Definition
The maximum aircraft weight at which the airplane can still meet the required climb performance after takeoff or during a missed approach, given the current conditions of altitude, temperature, runway, and engine configuration. If the airplane is heavier than this limit, it cannot achieve the climb gradient required by regulation or by performance charts.
Plain English
The heaviest the airplane is allowed to be and still climb away safely under the conditions of the day. Load it heavier than this and it cannot guarantee a strong enough climb after takeoff or on a go-around.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft performance planning, especially when checking whether an airplane can safely take off and climb in hot weather, at high-elevation airports, or with a heavy load.
Why Pilots Care
Determines whether the planned load can be carried safely or must be reduced to meet required climb performance.
Analogy
It is like a truck going up a steep hill: if the truck is too heavily loaded, it may still move forward, but it will not climb the hill well enough.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as the weight of a climb or the weight gained during a climb. It is a maximum allowed airplane weight set by how well the airplane can climb.
Example Sentence 1
On a hot day at the high-altitude airport, the climb limit weight was lower than the structural takeoff weight, so the crew had to offload cargo before departure.
Example Sentence 2
With obstacles beyond the runway end, the crew confirmed the actual weight remained under the published climb limit weight.