There are many instances where you need to understand how much weight your roof can hold. With a commercial flat roof, there is a high chance you would need to have heating, ventilation or an air conditioning equipment. It is estimated for a commercial flat roof to hold up to 135KG on a 75cm x 75cm area. Even some homeowners might be curious if their roof will support any decorations for the holidays.
Commercial flat roof
There are set minimum standards for roof load-bearing capacity. At minimum, any roof which may be used by maintenance workers must hold 135KG concentrated. Concentrated means that this weight can be held by any one spot on the roof.
While that is the bare minimum, your roof may need to hold more. For example, to support a helipad for large helicopters your roof must hold a concentrated live load of 1360KG over an area of 4.5 inches by 4.5 inches.
Types of Loads
When it comes to the loads that a roof can hold, there are three types that are usually factored into your roof’s overall weight limits. Those three types are live loads, dead loads and environmental loads.
Live Loads
Live loads are the weights your roof isn’t always supporting. Things like people walking on the roofing, furniture, or anything on the roof as storage are all live loads. Live loads are typically put on the roof after construction and can move easily. Any weight that is temporary is considered a live load.
Dead Loads
Dead loads are permanent weights your roof will always be supporting. Things like your ceiling material are part of your dead loads. However, the more prevalent dead loads are things like HVAC units and anything else that is never coming off.
Environmental Loads
Environmental loads are specifically things that add weight from the natural world itself. Snow is one of the most important things environmental loads factors. Snow can be especially prevalent if your roof doesn’t have the ability to hold up all the extra weight.
Residential roof
An ordinary roof needs to hold 10KG per square foot at absolute minimum. Depending on your type of roof and what it is used for, it may be required to hold more weight. For example, a flat roof intended to hold a home garden needs to hold 45KG per square foot.
You can find more information about green roofs here
If you have an enquiry you can get in contact with Roofing Matters Group here, and they can arrange for Daryl, to provide you a free quotation.
