The wing weight is taken as the sum of two terms, a portion that varies directly with the wing area and a part that varies in proportion to the amount of material required to resist the applied bending loads. This estimate is done statistically, but is based on an index that is related to the weight of a fully-stressed beam. A derivation is given here.
| DC-8-55 | DC-10-10 | STOL Study | |
| Wing Bending Material | 13,115 | 21,830 | 5,983 |
| Wing Spars, Webs, Stiffeners | 2,301 | 2,822 | 1,136 |
| Bending, Spars, Webs, Stiffners | 15,416 | 24,652 | 7,119 |
| Ribs | 1,463 | 2,333 | 825 |
| Wing Box Weight | 22,718 | 33,623 | 10,387 |
| Total Wing Weight | 33,604 | 49,298 | 20,861 |
| Bending / Total | .387 | .443 | .287 |
| Box / Total | .676 | .682 | .498 |
| Item | Weight (lbs) |
| Bending Material upper surface lower surface |
13,211 14,250 |
| Shear Material | 4,004 |
| Ribs and Bulkheads | 4,570 |
| Leading Edge | 1,910 |
| Trailing Edge | 1,450 |
| Tips | 125 |
| Slats and Supports | 3,400 |
| Spoilers and Supports | 650 |
| Ailerons and Supports | 1,305 |
| Flaps and Supports | 5,960 |
| Wing/Fuselage Fairing | 960 |
| Wing Fuselage Attach | 1,000 |
| Main Gear Doors | 160 |
| Exterior Finish | 190 |
| Primer and Sealant | 30 |
| Total | 53,175 |