I have had one for the past 12 years and no, I would never expect to get 20 lbs. in one. The foot is attached to the vertical brace via sheet metal screws and a 20 lb. force would rip these out, including ruin the aluminum. The area of the pot combined with the density of lead might equal 20 lbs. with the metal level up to the brim but otherwise, it's around 10-12 lbs. during normal use. It would be dangerous to fill the thing up to the top due to potential spills.