Mike Reeves, ASE Master Technician · Last reviewed May 14, 2026

Tire Ply Rating Chart

Type a sidewall code, a load index, or just a Load Range letter — see ply rating, max PSI, and capacity in pounds and kilograms. Filter the chart by passenger, light truck, trailer, or heavy-duty. Free, no signup, embeddable.

Tire Ply Rating + Load Index Chart

Accepts 235/65R17 104H, LT265/70R17 E, ST225/75R15 D, 121, or Load Range E.

Autofills the size and Load Range typical for that build.

LI 121 · 1450 kg · 3197 lb
60 (250 kg) 100 (800 kg) 150 (3,350 kg)
Load Range / Ply
E 10-ply
equivalent strength
Max cold PSI
80 psi
sidewall maximum
Capacity per tire
3,197 lb
or 1,450 kg (LI 121)

Light Truck (LT) tire, Load Range E (10-ply equivalent), max 80 psi cold, load index 121 = 3,197 lb per tire. Sized for half-ton and ¾-ton pickups, heavy towing.

Heavy-duty

Verify against the sidewall and your owner's manual before exceeding stock load.

Mike's recommendations for this build

Load Range cross-reference

Showing all classes

Load Range Ply Max PSI Typical use Severity
A 2-ply 35 psi Light-duty light trailer, golf cart light
B 4-ply 35 psi Passenger cars, small utility trailer light
C 6-ply 50 psi Light truck, medium trailer, light SUV medium
D 8-ply 65 psi Heavy-duty trailer, ½-ton truck, SUV medium
E 10-ply 80 psi Full-size truck (¾-ton, 1-ton), heavy towing heavy
F 12-ply 95 psi Commercial truck, large trailer heavy
G 14-ply 110 psi Heavy-duty commercial trailer commercial
H 16-ply 120 psi Extreme heavy-duty commercial commercial
J 18-ply 130 psi Specialty heavy commercial commercial
L 20-ply 135 psi Specialty heavy commercial / off-road commercial
M 22-ply 145 psi Specialty commercial / military commercial
N 24-ply 150 psi Specialty commercial / military commercial

Modern radial tires rarely use literal plies — "10-ply" is the strength equivalent of old bias-ply construction. The Load Range letter is what's stamped on the sidewall.

Reference values from ETRTO / TRA / JATMA standards. Always verify against the actual tire sidewall, manufacturer's load tables, or your door-jamb sticker before exceeding stock load capacity. Trailer (ST) and light-truck (LT) tires use different load tables than passenger (P) tires — match the application. Higher load range means stiffer ride; do not over-pressurize past the sidewall maximum.

Embed this tool on your site for free

How to use this chart

  1. Type a sidewall code. Read what's stamped on your tire's sidewall — passenger looks like 235/65R17 104H, light truck looks like LT265/70R17 121S E, trailer looks like ST225/75R15 D. Paste it into the input and the result panel populates live.
  2. Or type a load index, or a Load Range letter. Just 121 gives you the capacity in kg and lb. Just E (or Load Range E) gives you the ply equivalent and max PSI.
  3. Or drag the slider. The Load Index slider runs 60 (small trailer) to 150 (light-commercial). Drag to see the capacity update in real time.
  4. Filter the chart. Tap a vehicle-class chip — Passenger, Light Truck (LT), Trailer (ST), or Heavy-duty — and the cross-reference table re-renders to show only the relevant load ranges.
  5. Save it. Hit "Share" to copy a link with your current input preserved, or "PDF" to download a one-page branded chart for the shop, the alignment bay, or the trailer-build notebook.

Why this chart is different from other tire ply rating charts

Most "tire ply rating chart" results online are a static PNG embedded in a 1,200-word blog post, or a paragraph defining each Load Range letter. Both work, but neither one helps you in three seconds when you're standing next to a tire with a sidewall code in front of you. Here's what we did differently:

  • Sidewall code parser. Type LT265/70R17 121S E and see Load Range E (10-ply, 80 psi max) and load index 121 (1,450 kg / 3,197 lb) in one parse. Every other result on page one of Google makes you cross-reference three different charts.
  • Live load-index → kg / lb converter. The Load Index slider is hooked to a 201-row ETRTO lookup table — drag from 60 to 150 and the kilograms and pounds update on every input event. Try doing that with a PNG.
  • Filterable cross-reference. Tap "Trailer (ST)" and the table hides irrelevant rows. Tap "Light Truck (LT)" and only the load ranges your truck would actually use stay visible. No more reading through commercial-truck data when you're spec'ing a half-ton.
  • Severity color-coding. Light / Medium / Heavy / Commercial chips next to every row. You can tell at a glance whether Load Range C is right for your application or whether you should be looking further down the table.
  • One-page branded PDF. Built-in download with the full chart, a load-index excerpt, and the source citations — date-stamped and reviewed by an ASE Master Tech. Take it to the trailer shop, pin it to the build-thread, hand it to the apprentice.
  • Embeddable widget. Forum mods, RV dealer service writers, off-road YouTubers, fleet trainers — copy a one-line iframe and host the same chart. Free, with attribution. Zero competitors offer this.
  • Reviewed by an ASE Master Tech. The top SERP results are anonymous corporate education pages from tire shops. Mike Reeves has 15 years in the bay and signs his name to the math.

How load range, ply rating, and load index work

Tire load specifications used to be simple: count the layers of cotton cord, write the number on the sidewall, and you knew the strength. Modern radial construction made that obsolete, but the labels stuck — converted to letters, and supplemented by a numeric load index. Three different conventions describing the same property.

Load Range (letter)

The single uppercase letter (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and higher) stamped on the sidewall of light-truck (LT) and trailer (ST) tires. Each letter corresponds to a maximum cold inflation pressure and an equivalent strength to old bias-ply construction. Higher letter = higher allowable PSI = greater carrying capacity, also a stiffer ride.

Load Range A is 2-ply equivalent (35 psi max). Each step up adds two plies and bumps the max PSI: B = 4-ply (35 psi), C = 6-ply (50 psi), D = 8-ply (65 psi), E = 10-ply (80 psi), F = 12-ply (95 psi), G = 14-ply (110 psi), H = 16-ply (120 psi). Beyond H you're in heavy-commercial territory (J, L, M, N).

Ply rating (equivalent)

The old number — 2-ply, 4-ply, 6-ply, 8-ply, 10-ply, 12-ply. Modern radial tires do not actually have that many physical layers. A so-called "10-ply" tire might have two steel belts and a polyester body ply — the rating just means the tire has the equivalent strength of the old 10-ply cotton-cord construction. Tire-shop people still say "ten-ply" because the term is what truck and trailer customers grew up with.

Load index (number)

The two- or three-digit number stamped on passenger and most LT tires (e.g., 104, 121, 125). It's an index, not a unit — index 100 doesn't mean 100 lbs, it means 800 kg per tire. The conversion is a published ETRTO lookup table running 0–200. Higher index = greater capacity, but the relationship is non-linear (LI 100 → 800 kg; LI 110 → 1,060 kg; LI 121 → 1,450 kg).

Why all three exist on the same tire

Load Range gives a quick category — "this is a 6-ply equivalent" tells a truck buyer the use class. The load index gives a precise capacity in kg you can plug into a tow-or-haul calculation. The PSI cap protects against over-inflation. All three constrain the tire's safe use — exceed any one and you risk a blowout or premature wear.

Sources used

Lookup tables are cross-validated against the Tire Rack Load Range guide, the Discount Tire Load Range vs Load Index page, the Les Schwab ply rating reference, and the ETRTO / Tire and Rim Association (TRA) standards manuals. The 15 fixture cases this tool is tested against live in fixtures.json — every release passes them.

Three real-world examples

Half-ton pickup — F-150 stock LT265/70R17 121S E

Stock-spec tire on a 2024 F-150 XLT 4x4. Paste it into the parser and you get: Light Truck (LT), Load Range E (10-ply equivalent), max 80 psi cold, load index 121 (1,450 kg / 3,197 lb per tire). With four tires, that's 12,788 lb of total tire capacity — comfortably above the truck's ~7,400 lb curb weight plus a max payload near 2,300 lb. The E rating is non-negotiable: a half-ton pickup with a load range C or D won't safely carry a loaded bed.

Travel trailer — ST225/75R15 E

Common tandem-axle tire on travel trailers in the 5,000–7,000 lb GVWR range. Parser gives: Trailer (ST), Load Range E (10-ply equivalent), max 80 psi cold. ST tires don't always print a load index — they're rated by Load Range against published ST tire load tables, with capacities running ~2,540 lb per tire at the Load Range E level. Two tires = 5,080 lb axle capacity; four = 10,160 lb trailer capacity. Always run ST tires at their cold sidewall max (80 psi here) — they need full inflation to carry rated load without overheating.

Sedan — 235/65R17 104H

Stock-spec tire on a Toyota Camry XLE. No load range letter stamped — passenger P-metric tires almost never carry one in the US market. Parser surfaces: Passenger, Standard Load (SL), load index 104 (900 kg / 1,984 lb per tire), H speed rating (130 mph). The capacity is exactly what the sedan needs for its ~3,400 lb curb weight plus four adults and trunk cargo. Going to Extra Load (XL) at this size would add capacity (load index 108 = 1,000 kg) but stiffen the ride — only worth it for towing or constant heavy load.

What the numbers mean — SL vs XL vs LT vs ST

What's the difference between SL and XL passenger tires?

Standard Load (SL) is the default passenger tire spec — typically a 36 psi max cold sidewall pressure and a load index in the 80–108 range. Extra Load (XL) tires have a reinforced sidewall, run 41 or 42 psi max cold, and carry roughly 10% more weight at the same nominal size. XL is required for heavier vehicles (large SUVs, EVs, performance sedans) at certain sizes. Sidewall stamp: "XL" or "Extra Load" or "Reinforced".

How is LT different from passenger?

LT (Light Truck) tires have heavier carcasses, stronger sidewalls, and run at much higher PSI (50–80 psi typical, vs 32–35 psi for passenger). They're rated by Load Range letter (B through G) rather than just load index. LT tires also have different load tables than P-metric tires at the same load index, because the load index calibration for LT tires assumes higher inflation pressure. Always match the right table to the right tire class.

How is ST different from LT?

ST (Special Trailer) tires are sized for trailer service only — they have stiffer sidewalls than LT tires to resist sway and trailer-specific loading patterns, but they're not built for steering loads, so they're not appropriate as a tow vehicle's drive tires. ST tires also have their own load tables that allow more capacity per tire than an LT of the same nominal size and Load Range. Common ST sizes: ST205/75R15, ST225/75R15, ST235/85R16.

What's the practical difference between Load Range C and D?

Roughly 15 psi of inflation capacity and one full tier of load capacity. Load Range C tops out at 50 psi cold and is typical for light-duty crossovers and small utility trailers. Load Range D goes to 65 psi and adds enough capacity to handle a ¾-ton-class truck or a heavier travel trailer. The ride gets noticeably stiffer at Load Range D and above — a deliberate trade-off for the carrying capacity.

Can I run a higher load range than my vehicle came with?

Usually yes, with caveats. Going from E to F or G on a half-ton pickup adds capacity but stiffens the ride and may exceed your rim's PSI rating. Going from C to E on a Wrangler is common for off-road builds but you'll feel every expansion joint. Going the other way — downsizing the load range below stock — is almost never a good idea; if the manufacturer specs an LT265 E, that means the truck's loaded weight needs Load Range E to be safe.

Frequently asked questions

Is a 10-ply or 12-ply tire better?

Neither is universally better — it depends on the load you're carrying. A 10-ply (Load Range E) tire handles full-size half-ton and ¾-ton pickup duty with heavy towing. A 12-ply (Load Range F) bumps capacity for 1-ton and commercial light-duty applications, at the cost of a stiffer ride. Match the load range to the truck's GVWR + typical payload. Over-spec'ing isn't free — you give up ride quality, fuel economy, and sometimes traction on light loads.

Are all LT tires 10-ply?

No. LT tires come in Load Range C (6-ply equivalent, light-duty), D (8-ply), E (10-ply), F (12-ply), and G (14-ply). Load Range E is the most common for half-ton and ¾-ton pickups, but Jeep Wranglers often run LT C or D for ride quality, and 1-ton+ trucks may need F or higher.

How do I find the ply rating on a tire?

Look on the sidewall after the size designation. A code like LT265/70R17 121S E has the Load Range letter (E) printed near the load index and speed rating. Some tires also stamp "Load Range E (10-ply rating)" explicitly. If you only see a load index and no letter, you have a passenger P-metric or SL/XL tire — the ply-rating concept doesn't apply directly.

What does the load index actually represent?

It's an indexed number from the ETRTO / TRA standards table that maps to a maximum load capacity per tire in kg, at the tire's maximum rated cold inflation pressure. Example: load index 121 = 1,450 kg = 3,197 lb per tire. Multiply by four for total vehicle tire capacity. Always exceed the vehicle's actual GVWR; never use a tire with a load index below the vehicle's spec.

Can I embed this chart on my forum or build thread?

Yes — copy the embed snippet at the bottom of this page. Free, no signup, no analytics tied to the embed. The widget includes attribution to RevRated and Mike Reeves, which is part of the deal. Useful for RV forums, trailer-builder pages, off-road build threads, fleet training pages, and dealer service blogs.

Three categories cover what most readers need around picking a tire by load range and load index:

  • Best All-Season Tires — match the load index and Load Range to your vehicle's door-jamb spec. The right load rating on the wrong compound is still the wrong tire.
  • Best Winter Tires — winter LT and ST tires also carry Load Range letters; confirm before mounting, especially on tow rigs.
  • Best Tire Pressure Gauges — higher load range = higher cold inflation PSI to manage. A ±0.5 PSI digital gauge is the floor for LT and ST tires.
  • Best Portable Tire Inflators — LT and ST tires lose PSI faster overnight. Top off cold before driving, especially before towing.

Sources & methodology

The 15 parse fixtures and load-index cross-validation cases live in fixtures.json alongside the source — every build passes them. About Mike Reeves · Last reviewed May 14, 2026.

Embed this chart on your site

Free for RV forum mods, trailer-builder pages, off-road build threads, fleet trainers, dealer service blogs, and personal sites. Required attribution is included in the snippet. No fee, no signup, no analytics attached to the embed. 

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  Tire ply rating + load index chart by
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  &middot; Reviewed by Mike Reeves, ASE Master Technician
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