Live Loads Designs for bedroom areas assume a uniform floor live load of not less than 30 psf, and all other living areas of a dwelling require a minimum live load of 40 psf.
Safety factor is a measurement with which your floor was designed to support loads without collapsing. Most homes have a safety factor of 40 PSF (pounds per square foot).
Code minimum is 40 pounds per square foot live load + 10 for the weight of the materials the floor is made of. There is also a maximum allowable deflection which makes sure you are picking the correct size lumber for the joist spans between supports and the placement of parallel supportive members.
10 psf is quite a low live load capacity. In the structural world, the lowest we typically design for is 20 psf. 20 psf is typically limited to areas requiring maintenance access, but don't have people regularly in those spaces. Building roofs for example are typically designed for 20 psf live load.
Dead loads can be calculated manually from published lists of material weights and should be specified by the Building Designer. The typical minimum top chord dead load for floor trusses is 10 pounds per square foot (psf) and the typical bottom chord dead load is 5 psf.
U.S. building codes specify a uniform live load of 40 pounds per square foot (psf) for most residential floor designs. This load is intended to account for the large number of loads that can occur in a residence. In reality, these loads do not typically take the form of uniform loads.
Dead Load: The estimated permanent building material loads from roof, floor, wall, and foundation systems, and also from claddings, finishes, and fixed equipment.
Normal floor allowable live load is 40 pounds per square foot (psf).
Live Load per Floor = Floor Area×Live Load per m² (Floors) Live Load per Floor = 600 m²×3 kN/m² = 1800 kN = 1800×100 kg = 180,000 kg. Total Live Load for 10 Floors = 180,000 kg×10 = 1,800,000 kg = 1800 tons.
(Dead loads include the weight of the walls, ceiling, floor, and any permanent fixtures such as ceiling lights, wallpaper, paint, and windows. Live loads include things that are not fixed, such as furniture, people, signs and pictures hanging on the wall, plants, and wind blowing outside.)
Floor load capacity is the total maximum weight a floor is engineered to support over a given area. In the U.S. it is expressed as pounds per square foot. Floors are engineered to carry a maximum static load and a maximum dynamic load that can't be exceeded without the risk of compromise to the structure.
Walking on a level floor should feel stable and secure. If you notice that the floor is sloping or uneven in certain areas, it could indicate a potential problem with the building's foundation or structural shifts.
Generally, a standard concrete slab designed for residential construction can support a live load of about 40 pounds per square foot (psf) and a dead load of around 10 to 15 psf.
The short answer is yes. It's your choice where your safe is installed. Our delivery team can and has installed safes on the second story of homes and office buildings.
The construction material of the building, the design of the floor joists, and local building codes can all influence weight capacity. Generally, residential buildings are designed to support a live load of 40 pounds per square foot (psf) and a dead load of 10-15 psf.
High-quality vinyl or linoleum floors are very durable. However, lesser quality materials can rip or tear very easily or show indentations from heavy objects, like a gun safe. You may want to consider anchoring your safe on a base or a rubber mat to protect your flooring.
Generally, the customary floor dead load is 10-12 PSF (pounds per square foot) for floors, 12-15 PSF for roof rafters and 20 PSF for roof trusses. However, these may increase when a heavy finish material, such as brick veneer walls or tile floors/roofs, is specified.
Commonly, residential structures have to meet a code minimum where they can support a 10-lb. dead load and 40-lb. live load. Lawsuits have been reported where builders underbuilt relative to the weight of the materials used, resulting in cracked floors and even catastrophic floor failures.
Unlike dead load, live load refers to the transient or moving loads that structures experience due to human occupancy, furniture, vehicles, and other temporary factors. Live loads vary in magnitude and location over time, as the intended use and occupancy of the structure influences them.
A typical residential floor should support a live load of about 40 pounds per square foot, but older homes may vary significantly depending on their condition and structure.
POUNDS PER SQUARE FOOT (PSF):
An estimation of the weight a mezzanine could hold if completely uniformly loaded. Calculated by adding the live load and the dead load, and dividing by the square footage of the mezzanine. IBC code requires storage mezzanines to have a minimum rating of 125 psf.
Live Load: 40 psf (pounds per square foot) Dead Load: 10 psf. Maximum Span: Approximately 16 feet.
Dead Load is the weight of the construction materials and fixed equipment. Dead Loads are also used in the determination of seismic loads that the building experiences. Live Load is a variable load and not fixed to the building. It is related to occupancy type and building use.
Domestic (Residential) Load
A domestic load is the total energy that's consumed by the electrical appliances in a domestic – or household – setting.