For all the kits/ARF's I'm familiar with, the weight range in the specifications is the recommended ready-to-fly weight of the model. For engine-powered models, it is without fuel, but electric models do include the battery packs.

Kits can weigh more in the box because there is a lot of extra wood that's not used (all the wood holding the die-cut pieces, and the centers of ribs and bulkheads, and sticks and sheet you'll cut down). You'll also wind up carving and sanding a lot more wood off the assembled airframe. Don't forget about the packing material that won't be used. ....And, yes, there are some kits that have such dense wood that you're not going to get the airframe anywhere close to the recommended weight range. If you can, talk to the kit maker about that.