Boeing 747History, variants & specifications

Boeing 747 specifications compared

Dimensions, weights, capacity, range and engines for every 747 generation, including the shortened 747SP and the stretched 747-8.

Planform comparison diagram overlaying the silhouettes of the largest aircraft ever built, including the Boeing 747-8, Airbus A380 and Antonov An-225, drawn to the same scale
The 747-8 against the other giants, to scale.

Every 747 generation compared. Figures are for a representative build of each variant; individual aircraft varied with engine choice and customer options, and maximum weights in particular were raised over a variant’s production life.

Dimensions

Length Wingspan Height Wing area
747-100 231 ft 10 in (70.66 m) 195 ft 8 in (59.64 m) 63 ft 5 in (19.33 m) 5,500 sq ft (511 m²)
747SP 184 ft 9 in (56.31 m) 195 ft 8 in (59.64 m) 65 ft 5 in (19.94 m) 5,500 sq ft (511 m²)
747-200 231 ft 10 in (70.66 m) 195 ft 8 in (59.64 m) 63 ft 5 in (19.33 m) 5,500 sq ft (511 m²)
747-300 231 ft 10 in (70.66 m) 195 ft 8 in (59.64 m) 63 ft 5 in (19.33 m) 5,500 sq ft (511 m²)
747-400 231 ft 10 in (70.66 m) 211 ft 5 in (64.44 m) 63 ft 8 in (19.41 m) 5,650 sq ft (525 m²)
747-8 250 ft 2 in (76.25 m) 224 ft 5 in (68.40 m) 63 ft 6 in (19.35 m) 5,960 sq ft (554 m²)

Only two variants ever changed the fuselage length: the 747SP had nearly 48 ft removed, and the 747-8 had 18 ft 3 in added. Everything else in the family is the same length as the original.

The wingspan tells the other story. The classics all share one wing. The 747-400 added 6 ft wingtip extensions and 6 ft winglets; the 747-8 replaced the wing entirely with a new design using raked wingtips.

Weights

Max takeoff weight Notes
747-100 735,000 lb (333 t) As first certified
747-100B 750,000 lb (340 t) Strengthened airframe and gear
747SP 700,000 lb (318 t) Lighter airframe, more fuel per seat
747-200 up to 833,000 lb (378 t)
747-300 833,000 lb (378 t) Same weights as the -200
747-400 875,000 lb (396.9 t) Empty weight 404,600 lb with PW4000s
747-400ER / ERF 910,000 lb (413 t) The increase went to fuel
747-8 987,000 lb (447.7 t) Heaviest aircraft ever built in the US

Two figures often quoted for the 747-8 are earlier ones: 970,000 lb was the programme design weight and 975,000 lb the initial freighter figure. The certified weight is 987,000 lb.

The 747-8F spent its weight increase differently from the 747-400ERF: the ERF’s went almost entirely into fuel, buying range, while the -8F’s went into zero-fuel weight, buying payload. That single decision is why the newer aircraft carries more but flies less far.

Capacity and performance

Passengers (3-class) Range Cruise
747-100 366 ~4,620–5,300 nmi Mach 0.84
747SP 276 5,830 nmi (10,800 km) Mach 0.86
747-200B 366 ~6,560 nmi Mach 0.84
747-300 400 ~6,700 nmi Mach 0.85
747-400 416 7,285 nmi (13,490 km) Mach 0.855
747-400D 568 (2-class), 660 max Domestic sectors only Mach 0.855
747-8I 467 7,730 nmi (14,310 km) Mach 0.855
747-8F 308,000 lb payload 4,120–4,390 nmi Mach 0.845

Two rows deserve a second look. The 747SP carried the fewest passengers and flew the furthest of its generation — the entire point of the variant. The 747-400D carried the most people of any 747 ever certified and had no range to speak of, because it was built for one-hour sectors in Japan.

Freighter range is quoted at maximum payload, not maximum fuel, which is why the -8F’s figure looks so much lower than the passenger aircraft’s. A freighter’s useful range is the range it has when full.

Engines

Options Thrust
747-100 Pratt & Whitney JT9D ~46,000–50,000 lbf
747-200 / -300 JT9D, GE CF6, Rolls-Royce RB211 ~46,500–54,750 lbf
747-400 PW4000, CF6-80C2, RB211-524G/H 56,500–63,300 lbf
747-8 GE GEnx-2B67 only 66,500 lbf

More on all of them on the engines page, including why offering three engine choices on the -200 mattered more commercially than any technical improvement.

Fuel

Capacity
747-400 57,285 US gal (216,840 L)
747-400ER plus one or two 3,240 US gal body tanks
747-8I 63,034 US gal (238,610 L)

The fuel system page covers the tank layout, transfer and jettison.

Production

Variant Built
747-100 168
747SR (all) 29
747-100B 9
747SP 45
747-200 (all) 393
747-300 (all) 81
747-400 (all) 694
747-8 (all) 155
Total 1,574

Those figures sum exactly to the 1,574 aircraft built between 1968 and the final delivery in January 2023.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a Boeing 747?
Most 747s are 231 ft 10 in (70.66 m) long — the -100 through the -400 all share that length. The 747-8 is longer at 250 ft 2 in (76.25 m), and the 747SP is much shorter at 184 ft 9 in (56.31 m).
What is the wingspan of a Boeing 747?
195 ft 8 in (59.64 m) on the classics, 211 ft 5 in (64.44 m) on the 747-400 with its wingtip extensions and winglets, and 224 ft 5 in (68.40 m) on the 747-8, which has an entirely new wing.
How much does a Boeing 747 weigh?
Maximum takeoff weight rose from 735,000 lb (333 t) on the earliest 747-100 to 987,000 lb (447.7 t) on the 747-8 — the heaviest aircraft ever built in the United States.

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