Lufthansa’s cheapest short and medium haul fare does not include a cabin bag at all. Economy Basic gets a personal item and nothing else, which is the detail most travelers miss in Lufthansa baggage rules.
On long haul from the United States the picture is better. Standard Economy includes a cabin bag, a personal item and one 23 kilogram checked bag.
The cabin allowance, cabin by cabin
The cabin bag is 55 by 40 by 23 centimeters, roughly 21.7 by 15.7 by 9.1 inches, at 8 kilograms. That weight applies to the bag alone.
The personal item is 40 by 30 by 15 centimeters. Every fare gets one, including Economy Basic.
Premium Economy, Business and First are allowed two cabin bags rather than one. There is an exception worth knowing about before you pack.
The rule that catches US passengers
Departing the United States, that second cabin bag has to be checked. The same applies to flights from India.
So a Business ticket bought in Frankfurt behaves differently from the same ticket flown out of Chicago. The allowance on paper is two bags, but only one boards with you.
Plan the trip around one cabin bag in each direction. It is the only assumption that holds on a US itinerary.
This is the single most useful thing to know about Lufthansa baggage rules if you fly premium cabins transatlantic. The allowance is real, but it is not carried in the cabin.
Checked baggage and the 32 kilogram ceiling
A standard checked piece is 23 kilograms, about 50.7 pounds, and 158 centimeters total. Economy on Lufthansa operated flights includes one.
Premium Economy, Business and First raise the piece count rather than the size. The 158 centimeter cap and a 32 kilogram absolute maximum per bag apply in every cabin.
Nothing over 32 kilograms goes in the hold as normal baggage, whatever you are willing to pay.
Why we cannot publish a fee table
Lufthansa does not publish flat excess baggage prices. Fees are calculated per route through the airline’s own baggage calculator.
Any site showing you a tidy dollar figure for a Lufthansa extra bag is guessing or quoting a stale number. We would rather point you at the calculator, in line with how we verify these pages.
Price your bags during booking, where the calculator runs against your actual itinerary.
How Lufthansa baggage rules compare in Europe
The 55 by 40 by 23 cabin size is the common European figure. SWISS, Austrian and SAS all use it.
The stripped Basic fare is also common across the group. British Airways is the notable exception, since its hand baggage only fare keeps the full cabin allowance.
Our European carry-on size guide sets these limits side by side.
The bottom line
Lufthansa baggage rules are consistent on size and inconsistent on entitlement. What you get depends on the fare code and, on premium tickets, on which country you are leaving.
Check what your specific fare includes before you pack to the table. The size checker covers the dimensions, and the fare notes above cover the rest.