Diamond DA 40 (standard tank) weight and balance
A metric aeroplane with an imperial second opinion: the AFM works in kilograms and metres and prints pounds and inches beside them. Two things make its weight-and-balance different from a Cessna or a Piper - the maximum LANDING mass is 128 lb below the maximum takeoff mass on the original main-gear strut, so a full-fuel departure can be a legal takeoff and an illegal landing; and the rearward CG limit tightens by 1.6 in if the long-range tank is fitted.
Flying under EASA rules? This is the DA 40's mass and balance: the same moments and the same centre-of-gravity limits.
Check this is your variant before you use a number
Modelled on the DA 40 AFM Doc. # 6.01.01-E Revision 7 with the STANDARD fuel tank: 2,535 lb maximum takeoff, 2,407 lb maximum landing (original main-gear strut) and a 102.0 in rearward CG limit. If your aeroplane has the long-range tank the rearward limit is 100.4 in, not 102.0. If it has the modified strut (MAEM 40-123/e) or the tall main-gear strut (OÄM 40-283) the maximum landing mass is 2,535 lb (EASA TCDS Note 10). Later aeroplanes with MAEM 40-227 are approved (TCDS Note 11, AFM Rev 10 Section 2.8.2) to 2,646 lb takeoff with a 97.6 in forward limit at that mass. The diesel DA 40 D and the DA 40 NG are different aeroplanes and are not modelled here.
DA 40 weight and balance calculator
Four occupants, non-aerobatic operations.
Loaded result
Within limitsDiamond DA 40 (standard tank) · Normal category · data checked 2026-10-07
The printed sheet carries the aircraft, the date, every station, all three points of the flight and the full safety notice - free, no sign-up, and it prints offline.
CG envelope
Takeoff and landing plotted against the Diamond DA 40 (standard tank) normal-category envelope.
- Normal envelope
- Takeoff
- Landing
- Fuel burning off
Each point is labelled IN or OUT, and both must sit inside the envelope.
Datum plane: 2.194 m (86.4 in) forward of the most forward point of the root rib on the stub wing - the EASA TCDS says the leading edge of the stub-wing at the wing joint. All arms are inches aft of that (AFM Section 6.4.1). Full limits and sources
Loading
Weights in pounds; fuel in US gallons. Arms are fixed by the airframe.
The AFM worked example (Section 6.4.3): empty mass 1,620 lb at moment 152,762 in-lb, i.e. arm 94.3 in. It is a printed example, not your airframe - replace both numbers from your aircraft mass and balance report.
Your rule sets it: under 14 CFR 91.151 (VFR), at least 30 minutes at normal cruising speed by day and 45 at night; the EASA and UK minutes are on the fuel reserves page.
Loadouts
Saved on this device only - a loadout is never sent to us.
Breakdown
Weight x arm = moment, per station.
Certificated limits
Datum plane: 2.194 m (86.4 in) forward of the most forward point of the root rib on the stub wing - the EASA TCDS says the leading edge of the stub-wing at the wing joint. All arms are inches aft of that (AFM Section 6.4.1).
Normal category
Four occupants, non-aerobatic operations.
| Maximum ramp weight | 2,535 lb |
|---|---|
| Maximum takeoff weight | 2,535 lb |
| Maximum landing weight | 2,407 lb |
| Weight (lb) | Forward limit (in) | Aft limit (in) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,720 | 94.50 | 102.00 |
| 2,161 | 94.50 | 102.00 |
| 2,535 (max) | 96.90 | 102.00 |
Source: DA 40 AFM Rev 7, Sections 2.7 and 2 (CG limitations).
Utility category
Two occupants in the front seats. The AFM places no baggage restriction on this category.
| Maximum ramp weight | 2,161 lb |
|---|---|
| Maximum takeoff weight | 2,161 lb |
| Maximum landing weight | 2,161 lb |
| Weight (lb) | Forward limit (in) | Aft limit (in) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,720 | 94.50 | 102.00 |
| 2,161 (max) | 94.50 | 102.00 |
Loading restriction. Two occupants only, both of whom must sit in front. The calculator treats a load in any of those places as a violation in this category, not a caution.
Source: DA 40 AFM Rev 7, Sections 2.7 and 2.12.
Station arms
| Station | Arm (in) | Range (in) | Max (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front seats (pilot + passenger) | 90.6 | - | - |
| Rear seats | 128.0 | - | - |
| Fuel (usable) | 103.5 | - | 242 |
| Baggage compartment | 143.7 | - | 66 |
| Baggage tube | 170.1 | - | 11 |
Fuel: 40.2 US gallons usable at 6.01 lb per gallon = 242 lb. Only usable fuel is charged to the fuel station - the unusable remainder is already inside the certificated empty weight.
Worked example
Two adults up front (340 lb), one in the back (170 lb), 30 of the 40.2 usable gallons and a 20 lb bag, burning 15 gal on the trip.
Empty weight 1,620 lb at 94.30 in. The AFM worked example (Section 6.4.3): empty mass 1,620 lb at moment 152,762 in-lb, i.e. arm 94.3 in. It is a printed example, not your airframe - replace both numbers from your aircraft mass and balance report.
| Item | Weight (lb) | Arm (in) | Moment (in-lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weight (from your W&B record) | 1,620 | 94.3 | 152,766 |
| Front seats (pilot + passenger) | 340 | 90.6 | 30,804 |
| Rear seats | 170 | 128.0 | 21,760 |
| Fuel (usable) | 180 | 103.5 | 18,661 |
| Baggage compartment | 20 | 143.7 | 2,874 |
| Baggage tube | 0 | 170.1 | 0 |
| Ramp | 2,330 | 97.35 | 226,865 |
| Takeoff | 2,330 | 97.35 | 226,865 |
| Less trip fuel (15 gal) | -90 | 103.5 | -9,331 |
| Landing | 2,240 | 97.11 | 217,535 |
At 2,330 lb the Normal-category limits are 95.59 to 102.00 in, so a takeoff CG of 97.35 in is inside the envelope. Burning the 15 gal of trip fuel at the 103.5 in fuel arm moves the CG forward to 97.11 in at 2,240 lb, against limits of 95.01 to 102.00 in there. Both ends of the flight are inside the envelope, which is the check that matters.
What catches people out on the DA 40
- Maximum landing mass is 2,407 lb on the original main-gear strut - 128 lb below the takeoff maximum. Departing at maximum weight commits you to burning fuel before you can legally land.
- The long-range tank does not just add fuel: it moves the rearward CG limit forward, from 102.0 in to 100.4 in. Same aeroplane, smaller envelope.
- Utility category is 2,161 lb and two occupants, both in front. The AFM does not require the baggage compartment to be empty - which is the opposite of the Cessna and Piper rule, so do not carry the habit across.
- Fuel weight is computed at 6.01 lb/US gal here because that is the density the AFM assumes, not the 6.0 used by the Cessna and Piper handbooks.
- Baggage is placarded by compartment: 66 lb in the standard compartment and 11 lb in the baggage tube, and the tube is at 170.1 in - a long way aft.
Where every figure on this page comes from
- Diamond DA 40 Airplane Flight Manual, Doc. # 6.01.01-E, Revision 7, 15 July 2006 (values re-checked against Revision 10, 18 September 2023)Maximum masses, both CG limits, moment arms, baggage placards, fuel quantities and the assumed fuel density.
- EASA Type Certificate Data Sheet EASA.IM.A.022, Issue 24, 22 April 2021 (DA 40)Maximum weights, CG range, fuel capacities, baggage compartment loads, datum and propeller type.
Figures checked - the date of this profile's last data revision, printed on every result and on the planning sheet. Each revision is explained in the corrections log.
FAA Type Certificate Data Sheets are United States government works and are in the public domain. Handbook figures are quoted for identification and reference; KeepBlueUp is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by any manufacturer or aviation authority. Where a figure could not be quoted from a public document it is not on this page at all.