Boeing 747 8 Specs.
Boeing 747 8 Specs, shown below will illustrate how the Boeing 747 8 Freighter and 747 8 Intercontinental are the largest iterations of the classic Boeing 747 model which has ruled the skies for four decades. It is the largest and heaviest aircraft produced in the United States.
The new 747 8 is the next generation of this iconic aircraft and benefits from technologies and enhancements that were used to create the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. New wing technology, engine technology and also increased length enables a larger passenger or cargo payload to be carried.
As we have seen, however, like the Airbus A380, the 747 8 has come to market at a time when interest in large 4 engine jets is waning. The day of the giant twin-engined jets is at hand, fairly well sealing the doom of the jumbos. Fortunately for Boeing, the original design of the Boeing 747 with the cockpit located in the top bubble allowed for a nose door to be installed. Initially, it was not assumed that the passenger version of the 747 would catch on, so Boeing took an each-way bet and ensured the design would fit freight airliners needs, should the passenger version fail. By having the cockpit raised above the main deck, cargo can therefore be passed longitudinally through the nose door along the main deck. This allows for longer items to be easily loaded. Airbus, with their A380, do not have that same luxury.
…. insertion of an extra 5.6 metres….
Below you can see where the extra length was inserted on the 747 8 Intercontinental passenger version as well as the 747 8 Freighter version. The insertion of an extra 5.6 metres (220 inches) of length as compared to the Boeing 747 400 is slightly different for the 747 8 Intercontinental as compared to the 747 8 Freighter. For the 747 8 Freighter, this is done by inserting an extra 4.1 metres of fuselage length at the forward wing root. The purpose for this is to do it behind the upstairs bubble and thereby not increase the bubble size but rather make it smaller, more reminiscent of the Boeing 747 100 and Boeing 747 200 series. The 747 8 Freighter does not carry passengers, therefore, the bubble is redundant other than the house the cockpit. The 747 8 Intercontinental, on the other hand, has the forward insertion of 4.1 metres (220 inches) placed forward of the wing root so that it takes in the upstairs bubble as well. This way the upstairs bubble, as well as the main deck, are extended, increasing the seating capacity dramatically. By how much exactly depends on the airline and what seat pitch they want to apply. Both the 747 8 Freighter and the 747 8 Intercontinental have an insertion of 1.5 metres behind the wing root in the same place.
Boeing 747 8 Specs Fuselage Extension.
Boeing 747 8 Specs example seating plan.
Boeing 747 8 Specs Table
| Boeing 747-8i Intercontinental | Boeing 747-8f Freighter | |
| Cockpit Crew | 2 | 2 |
| Average Price | US$378.5 Million | US$379.1 Million |
| Seating Capacity (Maximum) | 605 | N/A |
| Seating Capacity (Three Class) | 467 | N/A |
| Overall Length | 76.25 Metres (250 feet, 2 inches) | 76.25 Metres (250 feet, 2 inches) |
| Wingspan | 68.45 Metres (224 feet, 7 inches) | 68.45 Metres (224 feet, 7 inches) |
| Wing Area | 554 Metres2 (5,963 feet2) | 554 Metres2 (5,963 feet2) |
| Height | 19.35 Metres (63 feet, 6 inches) | 19.35 Metres (63 feet, 6 inches) |
| Cabin Width | 6.1 Metres (20 feet, 1 inch) | 6.1 Metres (20 feet, 1 inch) |
| Maximum Take-off Weight | 447,696 Kilograms (987,000 Pounds) | 447,696 Kilograms (987,000 Pounds) |
| Maximum landing weight | 312,000 Kilograms (688,000 Pounds) | 343,000 Kilograms (757,000 Pounds) |
| Maximum zero fuel weight | 295,000 Kilograms (651,000 Pounds) | 330,000 Kilograms (727,000 Pounds) |
| Operating Empty Weight | 220,128 Kilograms (485,300 Pounds) | 197,131 Kilograms (434,600 Pounds) |
| Maximum structural payload | 76,700 Kilograms (169,100 Pounds) | 134,200 Kilograms (295,800 Pounds) |
| Maximum fuel capacity | 238,610 Litres (63,034 US gallons) | 226,095 Litres (59,734 US gallons) |
| Cruising Speed at 35,000 feet | Mach 0.855 (570 mph, 495 knots, 917 km/h) | Mach 0.845 (564 mph, 490 knots, 908 km/h) |
| Maximum speed at 35,000 feet | Mach 0.92 (614 mph, 533 kn, 988 km/h) | Mach 0.92 (614 mph, 533 kn, 988 km/h) |
| Range | 7,790 nmi (8,966 mi; 14,430 km)at MTOW with 467 passengers and baggage | 4,120 nmi (4,741 mi; 7,630 km) at full payload (134,000 kg(295,800 lb)) |
| Fuel Burn | 11,350 litres/3,000 gallons per hour averaged over a 14 hour flight. | |
| Fuel Type | Kerosene known as Jet-A or Jet A-1(has a slightly lower freezing point.) | |
| Cargo capacity | 161.5 Cubic Metres (5,705 Cubic feet) | 854.5 Cubic Metres (330,177 Cubic feet) |
| Service ceiling | 43,000 ft (13,000 m) | 43,000 ft (13,000 m) |
| Engines (4x) | GEnx-2B67 | GEnx-2B67 |
| Thrust (4x) | 66,500 lbf (296 kN) | 66,500 lbf (296 kN) |
For some very detailed Boeing 747 8 Specs and maintenance information, click here.
If there is more you want to learn about this airliner, please visit: Boeing 747 8 Home, Boeing 747 8 Interior, Boeing 747 8 Order Book, Boeing 747 8 History, and Boeing 747 8 Assembly,
We welcome your comment below, is there more we could be showing or are there topics you would like to see? Thank you.
We need a section that tells us the weight of the plane empty for the 747-8 specs page. We need to know its weight!
Hi and thanks for stopping by. You’re right we did not have that information. We have now rectified that and you will see the line with Operating Empty Weight.
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Are the current B747 -400 series towbar able to use or need new spec for the towbar.
Regards
Jerence Chee
Hi Jerence,
Interesting question. It seems that the same equipment can be used for both the 747-400 and the 747-8. An example is the Tronair A003830D which is rated for both.
This of course is not a definitive answer and any decisions about actual equipment purchase should be based on information direct from the supplier.
Cheers Peter
Hi Peter,
Would you possibly know the deck heights for this aircraft?
Thanks
Mark
Hi Mark,
thanks for stopping by.
We can certainly share that with you. So there are of course some variables with this data which are dependant on whether the aircraft is loaded or empty. The measurements below refer to a minimum and a maximum. Maximum is when the aircraft is empty and therefore rises up on its suspension and tyres. Minimum is, therefore, when the aircraft is fully laden.
For them main deck, there is a difference between fore and aft, as the aircraft sits slightly nose down on the ground. In this case we have specified Front and rear.
Top Deck height: Minimum – 7.56 Mtr / 24 ft 10 in
Maximum – 7.90 Mtr / 25 ft 11 in
Main Deck: Front, Minimum – 4.78 Mtr / 15 ft 8 in
Maximum – 5.16 Mtr / 16 ft 11 in
Main Deck Rear, Minimum – 4.95 Mtr / 16 ft 3 in
Maximum – 5.32 Mtr / 17 ft 5 in
I hope this helps.
Cheers Peter
747-8 leaves sdf every day at extremely close to 998,000 even seen it a 1,000,090lbs . Its amazing
Hi,
So that is Louisville, right? Wow, 1 million pounds, how do you know that?
Cheers Peter.
What is the ground clearance for the engines?
Hi Mike,
Good question. The answer, like so many things in aviation, has some variables built into it. Firstly, the minimum height of an engine above the ground must be sufficient to allow clearance in all stages of maneuvering. It must also be sufficient avoid any water ingestion on wet runways. This is a integral part of water test conducted on new airliner types.
The next variable is the load of fuel and payload. As you can imagine, a full aircraft settles down its suspension just like a car. The result of course is that engines are closer to the ground. Even more so with full fuel as the wings droop down.
So in answer to your question, we must consider the in board and out board engines sepaeately and for each a maximum and minimum clearance.
In board engines. Minimum Clearance:0.73 M (2 Ft 5 In). Maximum Clearance 0.9 M (3 Ft 3 In)
Out board engines. Minimum Clearance: 1.9 M (6 Ft 3 In). Maximum Clearance 2.1 M (6 Ft 11 In).
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WHAT IS THE NET WEIGHT OF CARGO ON THE 747 8I…..WITHOUT PASSENGERS.]}
WHAT IS THE RANGE OF THE 747 8F WITH ONLY 40 METRIC TONS AND THE SEATING CAPACITY
Hi James,
Thanks for stopping by. There are so many variables in calculating these outcomes. Maybe there is a weight and balance calculator for this aircraft somewhere online.
Best of luck.
Cheers Peter
What is the area of the wings?
What is the fuel consumption of the plane?
What kind of fuel does the plane use?
Hi Sol,
thank you for your questions. We have now added this information to the table above.
Cheers Peter
what materials are the wings support beams made of, and what is the skin made of.
Most of the plane is made from new aluminium alloys, while it also incorporates graphite composites in the rudder, spoilers, flaps, and other areas. According to Boeing, “the materials are more durable and better able to resist corrosion and damage, which reduces maintenance and increases the time an aeroplane is available and productive.”
What is the width of the wing from end to tip?
Hi Akash,
the best way to work that out would be to take the wingspan, deduct the fuselage width and then divide by 2. Bingo. 🙂
Cheers Peter
What is the height between the tallest point of the roof and the belly
Hi,
good question. I believe if you search for something like Boeing 747-8 blueprint or similar you may find a PDF with all the dimensions. Let us know how you go.
Cheers Peter
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What materials is the plane made out of and do these have any specific structural/weight reduction values?
Hi Sophie-Anne,
aviation is a constant battle between weight and strength in the materials that are chosen and developed for modern airliners. An aircraft is designed to do a job that will make money for its owner, namely, lift stuff and carry it from A to B. To make that aircraft as profitable as possible, the best idea is to make it as light as possible so that there is plenty of lifting weight available between the actual weight of the aircraft and the maximum it can lift. Payload. On one hand, we can make a really strong aircraft made of steel, it won’t break, but you’re going by road. One the other hand you can make a really light aircraft out of balsa wood, but as soon as you put anything in it, it collapses.
So that is the balance aircraft designers struggle with. First, we had wood and canvas, then aluminium, and now we have aluminium alloys and carbon composites of various types.
If we look at the Boeing 747-8, it has benefitted from design lessons learned since its predecessor, the Boeing 747-400 last produced in 2005. The 747-8 uses in its construction new aluminium alloys that are lighter than the 747-400 was and carbon fibre composites in the control surfaces. So where heavy strength is required, aluminium alloys are til the go to due to the strength they provide.
I hope that helps.
Must be some project you’re doing. 🙂
Cheers Peter
Which polymers is the 747-8 made out of and where?
what is the thrust specific fuel consumption for B747-8
There is a difference between *cruise* ceiling and absolute ceiling altitude – I only came here to see how fast this aircraft could go at its cruise ceiling, and only the absolute ceiling is listed. Unless I’m missing something(Which is common for me!)
Is the fuel burn information provided is the total for 4 engines or single engines?
it says 3000 gallons per hour here. Is it single engine fuel consumption or across all four?
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Can someone advise me what weight of a pushback tug must I have to push a 747-800
My pushback tug weights 105,000 lbs
Regard as
Karl
It seems the weight is generally around 119,000lbs.