Roof Slope For Snow Load

Sloped roof snow loads are assumed to be acting on the horizontal projection of the surface.

Roof slope for snow load.

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. 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. Why do we design this way. The sloped roof snow load is calculated using equation 7 4 1.

The steeper the pitch the better the snow will fall to the ground. The sloped roof snow load p s shall be obtained by multiplying the flat roof snow load p f by the roof slope factor c s. Our approach in north america is to use a metal roof with a steep slope that will allow the snow and ice to slide off. P s c s p f.

To figure out the load on your roof take the depth of snow in feet and multiply it by the weight of a cubic foot of snow. If you live in a climate with cold winters and numerous snow storms a pitched roof will prevent the snow from remaining on the top of your home. If your roof is 1 000 square feet the total snow load is 15 000 pounds of snow. The primary reason is a fear of having the building collapse under a heavy snow load.

As i design roofs today in ski resort areas i use one of the above types of roofs and plan to keep the snow on.