LOAD RANGE & PLY RATINGS

There are a few different classes tire experts use to discuss a tire’s ability to hold air pressure and carry weight. You’ll find one of these classifications, the load range, listed on the tire sidewall represented by a letter after the wheel size. This letter code gives you a comparative idea of the tire’s strength. This will help you understand how much air your tire can hold, how much weight it can carry, and it provides a relative measure of the tire’s durability. Tires with higher load ranges carry heavier loads.

Load range is based on a measurement called “ply rating.” All tires are constructed of rubber and cord layers referred to as plies. Generally, more plies gave a tire a larger load carrying capacity, so manufacturers would count a tire’s plies and use this number to denote carrying capacity.

However, a modern tire’s construction uses fewer, stronger plies. Therefore, load range simply defines the tire’s toughness and maximum allowable air pressure, as opposed to specific information about its composition. For example, a “C” load range indicates that a tire is equivalent to a 6-ply construction tire. This tire isn’t actually built of 6 plies, but rather one or two plies of equivalent strength.

Check out our chart below to see the load range and ply rating and the max load carrying load pressure.

Load Range and Ply Rating
Load Range	Ply Rating	Max Load Carrying Pressure
C1	6	@ 50 PSI
C2	6	@ 35 PSI
D1	8	@ 65 PSI
D2	8	@ 50 PSI
E1	10	@ 80 PSI
E2	10	@ 65 PSI
F1	12	@ 95 PSI
G	14	@ 110 PSI

As shown in our chart, the example tire placed above is rated as a "E1". This means the ply rating is a 10 and the max load carrying pressure is 80 psi. To find your code, check the tire sidewall to find the letter that indicates the load range. Passenger tires are usually unmarked because they have a standard 4-ply rating. However, you may find passenger tires marked as Standard Load (SL) or Extra Load (XL or Reinforced). Both types have a 4-ply rating, but the Extra Load can support additional load at up to 42 PSI, as opposed to the Standard Load’s 36 PSI. When it comes to load range, you may see these indicated as C1 or C2. To simplify this even further, the letter C still indicates the load range but the number after it designates a difference in max load carrying load pressure. For example: C1 and C2 are both 6 ply rated, but C1 has a max of 50 PSI and C2 has a max of 35 PSI. This holds true for other ply ratings too. If you ever have any doubts on the ratings of your tires, give us a call and we are always happy to help!

PLY CONSTRUCTION

This information tells you which materials are used in the tire’s plies, and the quantity of each type of ply. Additionally, your tire sidewall will display information about its construction. You will find this information written out in a clear format.