Weight Of A Cubic Foot Of Snow On Roof

The weight of a given volume of snow can be an important piece of information for a number of reasons.

Weight of a cubic foot of snow on roof.

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. I ll estimate 7 pounds per square foot in my case. A cubic foot of settled snow weighs 12 49 to 18 73 pounds. If the snow is dense and wet however a cubic foot of it can weigh 20.

I estimated that about 2 5 feet of snow was on the roof. For instance a typical scoop of snow with a snow shovel is about 1 5 cubic feet so there s a good chance you re out there lifting more than 30 lbs over and over again while you re clearing your driveway. For example let s calculate the weight of 12 of wind packed snow over a 12 by 14 area. With the trailer slides in the roof dimensions are 36 feet by 8 feet 288 square feet.

You ll then take the depth of snow in feet and multiply it by the weight of 1 cubic foot of snow. Light fluffy snow weighs about 7 pounds per cubic foot while heavy wet snow can weigh up to 20 pounds. S 1 25 p where s is the number of inches of snow on your roof and p is the pounds per square foot of that snow. Two feet of snow on a roof with a footprint of say 28 40 feet could weigh 45 000 pounds.

Dry fluffy snow is the least concern with respect to weight. To calculate the total weight of snow multiple the volume of snow in feet by the density in pounds per cubic foot. The result will be the total weight. 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.

A cubic foot of snow can weigh about 7 pounds if it s dry and fluffy. A cubic foot of wind packed snow weighs 21 85 to 24 97 pounds. If there is 18 inches of snow this is expressed as 1 5 feet. Two feet of old snow and two feet of new snow could weigh as much as 60 lbs.

Per square foot of roof space so anything more than 2 feet of snow could be too much for your roof to handle. Per square foot of roof space which is beyond the typical snow load capacity of most roofs. Saturated snow weighs about 20 lbs cubic foot. A cubic foot of firn which is snow that has endured through a summer s melting season but has not yet turned to ice weighs 24 97 to 51 82 pounds.

It could weigh over 20 pounds if it s wet and compacted. Use this basic formula as a guide but always check with your local weather experts regarding the type of snow that typically occurs in your area. This kind of snow will weigh around 7 pounds per cubic foot. The easiest way to measure snowfall on a flat roof is to take a yardstick and measure what looks like the average overall snowfall.