Tire Load Index Chart: What the Number Means

The number after the size

Look at a tire size like 225/45R17 94V. The size ends at the 17. The 94 is the load index, and the V is the speed rating.

The load index is a code for the maximum load one tire can carry when it's properly inflated. It's not a weight in pounds or kilograms. You look it up in a standard chart, published by tire makers including Michelin and Goodyear, to get the weight.

It's printed in two places you can check:

• On the sidewall, right after the size.
• On your door placard or in the owner's manual, as part of the tire size your vehicle maker specified.

The placard is the one that matters for buying. It's the load your vehicle maker designed around.

Load index chart: a short excerpt

Here's a slice of the standard chart covering common car, crossover, SUV and pickup fitments. Weights are per tire.

Two things to notice. The steps aren't even: one point of load index is 15 kg between 91 and 92, but 35 kg between 114 and 115. And small-looking gaps add up. A 91 and a 94 differ by 55 kg per tire, which is 220 kg across four.

Enter any load index, or your current tire and a candidate, to see the weight per tire and for all four, and whether the new tire measures up:

The same check lives on its own page as the load and speed rating check.

Never go below the placard

This is the one rule. USTMA says to use a load index equal to or above what your vehicle placard requires, and never lower.

Why it matters:

• The vehicle maker already did the math. It chose a tire size, load index and pressure that carry the vehicle at its rated load. A lower index means each tire is rated to carry less than that.
• The tire's maximum load is molded on the sidewall too, alongside the pressure it applies to. It's a ceiling for that tire, not a pressure to run.
• Overloading builds heat. NHTSA lists excessive loading among the conditions that can cause heat build-up and possible tire failure, which matters in South Florida heat.

A higher load index meets the rule. It isn't automatically better, though: a higher index can come with a different construction or a higher pressure, as the next sections explain.

P-metric vs LT: why the same number reads differently

P-metric and Euro-metric passenger tires

Most cars, crossovers and many SUVs use passenger tires. Their load index works as in the chart above, at the pressures in the tire maker's load and inflation tables.

There's one twist for trucks. Under the federal tire selection standard, FMVSS No. 110, when a vehicle maker fits passenger tires to a truck, multipurpose passenger vehicle, bus or trailer, each tire's load rating is divided by 1.10 before it's checked against the axle rating. Your placard already accounts for that. It's one more reason not to swap tire types on your own.

LT tires: two numbers and a load range

Light truck tires often show a load index like 121/118. Cooper Tire explains that the first number is the capacity for a tire used singly, and the second is for a tire used in a dual pair, such as the rear of a dually. On a regular pickup or van, compare the first number.

LT tires also carry a load range letter, like C, D or E, tied to how much pressure the tire is built for. Our LT vs P-metric guide covers load ranges and why pressures change when you switch types.

XL and HL: same size, higher load index

Many passenger sizes come in two versions: standard load (SL) and extra load (XL), with a higher load index. Toyo's guidelines for load and inflation tables use 35 psi as the reference pressure for standard load and 41 psi for extra load. The extra capacity comes with the extra pressure.

So if your vehicle calls for an XL tire, the standard load version of the same size has a lower load index, and doesn't meet the placard. Some heavy EVs go a step further and specify HL (high load) tires, which Michelin says carry more than an XL tire of the same size at the same pressure. Our XL vs SL guide explains both.

How to check the load index before you buy

1. Read your placard or the Tire Size Finder to get the size, load index and any XL, HL or LT marking your vehicle maker specified.
2. Read the candidate tire's listing for its load index and load marking.
3. Compare them with the load and speed rating check. Equal or higher passes; lower doesn't.
4. Match the type. XL for XL, HL for HL, LT for LT, unless an installer has confirmed a change with the tire maker's tables.
5. Set pressure to the placard, cold, once the tires are on. Our guide on how to check tire pressure shows how.

New to sidewall codes? Our guide on how to read tire size explains every piece of the size line.

When you're ready, shop tires by size. Free shipping covers the 48 contiguous states and DC; Extreme Tires installs at the Sunrise shop or by mobile van in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. See how installation works, or call (954) 773-1896 to check a load index before you order.