Spring rate is a ratio used to measure how resistant a spring is to being compressed or expanded during the spring’s deflection. The magnitude of the spring force increases as deflection increases according to Hooke’s Law.

Briefly, this can be stated as:

F = − k x {\displaystyle F=-kx\,}

where

F is the force the spring exerts

k is the spring rate of the spring.

x is the deflection of the spring from its equilibrium position (i.e., when no force is applied on the spring)

Load rate is a figure a spring is designed to carry at a certain ride height.