| Aircraft | Approx. payload | Approx. main-deck volume | Loads through |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 747-8F | ~134 t | ~850 m³ | AMA / PMC, plus nose loading |
| Boeing 747-400F | ~113 t | ~770 m³ | AMA / PMC, nose loading on most |
| Boeing 777F | ~102 t | ~650 m³ | PMC / AMA, side door only |
| Boeing 767-300F | ~52 t | ~440 m³ | PMC, side door |
| Airbus A330-200F | ~65 t | ~475 m³ | PMC / AMA, side door |
| Boeing 737-800BCF | ~23 t | ~140 m³ | PMC-height limited, side door |
| Airbus A321P2F | ~27 t | ~120 m³ | Container or pallet, side door |
| Antonov An-124 | ~120 t | ~1,000 m³ | Roll-on / roll-off, nose and tail ramps |
Widebody freighters
Boeing 747-8F
~134 t · ~850 m³
The nose door is the distinguishing feature: it takes long loads no side door can. Still the reference aircraft for outsize commercial freight.
Boeing 747-400F
~113 t · ~770 m³
The backbone of long-haul freight for two decades and still widely operated.
Boeing 777F
~102 t · ~650 m³
Twin-engine economics on long sectors. No nose door, so length is limited by the side door.
Boeing 767-300F
~52 t · ~440 m³
The mainstay of express and regional widebody freight, and a common passenger-to-freighter conversion.
Airbus A330-200F
~65 t · ~475 m³
Purpose-built freighter sized between the 767 and the 777.
Narrowbody freighters
Boeing 737-800BCF
~23 t · ~140 m³
Converted from passenger airframes. The volume behind most e-commerce feeder networks.
Airbus A321P2F
~27 t · ~120 m³
The newer narrowbody conversion, competing directly with the 737-800BCF.
Outsize charter
Antonov An-124
~120 t · ~1,000 m³
Charter only, for cargo no scheduled freighter can accept — turbines, transformers, other aircraft.
Questions
- Why does the 747 freighter still matter?
- The nose door. It lets the aircraft load items longer than any side door will accept, which is why it remains the reference aircraft for outsize commercial freight even as twin-engine freighters take over on economics.
- What is a P2F or BCF aircraft?
- A passenger aircraft converted to a freighter — Passenger to Freighter, or Boeing Converted Freighter. The airframe is the same; a main-deck cargo door and a reinforced floor are added.
- Are these payload figures exact?
- No. Maximum structural payload varies by airframe, conversion history and operator configuration, and the payload actually available on a given flight depends on fuel, route and weather. Treat these as orders of magnitude.
Provided for convenience and general information only.Figures, definitions and descriptions on these pages are compiled from publicly available sources — published industry standards, official code registers and carriers' own published specifications — and are nominal: actual equipment, regulations and commercial terms vary by manufacturer, carrier, jurisdiction and contract, and change over time. FrateZone is not the issuing authority for any of it, does not warrant that any figure here is correct, current or complete, and makes no representation that a source has not changed since it was read. Where a specification belongs to a specific physical unit or a specific contract — a container's certified plate, an airline's tariff, the wording of your own sale agreement — that document governs, not this page. FrateZone accepts no liability for any error or omission here, nor for any operational, commercial, financial or legal decision taken in reliance on it. Verify against the authoritative source before you act.