Model Aircraft Covering Weight Comparison

When deciding which type of covering material to apply to a model airplane structure, it would be helpful to have a table of covering density for comparison. Here is such a table which shows, for instance, that 21st Century Fabric is the heaviest type of covering you can use. MicroLite covering is the lightest weight. Not shown are most doped or painted coverings because finished weights are so dependent on substrate type (silk, Silkspan, tissue, etc.), paint or dope type, and number/thickness of coats. To calculate the covering weight, multiply the density by the total surface area of your model.

HomeFly has a very extensive table of model airplane covering material weights. Note that they use units of grams per square meter. I have not verified the numbers there, so be sure to investigate further if weight is critical. Here is a units converter for you.

   * Opaque, transparent, pearl, metallic (other sources claim transparent is lighter)

** w/o dope