How Roof Pitch Affects Snow Load

These questions aren t quite so easy to answer because there are several variables.

How roof pitch affects snow load. When evaluating an existing roof for snow loads an engineer will want to know the year it was built the materials involved and the load the roof was designed to support to start. If the snow weighs 10 pounds per cubic foot and there are 1 5 feet on the roof each square foot of the roof is getting 15 pounds of pressure. Or the 25 psf snow load could be entered as a roof snow load with the unbalanced snow loading option turned off. Multiple folded plate sawtooth or barrel vault roofs shall have a c s 1 0 with no reduction in snow load because of slope i e p s p f.

S 5 has updated the snow retention calculator to incorporate many new features including side by side comparisons for colorgard dualgard x gard 1 0 and x gard 2 0. Sloped roof snow loads are assumed to be acting on the horizontal projection of the surface. A steel building with a high pitched roof will help clear snow and snow melt. The sloped roof snow load is calculated using equation 7 4 1.

Roof pitch may have the most apparent effect on snow accumulation. You need to supply the following information. Length and width of your roof. Wind loads must also be considered in your steel building design.

If unbalanced snow loading isn t required or specified the truss designer may enter the 25 psf snow load as a top chord live load tcll set the load duration factor to 1 15 for snow and turn snow loading off completely. When the roof slope is greater than 5 the roof is considered sloped. Ice dams and icicles along eaves. It s quite obvious that flat or low slope roofs will collect more snow than ones with a steep pitch.

P s c s p f. Pitched roof snow load calculator ask local authorities about the maximum snow expected to fall in your town. If your roof is pitched enter the length and width of the flat area covered by the roof. There are a few things to consider when designing your steel building for a cold climate.

How much snow a roof can hold depends on the type of snow roofline and material among other considerations. To calculate the weight of snow on a roof use the first two sections of our snow load calculator. Roof slope factor for multiple folded plate sawtooth and barrel vault roofs. 7 factors in snow load evaluations.

You may need to create a new login account to use the new calculator. Roof pitch is especially significant for snow. If your roof is 1 000 square feet the total snow load is 15 000 pounds of snow. You can enter these values in any units you d like including meters and feet.