---
title: "Clothes dryer vs water heater — size, weight and speed compare"
description: "Water heater is somewhat greater than clothes dryer on weight — about 1.1×. Compared on 5 measured properties, with the full range and a source for each."
url: https://atoneplace.net/vs/clothes-dryer-vs-water-heater/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Clothes dryer vs Water heater

**Clothes dryer vs water heater: Water heater is larger on weight**

Water heater is somewhat greater than clothes dryer on weight — about 1.1×.

A clothes dryer and a water heater 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.*

|  | Clothes dryer | Water heater |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weight | 40–80 kg | 40–100 kg |
| Height | 85–110 cm | 120–180 cm |
| Typical lifespan | 10–16 yr | 8–15 yr |
| Typical cost | 400–1,600 $ | 500–2,500 $ |
| Power draw | 1,800–5,500 W | 3,000–5,500 W |

## What the numbers say

- Water heater is somewhat greater than clothes dryer on weight — about 1.1×.
- Water heater is 1.5× clothes dryer on height.
- Clothes dryer is somewhat greater than water heater on typical lifespan — about 1.2×.
- Water heater is somewhat greater than clothes dryer on typical cost — about 1.3×.
- Water heater is 1.5× clothes dryer on power draw.

*Weight compared.*

- Water heater: 40–100 kg
- Clothes dryer: 40–80 kg

## Clothes dryer

A heated rotating drum that dries laundry, vented outdoors or condensing internally.

## Water heater

A tank or on-demand heat exchanger that supplies hot water to a building.

> 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, clothes dryer or water heater?

Water heater is somewhat greater than clothes dryer on weight — about 1.1×. Both figures are typical values; the full range for each is in the table above.

### How do clothes dryers and water heaters compare on height?

Clothes dryer: 85–110 cm. Water heater: 120–180 cm. Water heater is 1.5× clothes dryer on height.

### How do clothes dryers and water heaters compare on typical lifespan?

Clothes dryer: 10–16 yr. Water heater: 8–15 yr. Clothes dryer is somewhat greater than water heater on typical lifespan — about 1.2×.

## Related pages

- [Washing machine vs water heater](https://atoneplace.net/vs/washing-machine-vs-water-heater/)
- [Clothes dryer vs washing machine](https://atoneplace.net/vs/clothes-dryer-vs-washing-machine/)
- [Refrigerator vs water heater](https://atoneplace.net/vs/refrigerator-vs-water-heater/)
- [Oven vs water heater](https://atoneplace.net/vs/oven-vs-water-heater/)
- [Clothes dryer vs dishwasher](https://atoneplace.net/vs/clothes-dryer-vs-dishwasher/)
- [Clothes dryer vs refrigerator](https://atoneplace.net/vs/clothes-dryer-vs-refrigerator/)
- [Clothes dryer vs oven](https://atoneplace.net/vs/clothes-dryer-vs-oven/)
- [Dishwasher vs water heater](https://atoneplace.net/vs/dishwasher-vs-water-heater/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)
- Residential Energy Consumption Survey — US Energy Information Administration (https://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/) [Public domain (US Government)]