Knowing common items that weigh 3 kilograms can come in handy sometimes. You can use them as substitutes for weights during exercise or to measure ingredients around your house when cooking. Knowing the weight of stuff will also help you determine where you can or can’t place an item, depending on how heavy it is.
3kgs is around 6.6 pounds, which is light enough to lift easily but still heavy enough that you can hold onto it for long. If you are pregnant or recently had surgery, this is the maximum amount of weight you should be lifting.
So, what everyday items weigh around 3kgs?
1. 3 liters of milk
Next time you want to get a little creative with your weight lifting, try a jar of milk or water on each hand. The US gallon is approximately 3.67 kilograms which is the perfect weight for beginner weight lifters.
If you want exact weight though, you can get a 3-liter bottle of milk which is equivalent to 3 kilograms. Because of the handles on those milk bottles, you can easily lift the weight up and down without your arms falling off.
2. Carry-on suitcase
Ever tried to lift a suitcase full of clothes? We bet it wasn’t easy. An empty carry-on suitcase however weighs 7.6 pounds or 3.4kgs only. You can literally run away with it if someone is chasing you. If you want to do weighted squats, lunges, or work out your arms, an empty suitcase can help add some resistance to your workout.
3. Brick
Did you know that the Steeple of the Church of St. Martin in Germany is the tallest brick tower in the world with 650,000 bricks? A standard traditional brick weighs around 2.99 kgs, so you can guess how much the building weighs. Next time you want to build, knowing how much each brick weighs may help you plan for the structural integrity of the building.
4. Bagless vacuum cleaner
Let’s face it, only a handful of people consider cleaning to be a relaxing task. But if cleaning your house or office feels like lifting weights, you may need to buy a lighter vacuum cleaner. A standard bagless vacuum cleaner weighs less than 7 pounds or approximately 3kgs. This makes it easy to carry the vacuum from room to room without getting too exhausted.
5. Rice cooker
The weight of rice cookers range anywhere between 1kg to 5kgs depending on the size and the material used to make it. For example, you can get a stainless steel model that weighs more than 5kgs.
Most homes however have a lightweight rice cooker that handles 4 to 5 cups of rice and weighs around 3kgs. The 3kg plastic model is more popular for its family-size capacity, affordability, and the fact that it’s easier to handle than stainless steel rice cookers.
6. Six-pack cans
Ever thought of how much that beloved six-pack you buy every weekend weighs? Neither have most people. A six-pack of 550ml of beer or soda cans weigh 3.3 kgs, while the 330ml pack weighs almost 2kgs.
The way a six-pack is packaged makes it a fantastic substitute for weights before you start chugging down those bad boys. If you have this idea in mind, the 3kgs pack may be better because it’s heavier and will give you better resistance.
7. 5 basketballs
When the coach is bringing basketballs to the field for practice, he brings them as a set. According to NBA regulations, a standard basketball is around 0.6 kilograms, which means that a 5 basketball set weighs 3kgs.
Next time you see a coach walking down the pitch with a set of basketballs, you will have an idea of how much weight they are carrying on one hand. In reality though, the set comes from the manufacturer with six balls inside and not five, making the weight of a complete set to be 3.6kgs.
8. Newborn baby
The average birth weight of a baby is around 3.5 kgs if they are healthy. However, anywhere between 2.5 and 4.5 kgs is still considered normal. Interestingly though, babies lose almost 250 grams over the first 5 days after birth but regain it later. In general, baby boys tend to be heavier than girls, and large parents mostly give birth to large babies.
That said, you can always expect an exception to the rule because of certain factors such as the mother’s health and diet.
9. Rim of paper
A rim of office copy paper or what people use in printers and photocopiers has 500 individual papers. If you look at the label, the package is written “20 or 24 lb bond”. This doesn’t mean a rim of paper weighs 20 or 24 pounds though because they calculate 4 times the size of the papers.
In reality, a 24-pound rim of paper is around 6 pounds which is almost 2.8kgs. Add the weight of the packaging, and you have a cool 3kgs in your hands.
10. Flower vase
A unique flower vase sets the foundation for eye-catching flower arrangements. A good vase however entails more than just looks. It must be made of high-quality glass which is heavy enough that the slightest movement or wind won’t blow it off.
While you can find glass vases that weigh even 1kg, the perfect flower vase should be 3kgs. With this weight, the vase sits confidently on your table, and only an act of malice would make it fall.
