the weight of a lid that has been hammered on many times, or the difference between plastic and steel pails. For a precise figure on a specific product, enter the density from its data sheet.
Two worked examples
Picking up 10 gallons of wall paint
10 gallons of latex at 11.3 lb per gallon, carried 50 lb at a time.
- Paint: 10 × 11.3 = 113 lb
- Cans: 2 × 5-gallon pails, 4 lb of containers
- Total: 117 lb, 3 trips from the car
Each pail is 58.5 lb, more than the 50 lb limit, which is why the trips are three, not two: you can carry one pail at a time. Three gallons of alkyd enamel in gallon cans, by comparison, are 28.5 lb of paint and 30.6 lb in all.
What is left in an old gallon can
A gallon can of latex weighs 6 lb on the bathroom scale.
- Paint: 6 − 0.7 = 5.3 lb
- Volume: 5.3 ÷ 11.3 = 1.88 quarts (1.78 L)
Enough to touch up a room, not enough for a wall. In metric, a 5 L can weighing 2.7 kg holds 2.2 kg of paint, about 1.62 litres.
Where to find your inputs
Paint. From any quantity calculator, or the cans on the shopping list.
Product and density. The type on the label; the density as specific gravity on the safety data sheet, section 9 “Physical and chemical properties”.
Carry limit. What you can lift safely, or the payload of a cart or car.
Scale reading. A bathroom or luggage scale, with the lid on and the can dry.
Common mistakes
- Treating paint like water. Latex is a third heavier than water by volume.
- Carrying two pails at once. That is 117 lb; use a hand truck.
- Forgetting the car’s payload on a big order. Forty gallons is close to 470 lb.
- Weighing a can with a wet rim. Wipe it, or the reading is high.
- Using weight solids as density. Density is specific gravity; solids are a different line on the sheet.
- Guessing what is left by shaking the can. A minute on the scale is exact.
Questions people ask
- How much does a gallon of paint weigh?
- Latex wall paint weighs about 11.3 lb per US gallon (1.35 kg per litre), primer about 11, oil-based and alkyd enamels about 9 to 10, stains close to water at 8.5. With the can, a full gallon of latex is about 12 lb. The exact figure for a product is its specific gravity from the safety data sheet times 8.345.
- How much does a 5-gallon bucket of paint weigh?
- About 56 to 58 lb for latex, which is 5 × 11.3 lb of paint plus a 2 lb pail. That is heavier than most people expect and more than many people should carry up stairs; use a hand truck.
- How do I tell how much paint is left in a can?
- Weigh it. Put the closed can on a bathroom scale, subtract the empty can (about 0.7 lb for a gallon can, 0.3 lb for a quart, 2 lb for a pail) and divide by the density. A gallon can of latex that weighs 6 lb holds 5.3 lb of paint, about 1.9 quarts.
- Why is latex heavier than oil paint?
- Latex paints carry a lot of dense mineral pigment and filler, such as titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate and clay, in water. Alkyds carry less filler in a lighter solvent. Elastomerics and masonry coatings are heavier still, about 12 lb per gallon.
- How many gallons can I carry in a car?
- The weight limit is the car's payload, on the sticker in the driver's door jamb, minus the people. Ten gallons of latex in pails is about 117 lb, which any car carries; a whole house of 30 to 40 gallons is 350 to 470 lb, which is worth checking.
- Where do I find the density of my paint?
- On the safety data sheet, as specific gravity or relative density, or on the technical data sheet as weight per gallon. Multiply specific gravity by 8.345 for pounds per US gallon; in metric it is already kilograms per litre.