Originally Posted by wangus
OK, then answer this, why does Boeing publish takeoff weights above Maximum Structural?
It allows you to "carry" MEL/CDL penalties right up to MTOW. For example, if you're carrying a slat seal CDL of say 2000kg, if the RTOW was limited to your max structural weight, you'd be penalised by 2000kg. But if the RTOW was the performance limit (quite often higher than max structural) you could possibly takeoff at MTOW even after subtracting the 2000kg.
MTOW: 60t
Max RTOW: 63t
CDL penalty: 2t
Corrected Max: 61t
ie you can still take off at MTOW.