Quick answer: A 5×6 hay bale made on a typical large round baler weighs:
- About 1,000-1,400 lbs at dry-hay moisture (10-15%)
- About 1,250-1,700 lbs at typical baleage moisture (35-45%)
- As much as 2,000-2,200 lbs at high-moisture (60%+) silage moisture
The actual weight depends on baler model, chamber size, crop type, density setting, and a 10-15% spring "moisture re-absorption" that happens to dry bales stored outdoors. Real-world weighed averages from beef operators are below.
Almost every conversation about feed inventory eventually hits the same wall: how much does a bale actually weigh? The answer matters more than people give it credit for. Trucking rate, hay sale price, ration math, fertility decisions, and your feed-cost-per-cow-per-day all run downstream of this single number — and most operations are working from a guess that's off by 100 to 300 pounds per bale.
We pulled together weighed data and field experience from beef operators running John Deere, Vermeer, New Holland, Case IH and Massey Ferguson balers. What follows is the most realistic weight chart we've seen, organized by baler model and bale dimension, with the math you need to estimate your own bales without a scale.
Why bale weight is so variable
The factors that drive weight, ranked roughly by impact:
- Moisture. Easily the biggest single variable. Dry hay at 12% moisture weighs about 0.88 pounds of feed per pound of bale; high-moisture baleage at 50% weighs about 0.50. A bale baled at 12% that gets rained on and re-absorbs water to 25% can gain 100+ pounds without changing density at all.
- Chamber size. A 5×6 bale has roughly 44% more volume than a 5×5 bale at the same density. Most operators "feel" the difference in chamber size more than they realize.
- Crop type. Alfalfa is denser than grass hay; cornstalks are less dense than alfalfa but heavier per cubic foot than wheat straw. A "cornstalk bale" at the same dimensions and density as an alfalfa bale will typically weigh 15-25% less.
- Baler pressure / density setting. A bale baled at maximum pressure can be 15-25% heavier than the same crop on the same baler at light pressure. There's a feeding-trade-off here — see the section below.
- Pickup speed. A slower forward speed gives the baler more chance to pack the bale, producing a denser bale at the same setting. Faster speed gives a lighter, hollower bale.
- Spring moisture re-absorption. A bale stored outdoors with no cover typically gains 7-10% in weight from January to April as moisture in the bottom and outer layers re-absorbs.
Field-weighed averages by baler model
John Deere 568 / 569 (5×6, current generation)
The 568 and 569 are John Deere's current 5-foot-chamber, 6-foot-wide-bale workhorses. Operators consistently weigh first-cut grass hay at 68" bale width and report:
- Dry first-cut grass, 5×68": 1,350-1,400 lbs
- Mature grass hay, 5×68": 1,250-1,350 lbs
- Cornstalks, 5×68": 950-1,150 lbs
- Baleage at 40% moisture, 5×68": 1,500-1,700 lbs
- Heavy baleage at 60%+ moisture, 5×63": as much as 2,200 lbs
For wrap planning on these balers, see what size net wrap fits the John Deere 569.
John Deere 468 / 469 (5×6, previous generation)
The 468 and 469 are the previous-generation siblings. They typically pack about 50 lbs lighter than the 568/569 on the same crop at the same chamber size because of the older belt-and-roller geometry:
- Dry hay, 5×70" at max pressure: 1,250-1,350 lbs
- Dry hay, 5×68" at medium pressure: 1,100-1,250 lbs
- Cornstalks, 5×68": 900-1,050 lbs
John Deere 460M (4×6 mid-line)
A 4-foot-chamber midline baler that produces lighter bales but is far easier on tractor PTO and floor space. Typical weighed averages:
- Dry first-cut hay, 4×60": 850-950 lbs
- Mature grass, 4×60": 700-850 lbs
Wrap-size details: what size net wrap fits the John Deere 460M.
Vermeer 504R / 605R (5×5 and 5×6 current line)
Vermeer's reputation is for slightly denser bales at the same chamber dimensions because of the rolled-floor design. Weighed averages from operators:
- 504R (5×5), first cut grass: 1,150-1,325 lbs (average ~1,250)
- 504R (5×5), mature grass: 950-1,100 lbs
- 605R (5×6), first cut grass at 60" wide: 1,200-1,300 lbs
- 605R (5×6) at 64" wide: 1,300-1,450 lbs
Wrap sizing on the 604M and 605M: Vermeer 604M wrap guide and Vermeer 605M wrap guide.
New Holland Roll-Belt 460 / 560 / 660 and BR740
New Holland's Roll-Belt series tends to make a slightly softer bale than Deere or Vermeer at the same dimension, but operators in the upper Midwest report heavier total weights because of operating habits (more wraps per bale, max-pressure settings):
- Roll-Belt 460, 4×60": 850-1,000 lbs dry
- Roll-Belt 560, 5×68" at high pressure: 1,500-1,700 lbs (high!)
- BR740, 5×60": 950-1,150 lbs
Specifics: Roll-Belt 460 wrap and BR740 wrap.
Case IH RB565
- RB565, 5×68" dry hay: 1,250-1,400 lbs
- RB565, 5×68" baleage at 40%: 1,500-1,800 lbs
Wrap sizing: Case IH RB565 wrap guide.
Claas Variant 485
The variable-chamber Claas tends to make a denser bale than fixed-chamber competitors at the same dimensions. Field weighing on first-cut grass hay at 5×60" produces consistent weights of 1,300-1,450 lbs. Wrap details: Claas Variant 485 wrap.
The simple math: estimate any bale's weight in under a minute
You can ballpark any bale's weight without a scale if you know three numbers: chamber diameter, chamber width, and crop dry-matter density. Use this two-step method:
- Volume in cubic feet: π × (radius in feet)² × (width in feet). A 5×6 bale = 3.14 × 2.5² × 6 = 117.8 cu ft. A 5×5 bale = 3.14 × 2.5² × 5 = 98.2 cu ft. A 4×5 bale = 3.14 × 2² × 5 = 62.8 cu ft.
- Multiply by density: dry grass hay typically averages 10-12 lbs per cubic foot when baled tight. Alfalfa runs 11-13 lbs/cu ft. Cornstalks run 7-9 lbs/cu ft. Wheat straw runs 5-7 lbs/cu ft.
So a 5×6 grass-hay bale should weigh 117.8 × 11 = ~1,295 lbs. A 5×6 alfalfa bale should weigh 117.8 × 12 = ~1,415 lbs. A 5×6 cornstalk bale should weigh 117.8 × 8 = ~942 lbs. These match the weighed numbers above almost exactly.
The pressure-vs-cow-eating-ease trade-off
One Wisconsin operator running a Deere 569 set his bale density at the 2-o'clock pressure position (just shy of maximum). The bales weighed beautifully — about 1,450 lbs each on first-cut grass. The problem: his cows could not peel the bale apart inside the hay ring. The fiber was so tightly wound that even mature cows would grab a bite and only get a few stems instead of a mouthful. He backed the pressure off to about 12-o'clock and bale weight dropped to 1,250 lbs, but cattle consumption (and waste) improved enough that total feed-cost-per-cow-per-day actually went down. (That waste angle is its own lever — see how to reduce round-bale feeding waste.)
The lesson: a heavier bale is not always a better bale. If you're feeding through a ring, the right density target is "as dense as the cows will still pull apart." If you're feeding through a processor, max pressure is fine.
The 175-pound same-field same-day variance
One Iowa operator weighed every bale off a single 30-acre field on a single afternoon. Same baler, same operator, same crop, same density setting. Bale-to-bale weight variance: 175 pounds. The cause was windrow density — heavier, fluffier windrows pack denser; thin, dry windrows pack hollower. The takeaway: don't sell hay by the bale count; sell it by weighed total. And when you're estimating your own feed inventory, use a fleet average, not a single weighed bale.
How weight ties to net wrap selection
Bale weight matters for wrap planning in two ways. First, heavier bales need more wraps to hold shape under their own weight during handling and storage — see how many wraps per bale. Second, the wrap diameter and overlap onto the flat ends determines how much weight the wrap is carrying when you spear or grab a bale; under-sized wrap on a 1,800-lb baleage bale is a common cause of "bale breaks during handling" complaints. The full size chart is in our net wrap sizes guide.
For roll planning, see how many feet of net wrap are on a roll — at 1,400-lb average bale weight and 2.5 wraps per bale on a 5-foot chamber, a 9,840-ft roll of 64" wrap covers roughly 590 bales.
Frequently asked questions
What about CRP / native grass / mixed-stand hay?
Lower-quality, more-stem-than-leaf hay packs at the bottom of the density range (about 8-9 lbs/cu ft on a typical baler). A 5×6 CRP grass bale will weigh ~950-1,050 lbs at typical settings.
How do I weigh a bale if I don't have a platform scale?
Use the front-end-loader weighing trick: lift one bale to a fixed height (say, the cab roof line), drive onto a single-axle truck scale, weigh, drop the bale, re-weigh. The difference is the bale weight to ±50 lbs. Most commercial truck scales will weigh a single bale for a $5-10 ticket.
How much heavier is a bale in March than in November?
For uncovered, outdoor-stored bales in the upper Midwest: 7-12% heavier on average by spring, almost entirely from moisture re-absorption in the bottom and outer layers. That's roughly 100 pounds on a 1,300-pound dry bale. The added weight is also added storage loss — the moisture-wet outer rind is the part that molds.
How does this affect trucking?
A standard 53-foot drop-deck trailer hauls about 36 round bales (4 wide × 9 long, two layers). At 1,300 lbs per bale, that's 46,800 lbs — right at most state's GVW limits. At 1,700-lb baleage, the same 36 bales puts you over weight. Plan loads by weight, not by bale count.
Does net wrap weight matter in these numbers?
No — net wrap weighs about 1.5-2.5 lbs per bale, well within the 50-lb measurement error of any field weighing method. Don't subtract it.
Written by the XES Netting team. Our customers send us weighed-bale data every season; the numbers above are real averages from operators we work with, not catalog specs. If you have weighed data from your own balers we'd love to add it to this page.
Featured photo: Hay bales on ranch meadow by Hazeltine BM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Inline photo: John Deere 7420 with 567 baler by Bill Burris, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
