Which is bigger, Boeing 747 or Space Shuttle?

Boeing 747 is 5.1× Space Shuttle on weight. Both figures are typical values; the full range for each is in the table above.

How do Boeing 747s and Space Shuttles compare on height?

Boeing 747: 19.4 m. Space Shuttle: 17.25 m. Boeing 747 is somewhat greater than Space Shuttle on height — about 1.1×.

How do Boeing 747s and Space Shuttles compare on length?

Boeing 747: 70.7 m. Space Shuttle: 37.24 m. Boeing 747 is 1.9× Space Shuttle on length.

Boeing 747 vs Space Shuttle

Boeing 747 is larger on weight

Boeing 747 is 5.1× Space Shuttle on weight.

A Boeing 747 and a Space Shuttle can be compared on 5 measures. The figures below are typical adult or full-size values, with the larger of the two in bold.

Side by side

Larger value in bold. Ranges reflect genuine variation, not uncertainty.
	Boeing 747	Space Shuttle
Weight	178.8–412.8 t	78–2,030 t
Height	19.4 m	17.25 m
Length	70.7 m	37.24 m
Width	64.4 m	23.79 m
Typical cost	260,000,000 $	1,600,000,000 $

What the numbers say

Boeing 747 is 5.1× Space Shuttle on weight.
Boeing 747 is somewhat greater than Space Shuttle on height — about 1.1×.
Boeing 747 is 1.9× Space Shuttle on length.
Boeing 747 is 2.7× Space Shuttle on width.
Space Shuttle is 6.2× Boeing 747 on typical cost.

Weight compared.

Boeing 747 178.8–412.8 t

Space Shuttle 78–2,030 t

Boeing 747

The first wide-body airliner, in production from 1968 to 2023; figures here are for the 747-400.

Space Shuttle

The reusable NASA orbiter flown on 135 missions between 1981 and 2011.

This is a comparison of published measurements, nothing more. It describes how two things differ on measures that have been recorded; it does not predict how they would fare against each other in any situation.

Common questions

Which is bigger, Boeing 747 or Space Shuttle?: Boeing 747 is 5.1× Space Shuttle on weight. Both figures are typical values; the full range for each is in the table above.
How do Boeing 747s and Space Shuttles compare on height?: Boeing 747: 19.4 m. Space Shuttle: 17.25 m. Boeing 747 is somewhat greater than Space Shuttle on height — about 1.1×.
How do Boeing 747s and Space Shuttles compare on length?: Boeing 747: 70.7 m. Space Shuttle: 37.24 m. Boeing 747 is 1.9× Space Shuttle on length.

Sources

Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
NASA — National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Public domain (US Government))

How these figures are compiled and checked