Snow Weight On Flat Roof

Damages snow causes to flat roofs ponding bowing.

Snow weight on flat roof.

For any rafter the portion of the roof deck that transfers this load is the tributary area. Local building codes dictate the snow load required for residential roofs. Contact your local building code department to determine the snow load requirements for your area. This down bearing pressure can cause the roof to bow and result in ponding under the roof structure.

Estimate the weight of snow on your roof. Per square foot of roof space which is beyond the typical snow load capacity of most roofs. What s the weight of snow on a roof. You can enter these values in any units you d like including meters and feet.

House roofs should support 20 lbs square foot of snow before they become stressed. Flat roofs may be especially vulnerable to roof collapse depending on its engineered design load. Estimate how much weight your roof can support. Snow won t slide off.

Ice and snow will typically accumulate more quickly on low slope and flat roofs. Two feet of snow on a roof with a footprint of say 28 40 feet could weigh 45 000 pounds. That s more than 22 tons. The roof deck collects the snow load and transfers the weight to the rafters.

Per square foot of roof space so anything more than 2 feet of snow could be too much for your roof to handle. If your roof is pitched enter the length and width of the flat area covered by the roof. Length and width of your roof. To calculate the weight of snow on a roof use the first two sections of our snow load calculator.

Two feet of old snow and two feet of new snow could weigh as much as 60 lbs. As snow falls it can accumulate on your flat roof putting unnecessary weight on the structure.