How Much Does an IEM Rack Weigh? Weights for Common Gear and Cases

A loaded 8U in-ear rack for a four-piece band weighs about 35 kg, roughly 76 lb, before you add cables. The heaviest single thing in it is usually the battery backup, not the mixer.

The short answer

• The mixer: a Behringer X32 Rack is 6.5 kg (14.4 lb). An XR18 is 3.2 kg (7.1 lb).
• The transmitters: a half-rack Shure P3T is 783 g. A dual Shure P10T is 4.7 kg.
• The surprise: a 1U CyberPower UPS is 14.9 kg (32.8 lb), more than the mixer and four transmitters together.
• The case: an empty SKB 8U roto-molded rack is 22.2 lb (10.1 kg). A shock-mount touring case can weigh more than everything inside it.

What common IEM rack gear weighs

These are the published weights for gear that turns up in most in-ear racks. They are bare units, with no rack ears, power cables or bags.

• Behringer X32 Rack: 6.5 kg (14.4 lb), 3U.
• Midas DL32 stage box: 5.7 kg (12.6 lb), 3U.
• Behringer XR18: 3.2 kg (7.1 lb).
• Shure P3T (PSM300 transmitter): 783 g (1.7 lb), half rack wide.
• Shure P10T (PSM1000, two transmitters in one box): 4.7 kg (10.4 lb), 1U.
• CyberPower OR1500LCDRM1U UPS: 14.9 kg (32.8 lb), 1U.

The pattern is worth remembering. Digital mixers and stage boxes are light for their size, because most of the box is air and circuit boards. Batteries are dense. A 1U UPS packs a lot of lead into one rack space, which is why it outweighs a 3U mixer.

What the case adds

The case is the part people forget to weigh. An empty case can be close to a third of the total, and on touring racks it can be most of it.

• Molded plastic, 6U: a Gator GR-6L is 14 lb (6.4 kg) empty, with front and rear rails.
• Roto-molded plastic, 8U: an SKB 1SKB-R8U is 22.2 lb (10.1 kg) empty.
• Shock-mount touring case: a ProX XS-SLAM2X16U24, two 16U racks on shock mounts in a plywood and aluminum shell, is 255 lb (116 kg) empty.

Lighter cases trade protection for weight. Molded cases suit a band that loads its own van. Shock-mount cases exist to survive trucks, forklifts and stacking, and they weigh like it.

A worked example: an 8U rack for four in-ear mixes

Here is one rack, added up from the published weights above.

• SKB 1SKB-R8U case, empty: 10.1 kg
• CyberPower OR1500LCDRM1U UPS: 14.9 kg
• Behringer X32 Rack: 6.5 kg
• Four Shure P3T transmitters, two per rack space: 3.1 kg

That comes to about 34.6 kg, or 76 lb, using six of the eight spaces. The UPS alone is 43 percent of the whole rack, case included. Rack ears, power cables, antenna leads and a power conditioner in one of the spare spaces all add to it, so plan on 40 kg once it is fully cabled.

Where the weight hides

• Batteries: every UPS. Runtime costs weight.
• The case itself: especially shock-mount and wood cases.
• Cable: a drawer of XLR and power cords is easy to underestimate. Weigh yours once.
• Not the electronics: transmitters and stage boxes are rarely the problem.

Lifting and loading

Put the heaviest gear low in the case so it doesn’t tip on its wheels or handles. That usually means the UPS and any power gear at the bottom. If one rack is getting too heavy for one person, the natural break is to split it: monitor world in one case, power and backup in another.

IEM Rig adds up every unit you place, plus the case, and warns when a rig goes over 100 kg (about 220 lb) so you can plan for two people or a cart before load-in.

Sources

• Behringer X32 Rack listing: 6.5 kg (14.4 lb), 3U
• Midas DL32 manual: 5.7 kg
• B&H Midas DL32 listing: 12.5 lb (5.7 kg)
• Behringer XR18 listing: 3.2 kg (7.1 lb)
• Shure P3T listing: 783 g, half rack
• Shure PSM1000 specification sheet: P10T is 4.7 kg
• CyberPower OR1500LCDRM1U spec sheet: 14.9 kg (32.8 lb), 1U
• SKB 1SKB-R8U listing: 22.2 lb, roto-molded
• Gator GR-6L listing: 14 lb, front and rear rails
• ProX XS-SLAM2X16U24 product page: two 16U shock-mount racks, 255 lb