Checked bag size and weight limits by airline
The two numbers every checked bag is measured against, carrier by carrier, with the airline's own baggage page linked for each one.
By Michael W. · Last updated October 3, 2026
We earn a commission when you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we pick or how we rank it. How we’re funded.
On every major US airline a standard checked bag may measure up to 62 linear inches - length plus width plus height, including wheels and handles - and weigh up to 50 lb (23 kg). Frontier is the exception on weight, capping a standard checked bag at 40 lb. Premium cabins and elite status usually raise the weight allowance to 70 lb; none of them raise the 62-inch size limit.
Verify with your airline before you fly
Baggage allowances change, they vary by fare class and cabin, and on a codeshare the operating carrier's rules usually apply rather than the airline you booked with. Every figure below links to the carrier's own baggage page - check it on the day. Use this table to choose a bag, not to argue with a gate agent.
Unlike carry-on rules, checked bag limits are remarkably consistent across carriers - which is good news, because it means one bag works everywhere. The number that catches people out is not the limit, it is the measurement method: 62 linear inches is a single total, so a tall bag can be legal and a wide one of identical volume can be oversized. Add the three dimensions together before you buy.
Checked bag limits, eight US carriers
Standard economy allowances for a single checked bag. Premium cabins and elite tiers generally raise the weight limit, never the size.
| Airline | Max size (linear in) | Max weight (economy) | Premium / elite weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| American | 62 in (158 cm) | 50 lb (23 kg) | 70 lb (32 kg) in First and Business |
| Delta | 62 in (157 cm) | 50 lb | 70 lb in Delta One and Delta First |
| United | 62 in (158 cm), incl. handles and wheels | 50 lb | 70 lb in Business, First and Polaris |
| Southwest | 62 in, wheels and handles included | 50 lb | Not published separately |
| JetBlue | 62 in (157.48 cm) | 50 lb (22.68 kg) | Not published separately |
| Alaska | 62 linear in | 50 lb | Not published separately |
| Frontier | 62 linear in | 40 lb - the outlier | Not published separately |
| Spirit | 62 linear in (158 cm), incl. handles and wheels | 50 lb (22.6 kg) | Not published separately |
Frontier is the one to check twice
A bag packed to 48 lb is comfortably legal on seven of the eight carriers above and overweight on Frontier. If an ultra-low-cost carrier is anywhere in your itinerary, pack to its limit rather than to the industry one.
What 62 linear inches actually means
Linear inches is the sum of the three dimensions, not any single one. A bag that measures 29 x 20 x 13 inches totals 62 and is legal. A bag measuring 30 x 20 x 13 totals 63 and is oversized, even though it is only one inch taller.
The measurement includes wheels, the telescoping handle housing, side handles and any external pocket at its fullest. United, Southwest and Spirit state this explicitly; the others measure at the bag's widest points, which amounts to the same thing. Manufacturers routinely publish the case body only, which is how a suitcase sold as a legal checked bag arrives at 64 linear inches.
The practical consequence: a suitcase marketed as 28 inches is usually around 30 inches with its running gear, which leaves roughly 32 inches for width plus depth. Most large checked bags are built right at that boundary, and an expansion zip opened on the way home is what pushes them over it.
What happens if you go over
Two separate charges exist and they stack. An overweight bag pays an overweight fee; an oversized bag pays an oversize fee; a bag that is both pays both on most carriers, with Southwest a published exception that charges only once up to 100 lb.
| Carrier | Overweight band | Oversize band | Hard refusal |
|---|---|---|---|
| American | Over 50 lb | Over 62 in | Over 100 lb or over 115 in |
| Delta | 51-70 lb, then 71-100 lb | 63-80 in | 100 lb or more, or over 80 in |
| United | Over 50 lb | Over 62 in | Over 100 lb or over 115 in |
| Southwest | 51-100 lb | 63-80 in | Over 100 lb |
| JetBlue | 51-99 lb | 63-80 in | Over 99 lb or over 80 in |
| Frontier | 41-50 lb | 63-110 in | Over 99.99 lb or over 110 in |
The economics are worth understanding before you repack at the check-in desk. On most carriers a second checked bag costs less than one overweight fee, so splitting a 60 lb bag across two is usually cheaper than paying the penalty - and much easier on whoever lifts it. The exception is a route where the second-bag fee is unusually high or a second bag is not permitted on your fare.
If you are splitting regularly, buy for it rather than improvising: best luggage sets covers matched pairs sized so both pieces clear 62 inches, and best checked luggage is the single-bag shortlist with empty weight as the first criterion.
International routes work differently
Two systems exist worldwide. US and most transatlantic carriers use a piece system: a set number of bags, each under its own size and weight limit. Many carriers in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East use a weight system: a total allowance in kilograms across all your bags, commonly 20, 23 or 30 kg, with the number of pieces mattering less.
On a weight-system carrier, two 15 kg bags and one 30 kg bag are often treated the same - though a single bag over 32 kg is usually refused outright on handling-safety grounds regardless of what you have paid. That 32 kg ceiling is close to universal and it is not negotiable at the desk.
On an itinerary mixing the two, the first operating carrier's rules normally apply for the whole journey on a single ticket - but not always, and separate tickets definitely do not combine. If a long-haul leg is followed by a regional connection on a different airline, check the regional carrier too: that is where an allowance quietly shrinks.
How to stay under both limits
- Add the three dimensions of any bag before buying it, using the overall figure including wheels and handles rather than the quoted case size. If the listing gives only one number, assume it is the optimistic one.
- Weigh the empty bag when it arrives and write the number inside the lid. A rigid checked case can be a tenth of your 50 lb allowance on its own - see best lightweight luggage.
- Weigh the packed bag at home, not at the airport. A handheld scale costs very little and removes the entire problem - best luggage scales covers the options.
- Leave the expansion zip closed. Expansion adds inches to the total and is the single most common reason a legal bag comes home oversized.
- Put heavy, dense items in the carry-on instead. Books, chargers and shoes move several pounds out of the checked bag at no cost, because major US carriers do not weigh cabin bags domestically - check the dimension limit in carry-on size by airline first.
- Know what cannot go in the hold at all. Power banks, vapes and matches are prohibited in checked baggage regardless of weight - what not to pack in checked luggage has the full list.
Checked bags built to these limits
Knowing the rule only helps if the next step is easy. These are the bags we point people at, and the reason each one fits the constraint:
Quick picks
The short list. Tap any row for the full write-up, including what each one is bad at.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Travelpro Maxlite 5 Expandable Checked Spinner Very light for a checked bag, which is several pounds of clothes you get to bring. | Long trips against a weight cap | |
| 2 |  Samsonite Winfield 3 DLX Hardside Checked Spinner Rigid polycarbonate plus a TSA-accepted lock, for bags that will be handled hard. | Fragile contents | |
| 3 |  Etekcity Digital Luggage Scale Hook, lift, read - it removes the entire overweight question before you leave home. | Anyone who has ever been asked to open a bag at the counter |
The one that gives you back the most of your 50 lb allowance
Travelpro Maxlite 5 Expandable Checked Spinner
Against a 50 lb cap the empty weight of the case is dead weight, and this is among the lightest properly built checked bags available. The saving comes from lighter fabric and simpler construction rather than from cutting the wheels and handle, which is the right place to take it from.
The specs that decide it
- Weight: Very light for the checked category - the reason it is here
- Size: Check the overall total against the 62 linear inch limit
- Expansion: Usable on a checked bag - but it counts toward the 62 inches
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Fabric checked bags get dirty on the first trip and stay that way, and they offer far less impact protection than a shell. If you are checking anything fragile, this is the wrong bag.
The one to check when what is inside matters
Samsonite Winfield 3 DLX Hardside Checked Spinner
A baggage system is conveyors, drops and a loader stacking your bag under several others. A rigid shell takes those impacts without passing them to the contents and keeps rain off on a wet tarmac transfer. If you check anything breakable - and most people do sometimes - this is the right tool.
The specs that decide it
- Shell: Polycarbonate - rigid, water-resistant, does not transmit impact inside
- Security: Integrated TSA-accepted combination lock
- Cost: Several pounds of your 50 lb allowance, spent on the bag itself
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Heavy. Against a 50 lb limit the empty case is a meaningful fraction of what you are allowed, and polycarbonate cracks rather than flexing under a hard enough corner impact. A cracked shell cannot be repaired.
The thing that stops the repack at the check-in desk
Etekcity Digital Luggage Scale
An overweight fee costs many times what a scale does, and the repack happens in public with a queue behind you. Weighing at home takes thirty seconds and turns a 50 lb limit from a guess into a number. It is also the only way to use a lightweight suitcase properly, because the saving is theoretical until you measure it.
The specs that decide it
- Range: Covers a 50 lb checked bag with headroom
- Use: Hook the strap, lift, hold steady until it locks
- Where it lives: In the suitcase, so the return leg is covered too
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Handheld scales need a steady lift to read accurately, which is awkward with a 50 lb bag and genuinely difficult if you have a bad back. The battery is also the kind you only discover is flat on the morning you fly.
Frequently asked questions
What is the size limit for a checked bag?
How much can a checked bag weigh?
Do wheels and handles count toward checked bag size?
Is it cheaper to pay an overweight fee or check a second bag?
What is the maximum weight an airline will accept at all?
Are international checked bag allowances the same?
Sources
Read next
- Best checked luggage
- Carry-on size by airline
- Best luggage scales
- Best lightweight luggage
- What not to pack in checked luggage
- Best luggage sets
More in Airline Rules, or see every roundup and comparison on the site.