Find the right wash load size by weight for your machine.
Washing machine capacity is quoted as a dry cotton weight, and the rating assumes a full drum of the heaviest fabric — which is not how you should actually load it. Clothes need room to tumble, so about 80% fill is the practical maximum; beyond that the wash mechanically fails, detergent does not disperse and the rinse leaves residue. Multiply capacity by the fill percentage to get the usable weight, then divide by an average item weight to get a piece count: roughly 0.25 kg for a shirt, 0.4 kg for mixed everyday washing, 0.7 kg for towels and jeans. So an 8 kg machine at 80% fill takes about 16 items of mixed laundry, and a family generating 14 kg a week needs three loads.
Washing Machine Load
Usable load = drum capacity x fill%; items per load = usable load / average item weight; loads per week = weekly laundry / usable load
About three quarters to four fifths, with a hand's width of space above the load. A packed drum cannot tumble, and the wash quality drops sharply.
Eight to nine kilograms. That handles bedding and towels in one load, which is the real constraint — a 7 kg drum cannot take a double duvet.