How Much Does Snow Weigh On A Roof

With this information you re now likely wondering about the weight of snow load on your roof.

How much does snow weigh on a roof.

Calculating the weight of snow is useful when you need to know the total weight it adds for example to calculate the weight on a roof. There is a calculation for this too. Dry fluffy snow is the least concern with respect to weight. This kind of snow will weigh around 7 pounds per cubic foot.

Here are a few examples of the weight of snow on a roof. Fresh light and fluffy snow will weight much less than the dense packed or wet variety. If you live in the us our snow load calculator compares the total weight on your roof with the permissible load calculated according to the standards issued by the american society of civil engineers regarding the minimum design loads for buildings and other structures asce7 16. Per square foot of roof space which is beyond.

The roof deck collects the snow load and transfers the weight to the rafters. Water weight is real. How much does snow weigh. How much does snow weigh on a roof.

3 5 inches of old snow is equal to one inch of water or about 5 lbs. The weight of the snow on a roof also varies in turn varying the snow loading on the roof. Per square foot of roof space so anything more than 2 feet of snow could be too much for your roof to handle. Unsurprisingly wet snow is the heavy stuff.

Fluffy fresh snow can weigh as little as three pounds per square foot compared with 21 pounds for wet heavy snow according to fema. Snow which is just frozen ice crystals varies in weight by its volume and density. 57 pounds a square foot. 1 foot of snow on the roof 8 000 lbs 4 tons 7 psf 2 feet of snow on the roof 16 000 lbs 8 tons 14 psf 3 feet of snow on the roof 24 000 lbs 12 tons 21 psf.

Before the snow starts to fall and build up on the roof of your house take the time to know how much snow your roof can support. Calculating snow load on your roof depends on two factors. Calculating snow load on roof. Evaluate your risk of roof top snow ice accumulation snow usually melts off of steep sloped roofs slopes greater than 3 inches of slope in 12 inches of horizontal distance more quickly than flatter roofs.

Two feet of old snow and two feet of new snow could weigh as much as 60 lbs. All numbers are approximate. If it snows 5 of wet snow it will weigh about 12 5 pounds. A cubic foot of snow can weigh from seven pounds for snow that is new and dry to 30 pounds for old compacted snow.

Psf pounds per square foot. For any rafter the portion of the roof deck that transfers this load is the tributary area. If the snow is dense and wet however a cubic foot.