How Much Does an Iceberg Actually Weigh?

You've probably heard that the average iceberg weighs 20 million tons. It's a number that gets tossed around a lot, impressive enough to make you pause. But here's the thing: it's not quite right.

The actual average iceberg weighs between 100,000 and 200,000 metric tons - still absolutely massive, roughly equivalent to a solid 15-story cubic building, but nowhere near 20 million. So where did that inflated number come from?

The Iceberg Weight Spectrum

Icebergs vary wildly in size, which makes "average" a tricky concept. At the small end, you have growlers - car-sized chunks that barely register as icebergs. Next up are bergy bits (yes, that's the actual scientific term), roughly the size of a small house.

But the big boys? They can weigh up to 10 million tonnes or more. The mass depends on height, width, and how much lurks beneath the surface - typically about 90% of the iceberg's total volume.

When Icebergs Break Records

The confusion about average weight might stem from occasional monster icebergs that dominate headlines. Consider A23a, currently the world's largest iceberg. This frozen behemoth:

• Covers 1,500 square miles (larger than Rhode Island)
• Measures around 1,300 feet thick
• Weighs nearly one trillion tons

The largest iceberg ever recorded was spotted in 1956 in the South Pacific - a tabular ice slab measuring 208 by 60 miles. Iceberg B-15, which calved from Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf in 2000, was roughly the size of Connecticut with an area of 4,500 square miles.

These giants make 20 million tons look quaint. But they're exceptional, not average. Using them to represent typical icebergs is like saying the average building is the size of the Burj Khalifa.

Why Size Matters (and Misleads)

The dramatic range in iceberg sizes - from car-sized to country-sized - creates statistical chaos. A few massive outliers can skew perceptions of what's "normal." Think of it this way: if Bill Gates walks into a bar, the average person in that bar is suddenly a millionaire. But most people aren't actually rich.

Same principle applies to icebergs. While a handful weigh tens of millions of tons or more, the vast majority you'd encounter in iceberg-prone waters like the North Atlantic fall into that 100,000-200,000 ton sweet spot.

So next time someone quotes that 20 million ton figure, you can drop some knowledge: that's not average - that's extraordinary. The real average is still plenty impressive, just five to ten times smaller than the myth suggests.