smith.elliot•24d agoProlific Poster

Just found out about the actual weight of a roll of carpet padding

I was at the supply house in Springfield yesterday picking up a 12-foot roll of 8-pound rebond pad for a job. The guy loading my truck, an older installer named Frank, said something like 'watch your back, this one's a real bear, almost 90 pounds.' I mean, I've been moving these things for years and just always thought they were heavy, but I never actually knew the number. I looked it up later on the supplier's site, and sure enough, a 12x75 roll of that stuff clocks in at 88 pounds. It kind of blew my mind because I guess I'd always pictured it being maybe 60 or 70. Makes me think I should be way more careful about how I lift and carry them, maybe even use a hand truck every single time. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where a simple fact about the materials made you rethink a basic part of the job?

3 comments

3 Comments

paul_ramirez24d ago

Man, tell me about it... I had the same shock with a box of ceramic tile last year. It was just a 12x24, but the box said 38 pounds per square foot. Did the math in the truck and nearly choked... a single box was over 70 pounds. I'd been hauling two at a time up stairs like an idiot for ages. You just don't think about it until you see the number. Makes your back ache just remembering it.

the_emma24d ago

Ever wonder why they don't just print the total box weight in huge numbers? The per-square-foot math feels like a trap for anyone not paying full attention.

singh.harper24d ago

Remember buying a bag of "lightweight" concrete mix once. The bag itself felt fine, maybe twenty pounds. Only later did I see the tiny print about the yield. That stuff was meant to be mixed with water, turning into about sixty pounds of actual concrete. I carried it a quarter mile to my shed for no reason. They really do hide the final weight in the small details.