Dry weight
Dry weight is the weight of a vehicle without any consumables, passengers, or cargo.
It is one of the two common weight measurements included in road vehicle specifications, the other one being curb weight.
By definition, dry weight does not include any of the following:
- Gasoline, diesel or any other fuel
- Engine oil
- Coolant
- Brake fluid
- Power steering fluid
- Transmission fluid
- Washer fluid
The difference between dry weight and curb weight depends on many variables such as the capacity of the fuel tank.
Over time, most domestic vehicle manufacturers have more commonly used the term 'shipping weight', which refers to the vehicle in as-built, no-option condition. This would include engine oil, coolant, brake fluid and at least some small quantity of fuel, as vehicles have traditionally been driven off the assembly line and these fluids were necessary to do so. Hobbyists have debated the accuracy of these figures, as they often seem low versus occasional real world checks on the same-specification vehicle. One theory is that shipping weight was intentionally calculated on the low side to realize a cost savings in the freight transport of vehicles across the country.
Motorcycles
The dry weight of a motorcycle excludes some or all of the following: gasoline (or other fuel), engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, or battery.
There is no standardized way to test the dry weight of a motorcycle. Inconsistencies will almost always be found between a motorcycle manufacturer's published dry weight and motorcycle press and media outlet's published dry weight. This is due to different testing techniques, differences in what is being excluded, and a lack of defining how testing was conducted by the organization doing the testing.
Spacecraft
The dry weight of a spacecraft is the mass of the spacecraft without oxidiser, fuel or other consumables. It is not necessarily the same as burnout mass, as burnout mass may have residual propellant and consumables.