Ram Payload Capacity Chart (2025 & 2024)

Whether you’re hauling construction materials to a job site, loading up for a weekend camping trip, or preparing to tow a heavy trailer, understanding your Ram truck’s payload capacity is not just important—it’s critical. This number dictates the maximum weight you can safely carry, and exceeding it can compromise safety, damage your vehicle, and void your warranty.

This comprehensive guide provides detailed payload capacity charts for the 2025 and 2024 Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 lineups. More importantly, it will empower you with the knowledge to understand what these numbers mean, how to find the exact capacity for your specific truck, and how factors like engine choice and cab size dramatically alter your real-world hauling capability.

Understanding Ram Payload: More Than Just a Number

Before diving into the charts, it’s essential to grasp the fundamental concepts that govern a truck’s payload rating. These terms are the foundation for making safe and informed hauling decisions.

What is Payload Capacity and Why Does It Matter?

A truck’s payload capacity is the maximum amount of weight it can safely carry in its cab and bed combined. This includes everything you add to the vehicle: passengers, tools, luggage, cargo, and even the downward force exerted by a trailer’s tongue.

This is not a suggestion; it is a critical safety limit determined by the manufacturer based on the truck’s frame, suspension, axles, brakes, and tires. Exceeding your payload capacity overloads these components, which can lead to:

• Reduced Braking Performance: The extra weight increases momentum and stopping distances.
• Compromised Handling: Overloading can cause instability, especially during turns or emergency maneuvers.
• Suspension and Drivetrain Damage: Excessive strain can lead to premature wear or failure of the transmission, suspension, and axles.
• Increased Accident Risk: A combination of poor handling and braking significantly raises the risk of losing control.

It’s also important to move beyond outdated classifications. While terms like “half-ton” pickup historically referred to a 1,000-pound payload, modern trucks like the Ram 1500 can carry more than double that amount. The official payload rating is the only number that matters.

Payload vs. Towing Capacity: The Critical Difference

One of the most common points of confusion for truck owners is the difference between payload and towing capacity.

• Payload Capacity: The maximum weight your truck can carry in its cab and bed.
• Towing Capacity: The maximum weight your truck can pull behind it in the form of a trailer.

These two ratings are not independent. The tongue weight of a trailer—the downward force the trailer coupler exerts on the truck’s hitch, typically 10-15% of the total trailer weight—counts against your payload capacity. This is a crucial detail. A heavy trailer can easily add over 1,000 pounds of tongue weight, which, when combined with passengers and gear, can push a truck over its payload limit even if it’s well below its maximum towing capacity.

The Key to Payload: GVWR and Curb Weight Explained

To understand where payload numbers come from, you need to know two key terms: GVWR and Curb Weight.

• Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): This is the absolute maximum allowable weight of the fully loaded vehicle, as specified by the manufacturer. It includes the weight of the truck itself, all fluids, passengers, and any cargo in the cab and bed. You should never exceed the GVWR.
• Curb Weight: This is the weight of the vehicle with standard equipment and a full tank of fuel, but with no passengers or cargo. It’s the truck’s “empty” weight.

The relationship between these figures gives you the payload capacity, calculated with a simple formula.

How to Find and Calculate Your Ram’s Exact Payload Capacity

The payload charts in this article provide the manufacturer’s maximum ratings for various configurations, which are perfect for comparison shopping. However, the most accurate payload capacity for your specific truck is printed on a label inside the driver’s door.

The Simple Formula to Calculate Your Truck’s Payload

The fundamental equation for payload capacity is straightforward :

PayloadCapacity=GVWR−CurbWeight

For example, if a Ram 2500 has a GVWR of 10,000 pounds and its curb weight is 6,500 pounds, its payload capacity is 3,500 pounds.

Why “Max Payload” is a Starting Point, Not Your Final Number

The maximum payload figures advertised by Ram are for a specific, often base-model configuration (e.g., a 4×2 Regular Cab) to showcase the truck’s highest potential. Every option you add—from a sunroof and leather seats to a heavier engine or a 4×4 system—increases the truck’s curb weight. Because payload is what’s left over after subtracting curb weight from the fixed GVWR, any added feature reduces your available payload.

To calculate your true available payload for a trip, follow these steps:

1. Start with the payload capacity listed on your door jamb sticker.
2. Subtract the weight of yourself and all your passengers.
3. Subtract the weight of any cargo or tools already in the cab or bed.
4. Subtract the weight of any aftermarket accessories (e.g., a bed cover, winch, or heavy-duty bumper).
5. If you are towing, subtract the trailer’s tongue weight.

2025 Ram Payload Capacity Charts

The 2025 model year marks a significant shift for Ram, particularly for the Ram 1500, with the introduction of the new Hurricane engine family. These changes have a direct impact on payload capabilities across the lineup.

2025 Ram 1500 Payload Capacity

For 2025, the Ram 1500 replaces the long-running HEMI V8 with two powerful and efficient 3.0L Hurricane twin-turbo inline-six engines—a Standard Output and a High Output version. The dependable 3.6L Pentastar V6 remains the standard engine. This powertrain shuffle creates a new hierarchy for payload, where the lightest engine configuration yields the highest hauling capability.

2025 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Payload Capacity

The 2025 Ram 2500 continues its role as the go-to choice for serious work and heavy recreational towing. Buyers can choose between the powerful 6.4L HEMI V8 gas engine, which prioritizes maximum payload, or the newly available High-Output 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel I6, which is optimized for immense torque and towing prowess.

2025 Ram 3500 Heavy Duty Payload Capacity

For the most extreme hauling needs, the 2025 Ram 3500 is the undisputed champion of the lineup. Its defining feature is the availability of a Dual Rear Wheel (DRW) configuration, which dramatically increases stability and allows for the highest payload ratings by distributing weight over four rear tires.

2024 Ram Payload Capacity Charts

For those considering a new 2024 model or a late-model used truck, these figures remain highly relevant. The 2024 Ram 1500 was the last to feature the iconic 5.7L HEMI V8, while the Heavy Duty models offered a similar powertrain lineup to the 2025 models.

2024 Ram 1500 & 1500 Classic Payload Capacity

The 2024 Ram 1500 offered a range of engines, with the 3.6L Pentastar V6 providing the highest payload. The Ram 1500 Classic continued the previous-generation design, offering a budget-friendly option with proven capabilities.

2024 Ram 1500 Maximum Payload Capacity (lbs)

2024 Ram 1500 Classic Maximum Payload Capacity (lbs)

2024 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Payload Capacity

The 2024 Ram 2500 payload ratings highlight the significant advantage of the gas engine for hauling heavy in-bed cargo, a consistent theme in the Heavy Duty lineup.

2024 Ram 3500 Heavy Duty Payload Capacity

The 2024 Ram 3500 offered staggering payload numbers, with the gas-powered DRW configuration leading the pack for sheer hauling strength.

Key Factors That Change Your Ram’s Payload Rating

Looking at the charts reveals clear patterns. The final payload rating on a Ram truck is a result of a series of trade-offs between power, space, and capability. Understanding these factors is key to choosing the right configuration for your needs.

Engine Choice: The Payload Inversion Explained

A consistent and somewhat counter-intuitive trend across the entire Ram lineup is that the most powerful engines do not yield the highest payload capacities. This is due to a simple principle: the heavier the engine, the higher the truck’s curb weight. Since payload is calculated by subtracting curb weight from a fixed GVWR, the added mass of a heavy diesel engine directly reduces the amount of weight left for cargo and passengers.

For example, the Ram 3500’s 6.4L HEMI V8 allows for a class-leading payload of 7,590 pounds. The much heavier High-Output Cummins Turbo Diesel, while offering immense torque for towing, reduces the maximum payload to 6,050 pounds because the engine itself weighs several hundred pounds more. This makes the gas engine the superior choice for users who prioritize carrying heavy loads in the bed, such as those with slide-in campers or heavy service bodies.

Cab and Bed Size: The Trade-off Between People, Cargo, and Weight

The choice of cab and bed configuration follows a straightforward logic: more steel equals more weight and less payload. A Regular Cab, with its shorter length and lighter structure, will consistently offer a higher payload rating than a Crew Cab or Mega Cab with the same powertrain. Similarly, a longer 8-foot bed weighs more than a 6-foot-4-inch bed, slightly reducing payload capacity in exchange for more cargo volume.

Drivetrain: How 4×2 vs. 4×4 Affects What You Can Carry

Opting for a 4×4 drivetrain provides superior traction in adverse conditions, but it comes at the cost of payload. The additional components—including a front differential, transfer case, and front driveshaft—can add hundreds of pounds to the truck’s curb weight. This added weight is subtracted directly from the payload capacity, which is why 4×2 models consistently feature higher payload ratings than their 4×4 counterparts in the charts.

Single Rear Wheel (SRW) vs. Dual Rear Wheel (DRW): The Heavy Hauler’s Choice

For the Ram 3500, the single most significant factor for maximizing payload is choosing the Dual Rear Wheel (DRW) configuration. The jump in capability is not incremental; it is massive. A Ram 3500 SRW has a payload capacity similar to a Ram 2500, but adding the dual rear wheels boosts the gas payload rating to over 7,500 pounds.

This is because the four rear tires can support a much higher load, allowing Ram to assign the truck a significantly higher rear Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) and a GVWR of up to 14,000 pounds. This makes the “dually” the only choice for the heaviest hauling applications.

Which Ram Truck Has the Highest Payload Capacity?

While the Ram 3500 DRW offers the highest payload among the consumer pickup lineup, the ultimate payload champion in the Ram family is the Ram Chassis Cab.

Chassis Cab models are engineered specifically for commercial use, designed to be upfitted with service bodies, flatbeds, or other custom applications. Their frames and suspensions are built to handle the absolute heaviest loads.

Ram Model Lineup – Maximum Payload Comparison

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: Does payload capacity include passengers and fuel?

Payload capacity is the total weight of everything you add to the truck, which includes all passengers and cargo. A full tank of fuel is already accounted for in the truck’s curb weight and does not subtract from your available payload.

Q2: What happens if I exceed my truck’s payload capacity?

Exceeding your truck’s GVWR by overloading it is both dangerous and illegal. It puts immense stress on the brakes, suspension, tires, and frame, which can lead to component failure. It also severely impacts the vehicle’s stability and handling, increasing stopping distances and the risk of an accident.

Q3: Can I increase my Ram’s payload capacity?

Legally, you cannot increase the manufacturer’s stated GVWR, and therefore, you cannot increase the official payload capacity. However, you can install aftermarket suspension upgrades, such as heavy-duty leaf springs or an airbag system, to help the truck better manage a heavy load. These systems can level the truck, reduce sag, and improve stability, but they do not increase the legal weight limit.

Q4: Where can I find the most detailed weight specifications for my Ram truck?

The most comprehensive and technical resource for weight ratings is the Ram Body Builder’s Guide. This official publication is intended for commercial upfitters and provides granular data on base weights, dimensions, and technical specifications for every possible truck configuration. It is the ultimate source of truth for precise weight calculations. You can typically find this guide on the Ram Trucks or Stellantis Fleet websites.