How Much Does a Gallon of Unleaded Gasoline Weigh?
How heavy is unleaded gasoline? One gallon of unleaded gasoline may weigh around 6 pounds!
Whether you are just curious about the weight or thinking about carrying a few gallons of gasoline in your truck, having an idea about the gasoline weight won’t be a waste.
In this article, we will mainly focus on the weight of unleaded gasoline and then compare gasoline weight with other oils.
So without any further ado, let’s get right into it!
How Much Does 1 Gallon Of Unleaded Gasoline Weigh?
A gallon of normal gasoline weighs anywhere between 6.2 pounds to 6.4 pounds. But according to Research Gate, different research shows,
One gallon of leadfree gas weighs 6.1 pounds.
And this is about the US gallon. And in imperial gallons, 1 gallon of unleaded gasoline weighs 7.2 pounds.
Don’t worry if you don’t understand the difference between US gallon and imperial gallon. We are getting into that in the coming section.
In case you don’t know, after gasoline has gone through fractional distillation in the refinery process, some additives are added to it. And in different countries, the additives are different, which is why the weight will also be different. Maybe that’s why people question whether unleaded gas is the same as regular gas or not.
Talking about additives, here are some most common additives found in gasoline.
Detergent is added to the gasoline that is used in vehicle engines. The reason behind that is, that detergent prevents carbon buildup in the engine. Hence it doesn’t harm the lifespan of the engine.
Apart from that, dyes and ethanol additives are used for different purposes.
Because of these additives, the weight of the gasoline will not be the same everywhere. Not only the weight but the density of the gasoline also won’t match as well due to these additives.
Having that said, gasoline that is very commonly used as fuel weighs 6.1 pounds per gallon.
Moreover, there are other factors on which the weight of the gasoline depends, such as the environment.
On summer days, the heat causes the gas to expand. Therefore, it weighs more. And cold causes the gasoline to shimmer, which makes it weigh less. However, the changes in weight will be very minimal.
What Are The Differences Between US Gallons And Imperial Gallon?
Though the names seem a bit complex, the only difference they have is in the weight. The imperial gallon is heavier than the US gallon.
1 US gallon of gasoline is 20% lighter than 1 imperial gallon of gasoline. 1 imperial gallon holds 4,546 liters whereas 1 US gallon holds 3785 liters.
Gasoline Vs Water, Which One Is The Heaviest?
Though in bare eyes, it feels like gasoline will be heavier than water, but that’s not the case. 1 gallon of water weighs around 8.4 pounds whereas 1 US gallon of gasoline weighs anywhere between 6 – 6.1 pounds.
This is exactly why gasoline float on top of the water. And when gasoline is floating on water, even though it seems like it can be separated, that’s not possible.
One interesting fact, water doesn’t take off fire caught on gasoline!
What Will Happen If Water Is Mixed With Gasoline?
Gasoline should never be mixed with water, especially if the gasoline will be used in an engine. Normally, when you pix gas with water, there won’t be any visible reaction. When used in engines, it will not only damage the engine but also bad for the environment.
That being said, a very low amount of water, less than a cup might not cause any long-term damage to the engine. But still, you should be very careful, there is no point in mixing water with gasoline.
Does Diesel Weigh The Same As Gasoline?
No! The weight of diesel and gasoline isn’t the same. the weight of 1 US gallon of diesel is 7.1 pounds, whereas the same amount of unleaded gasoline weighs 6.1 pounds.
Due to the difference in the molecules and density, these two oils defer in weight. The molecules in diesel are heavier than gasoline, which is why diesel is also high in density.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Not at all! Gasoline is lighter than water and diesel but is heavier than soda. The difference in the weight is because of the molecule components and the density.
1 US gallon of gasoline weighs 6.1 pounds, so 5 US gallons of gasoline will weigh a little more than 30 pounds. And in imperial gallons, 5 gallons of gasoline will weigh around 40.1 pounds.
20 US gallons of gasoline will weigh anywhere between 120 pounds to 130 pounds. And 20 imperial gallons of gas will weigh around 170 pounds.
Water is heavier than gasoline, which is why when mixed gasoline floats on top of the water.
A gallon of 93 octanes weighs anywhere between 6 – 6.2 pounds. The weight will defer from country to country due to the difference in the added additives.
Conclusion
Let’s give you a quick short summary! A US gallon of unleaded gasoline weighs 6.1 pounds and in imperial pounds, it weighs 7.2 pounds. The weight of all the gasoline will not be the same due to the difference in the additive used in them.
With that said, if you wanted to know, hopefully, you got a detailed answer with logical explanations. If there is anything else we could add, don’t forget to let us know.
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