As a diapered content creator I have a rather unique perspective on this. I’m not sure how many people out there that need to wear diapers regularly weigh their diaper to test how much it weighs before and after use but this is something I do quite regularly.
The average good quality adult diaper, like the ones we discuss on this site, can hold anywhere from 2lbs of urine up to 4.5lbs! Most of the lower quality tape up diapers will max out at about 1 to 2lbs while pull ups will only hold 10oz to 1lb.
Keep in mind this is a measurement in weight ounces and not fluid ounces. This is one of the best ways I have found to get any kind of real world data that I find reliable. I think it’s time we take some of MY data points and compare them with what the diaper companies claim about THEIR diaper’s absorbency levels.
Equalizing The Inconsistencies In Brands
I remember being new to wearing diapers and how hard it was to find something that would accommodate my needs. Figuring out how to interpret all the different absorbency levels that the different brands claim they have can be really confusing.
Do you base your purchase on the brands that have 5 water droplets, 8 water droplets, 9 water droplets, or the ones with mL measurements on the package? How do you even know how many mL would be good for you? What does a water droplet represent?
I actually made a YouTube video on the topic of absorbency ratings here.
Fear not my friend. I’ll be your diapered guru. Your personal diapered guide if you will.
Despite there seeming to be no standard way to market a diaper’s capacity across the board I have found that weighing a diaper before and after use seems to be a great way to go about leveling the playing field.
All diapers are comprised of the same basic materials with absorbent polymers being the most fundamental absorbent component at the core of each. When you weigh each product before and after use enough times it becomes really apparent that the amount it weighs before absorbing anything will give you a good idea of how much it will weigh after use.
To put it in different words, the more absorbent polymers there are the more urine it will be able to absorb. To put it in other OTHER words, the thicker it is the better your protection will perform.
I find the average absorption capacity of any diaper or incontinence product falls in the range of about 5x to 6x it’s own weight.
This is how I know that when I weigh a pull up and get 2oz of weight in material I know that it likely will need to be changed at about 10 to 12 ounces.
It is said an absorbent polymer can absorb 30x its own weight in water but when built into the layers of a diaper and absorbing urine I find the average absorption capacity is about 5x to 6x.
I can accurately predict when I will need to change a new diaper using this formula. Sometimes they fall slightly outside of these numbers but a 5x to 6x multiple is common.
When they do fall outside of these numbers it is due to fit and design. Those diapers that perform better than a 6x multiple have far superior designs that allow urine to be absorbed by more of the polymers in the diaper.
This of course means that those that absorb less or leak before much of the absorbent material is used have an inferior design.
Of course, this isn’t always the case as this approach of analysis is far from perfect but it can at least give us some good idea of how to level the playing field when it comes to absorbency expectations.
A way we can put an absorbency rating on each product that actually gives us some valuable feedback on product expectations.
This can help us to know how long a particular product will last for us. To learn more about the average amount of time an adult diaper can be used for check out this blog post I wrote!
The Evidence Is In The Data
As the diaper wearing connoisseur I seem to be becoming I do my best to collect data points on all the brands that I wear.
As a result, I have collected a number of dry weights and wet weights we can take a look at and compare. This is how I arrived at the fact that most incontinence products can absorb roughly 5x to 6x their own weight.
| The Product | Avg Dry Weight | Avg Wet Weight | The Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depend | 1.7 oz | 12.1 oz | x 7.5 |
| Northshore Megamax | 7.9 oz | 2 lbs 5 ozs | x 5 |
| Northshore Supreme | 6.9 oz | 2 lbs 6 ozs | x 6 |
| Confidry 24/7 | 7.8 | 3lbs 2 ozs | x 6 |
| Tykables Galactic | 7.2 | 2 lbs 9 ozs | x 6.5 |
The numbers in the above table are averages of the current numbers I have collected so far for each of these products. There is a number of caveats to keep in mind when analyzing the above table.
First off, I have an incomplete data set. The averages for some are based on only a few data points while others have at least 4 or 5 data points to average out.
As I collect more data on each of the above products I’m sure the numbers will get adjusted slightly in one direction or the other.
It’s also important to consider that these are the numbers I collect when I “feel” I need to change. I’m not pushing each of these products to their maximum limit and capacity as to do so would end up causing me a significant rash.
Using a diaper to its FULLEST CAPACITY is not how most people wear these products.
It’s not wise to sit around in a diaper and push it to its limits just because you don’t want to waste the unused materials. Not to mention to do so would require you constantly move your body around into different positions while you happen to be peeing so the fluid can flow there.
As a male, fluid accumulates towards the front of my diaper. When that area begins to get too saturated is when I will start to feel uncomfortable from the wetness. This leaves whole parts of my diaper, usually the top of my butt area, totally dry and unused.
It’s for this reason it’s important to know the different signs you should be aware of on when it is time to change. For more on that topic check out this post I wrote here!
I’m sure for my female readers your experience is similar. There is likely a particular area of your diaper where fluid gravitates that ends up more saturated than the rest of the diaper.
It is for these reasons that these tests diaper companies do that claim a maximum absorbent capacity of a certain amount of mL is always wrong to some degree. In most cases, you WILL need to change before you reach the claimed level of absorption due to discomfort.
This is all to say that I believe the 5x to 6x multiple, while not totally accurate, is accurate enough to predict within reasonable expectation what a particular diaper will be able to hold.