Luggage Weight and Baggage Allowance Calculator

Who this is for

Weigh the bags before the airport does. Enter the allowances from your own booking and the weight of each bag to see how far under or over it is.

Families and groups flying with several bags, and anyone flying with an airline that charges for excess weight at the desk.

What this helps you track

• Each bag's weight against the allowance for its type
• The margin left in each bag, or how far it is over
• The total weight each traveller is carrying
• How much the party is over in total, before you leave

How to use it

1. Copy the hold and cabin allowances per bag, and the per-person allowance if your booking has one, from your booking into the header.
2. Weigh each bag at home and enter it on its own line with the traveller, a short name for the bag and its type.
3. The allowance, margin and over columns are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, subtract the weight from the allowance on each line.
4. Add each traveller's bags together in the second table to compare with a per-person allowance.
5. Move items between bags until nothing shows over, then weigh again before you set off.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Where do the allowances come from?

From your own booking. Allowances differ by airline, fare and route, so the sheet has none built in. Copy the figures from your confirmation into the header fields.

Does it work in pounds as well as kilograms?

Yes. Write the unit in the header and use it for every weight and allowance. The sheet only compares the numbers, so all of them must be in the same unit.

What if my airline pools allowance per person?

Use the second table. Add up each traveller's bags and the sheet compares the total with the per-person allowance you entered in the header.

How accurate is weighing at home?

Only as accurate as your scales. A hand-held luggage scale or bathroom scales used the same way each time gives a fair guide, but leave yourself some margin.