When finding a new bounce house for our backyard, we did a lot of research about weight limits of different bounce houses available for purchase and rental. I decided to write this to share what I’ve learned.
Every bounce house will have a weight limit attached or sewn into the side of the unit in an easy to view location along with other rules and guidelines for its use. A typical bounce house will have a max weight limit between 300 lbs to over 1000 lbs depending on the size of the unit.
Each bounce house will also have an individual weight limit, meant for each jumper, and a maximum occupancy limit for the amount of jumpers allowed at a time.
Do Bounce Houses Have Weight Limits
Yes bounce houses have weight limits. Typically bounce houses can be split into categories, small, medium, combo, water, and large. Each category has a range of weight limits that a bounce house can handle and amount of jumpers you can expect to have jumping at the same time.
Each bounce house will have it’s own weight limit, this chart is just an estimated weight limit you can expect for that type of unit.
| Type | Weight Range |
|---|---|
| Small | 100 – 300 lbs |
| Medium | 300 – 600 lbs |
| Combo | 500 – 1000 lbs |
| Water | 400 – 1200 lbs |
| Large | 1000+ lbs |
The weight limit is one of the most important factors when choosing a bounce house that will work for you and your group. Going over the weight limit can easily damage the bounce house and injure the jumpers inside.
In my top 12 Best Bounce Houses By Category, I list the weight limits for each bounce house so you can find one that works for you.
When deciding on a bounce house for your family, I suggest considering how many people will be jumping and the weight of them all combined. Also, keep in mind they will grow, I suggest finding a bounce house that will suit you for years to come. If you take good care of your unit, it can last a long time.
Where To Find The Weight Limit
The weight limit can be found on the bounce house itself. Usually the weight limit, maximum occupancy, and other safety precautions will be stitched to the side of the bounce house near the entrance.
When buying a brand new bounce house, the unit will typically come with some documentation explaining weight limits and safety standards.
When looking to purchase a bounce house online, the weight limit information can be harder to find in some cases. I’ve noticed you can usually find it on the sales page of the website, for example, the info section on Amazon. But some websites I was required to call in to get all the information I needed.
Be careful and make sure to find out everything you need to know before making a purchase. Personally, I would stick to Amazon for purchasing the bounce house after you’ve done your research. But there are some other sites out there that offer good service too.
Individual Weight Limit
Most bounce houses will have a maximum weight limit, but some will also have an individual weight limit. The individual weight limit is meant for each individual jumper on the bounce house. Individual weight limits are meant to prevent a certain amount of weight being in one location on the unit at a time.
Individual weight limits are more common for smaller bounce houses that aren’t made to hold a person above 100 lbs.
The medium and larger bounce houses don’t typically have an individual weight limit because they don’t need them. If your bounce house has a max weight limit of over 600 lbs, the individual weight limit is not as important to follow.
The smaller bounce houses with max weight limits around 300 lbs will typically have an individual weight limit between 100 to 150 lbs. This is because even though the max weight limit is 300 lbs, a 250 lb person could still damage the unit. Those types of bounce houses are meant for small children to play in.
Maximum Occupancy Limits
Most bounce houses will have a maximum occupancy limit. Typically the maximum occupancy limit will be based off the size of the jumping area of the bounce house. They set these limits to prevent too many people from jumping at a time close together, which could cause injury to the jumpers.
The maximum occupancy limit is determined by size of jumping area and the ratio between max weight limit and max individual limit.
You may notice some of the smaller bounce houses will base the maximum occupancy limit off the allowed individual weight limit and the max weight limit. For example, a bounce house with a max weight limit of 300 lbs, and an individual weight limit of 100 lbs, will typically have a max occupancy of 3 people.
What If You Exceed The Weight Limit
If you exceed the weight limit for your bounce house, it may void any warranty if you got one with your purchase. The bounce houses are made to certain specifications and overloading the weight they were designed for can lead to damaging the unit or injuring the jumpers.
The most common damaged that occurs from overloading the bounce house is a tear in the seam or in the bounce house material. Before that happens you may notice the bounce house start to deflate, that’s a good sign that you are about to cause damage to your unit.
Here’s a funny video of a group exceeding the bounce house weight limit. They are having a blast, but you can see that the bounce house starts deflating and collapsing in on itself.
Damage That Can Occur From Exceeding The Bounce House Weight Limit:
- Tear or rip in the material
- Seam stitching can rip
- Does not fully inflate
- Blower motor can wear out
- Injury to jumpers
- Bounce house collapses
If you do tear the bounce house material or accidentally rip open one of the seams, you can easily repair with a patch kit or sewing awl kit. I wrote a step by step guide on How To Patch And Repair A Bounce House that you can use to repair it yourself.
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