Minimum Design Dead Loads

Component Load (psf)

CEILINGS
Acoustical fiber board 1
Gypsum board (per 1/8-in. thickness) 0.55
Mechanical duct allowance 4
Plaster on tile or concrete 5
Plaster on wood lath 8
Suspended steel channel system 2
Suspended metal lath and cement plaster 15
Suspended metal lath and gypsum plaster 10
Wood furring suspension system 2.5

COVERINGS, ROOF, AND WALL

Asbestos-cement shingles 4
Asphalt shingles 2
Cement tile 16
Clay tile (for mortar add 10 psf)
Book tile, 2-in. 12
Book tile, 3-in. 20
Ludowici 10
Roman 12
Spanish 19
Composition:
Three-ply ready roofing 1
Four-ply felt and gravel 5.5
Five-ply felt and gravel 6
Copper or tin 1
Corrugated asbestos-cement roofing 4
Deck, metal, 20 gage 2.5
Deck, metal, 18 gage 3
Decking, 2-in. wood (Douglas fir) 5
Decking, 3-in. wood (Douglas fir) 8
Fiberboard, 1/2-in. 0.75
Gypsum sheathing, 1/2-in. 2
Insulation, roof boards (per inch thickness)
Cellular glass 0.7
Fibrous glass 1.1
Fiberboard 1.5
Perlite 0.8
Polystyrene foam 0.2
Urethane foam with skin 0.5
Plywood (per 1/8-in. thickness) 0.4
Rigid insulation, 1/2-in. 0.75
Skylight, metal frame, 3/8-in. wire glass 8
Slate, 3/16-in. 7
Slate, 1/4-in. 10
Waterproofing membranes:
Bituminous, gravel-covered 5.5
Bituminous, smooth surface 1.5
Liquid applied 1
Single-ply, sheet 0.7
Wood sheathing (per inch thickness) 3
Wood shingles 3

FLOOR FILL
Cinder concrete, per inch 9
Lightweight concrete, per inch 8
Sand, per inch 8
Stone concrete, per inch 12

FLOORS AND FLOOR FINISHES

Asphalt block (2-in.), 1/2-in. mortar 30
Cement finish (1-in.) on stone-concrete fill 32
Ceramic or quarry tile (3/4-in) on 1/2-in mortar bed 16
Ceramic or quarry tile (3/4-in) on 1-in mortar bed) 23
Concrete fill finish (per inch thickness) 12
Hardwood flooring, 7/7-in 4
Linoleum or asphalt tile, 1/4-in 1
Marble and mortar on stone-concrete fill 33
Slate (per mm thickness) 15
Solid flat tile on 1-in mortar base 23
Subflooring, 3/4-in 3
Terrazzo (1-1/2-in) directly on slab 19
Terrazzo (1-in) on stone-concrete fill 32
Terrazzo (1-in), 2-in stone concrete 32
Wood block (3-in) on mastic, no fill 10
Wood block (3-in) on 1/2-in mortar base 16

FLOORS, WOOD-JOIST (NO PLASTER)

DOUBLE WOOD FLOOR
Joint sizes (in) 12-in spacing (psf) 16-in spacing (psf) 24-in spacing (psf)
2x6 6 5 5
2x8 6 6 5
2 x 10 7 6 6
2 x 12 8 7 6

FRAME PARTITIONS
Movable steel partitions 4
Wood or steel studs, 1/2-in gypsum board each side 8
Wood studs, 2 x 4, unplastered 4
Wood studs, 2 x 4, plastered one side 12
Wood studs, 2 x 4, plastered two sides 20
FRAME WALLS
Exterior stud walls:
2 x4 @ 16-in, 5/8-in gypsum, insulated, 3/8-in siding 11
2 x 6 @ 16-in, 5/8-in gypsum, 3/8-in siding 12
Exterior stud walls with brick veneer 48
Windows, glass, frame, and sash 8
Clay brick wythes:
4 in 39
8 in 79
12 in 115
16 in 155
Hollow concrete masonry unit wythes:
Wythe thickness (in inches) 4 6 8 10 12
Density of unit (105 pcf)
No grout 22 24 31 37 43
48-in o.c. 29 38 47 55
40-in o.c. grout 30 40 49 57
32-in o.c. spacing 32 42 52 61
24-in o.c. 34 46 57 67
16-in o.c. 40 53 66 79
Full grout 55 75 95 115
Density of unit (125 pcf)
No grout 26 28 36 44 50
48-in o.c. 33 44 54 62
40-in o.c. grout 34 45 56 65
32-in o.c. spacing 36 47 58 68
24-in o.c. 39 51 63 75
16-in o.c. 44 59 73 87
Full grout 59 81 102 123
Density of unit (135 pcf)
No grout 29 30 39 47 54
48-in o.c. 36 47 57 66
40-in o.c. grout 37 48 59 69
32-in o.c. spacing 38 50 62 72
24-in o.c. 41 54 67 78
16-in o.c. 46 61 76 90
Full grout 62 83 105 127
Solid concrete masonry uniit wythes (incl. concrete brick):
Wythe thickness (in mm) 4 6 8 10 12
Density of unit (105 pcf) 32 51 69 87 105
Density of unit (125 pcf) 38 60 81 102 124
Density of unit (135 pcf) 41 64 87 110 133
Design Dead Loads

Component Load (kPa)

CEILINGS
Acoustical fiber board 0.05
Gypsum board (per mm thickness) 0.008
Mechanical duct allowance 0.19
Plaster on tile or concrete 0.24
Plaster on wood lath 0.38
Suspended steel channel system 0.1
Suspended metal lath and cement plaster 0.72
Suspended metal lath and gypsum plaster 0.48
Wood furring suspension system 0.12

COVERINGS, ROOF, AND WALL

Asbestos-cement shingles 0.19
Asphalt shingles 0.1
Cement tile 0.77
Clay tile (for mortar add 0.48 kN/m2)
Book tile, 51 mm 0.57
Book tile, 76 mm 0.96
Ludowici 0.48
Roman 0.57
Spanish 0.91
Composition:
Three-ply ready roofing 0.05
Four-ply felt and gravel 0.26
Five-ply felt and gravel 0.29
Copper or tin 0.05
Corrugated asbestos-cement roofing 0.19
Deck, metal, 20 gage 0.12
Deck, metal, 18 gage 0.15
Decking, 51-mm wood (Douglas fir) 0.24
Decking, 76-mm wood (Douglas fir) 0.38
Fiberboard, 13-mm 0.04
Gypsum sheathing, 13-mm 0.1
Insulation, roof boards (per mm thickness)
Celllar glass 0.0013
Fibrous glass 0.0021
Fiberboard 0.0028
Perlite 0.0015
Polystyrene foam 0.0004
Urethane foam with skin 0.0009
Plywood (per mm thickness) 0.006
Rigid insulation, 13-mm 0.04
Skylight, metal frame, 10-mm wire glass 0.38
Slate, 5-mm 0.34
Slate, 6-mm 0.48
Waterproofing membranes:
Bituminous, gravel-covered 0.26
Bituminous, smooth surface 0.07
Liquid applied 0.05
Single-ply, sheet 0.03
Wood sheathing (per mm thickness):
Plywood 0.0057
Oriented strand board 0.0062
Wood shingles 0.14

FLOOR FILL
Cinder concrete, per mm 0.017
Lightweight concrete, per mm 0.015
Sand, per mm 0.015
Stone concrete, per mm 0.023

FLOORS AND FLOOR FINISHES

Asphalt block (51-mm), 13-mm mortar 1.44
Cement finish (25-mm) on stone-concrete fill 1.53
Ceramic or quarry tile (19-mm) on 13-mm mortar bed 0.77
Ceramic or quarry tile (19-mm) on 25-mm mortar bed 1.1
Concrete fill finish (per mm thickness) 0.023
Hardwood flooring, 22-mm 0.19
Linoleum or asphalt, 6-mm 0.05
Marble and mortar on stone-concrete fill 1.58
Slate (per mm thickness) 0.028
Solid flat tile on 25-mm mortar base 1.1
Subflooring, 19-mm 0.14
Terrazzo (38-mm) directly on slab 0.91
Terrazzo (25-mm) on stone-concrete fill 1.53
Terrazzo (25-mm) , 51-mm stone concrete 1.53
Wood block (76-mm) on mastic, no fill 0.48
Wood block (76-mm) on 13-mm mortar base 0.77

FLOORS, WOOD-JOIST (NO PLASTER)

DOUBLE WOOD FLOOR
Joint sizes (mm) 305-mm spacing (kPA) 406-mm spacing (kPA) 610-mm spacing (kPA)
51 x 152 0.29 0.24 0.24
51 x 203 0.29 0.29 0.24
51 x 254 0.34 0.29 0.29
51 x 305 0.38 0.34 0.29

FRAME PARTITIONS
Movable steel partitions 0.19
Wood or steel studs, 13-mm gypsum board each side 0.38
Wood studs, 51 x 102, unplastered 0.19
Wood studs, 51 x 102, plastered one side 0.57
Wood studs, 51 x 102, plastered two sides 0.96

FRAME WALLS
Exterior stud walls:
51 mm x 102 mm @ 406 mm, 16-mm gypsum, insulated, 10-mm siding 0.53
51 mm x 152 mm @ 406 mm, 16-mm gypsum, insulated, 10-mm siding 0.57
Exterior stud walls with brick veneer 2.3
Windows, glass, frame, and sash 0.38
Clay brick wythes:
102 mm 1.87
203 mm 3.78
305 mm 5.51
406 mm 7.42
Hollow concrete masonry unit wythes:
Wythe thickess (in mm) 102 152 203 254 305
Density of unit (16.49 kN/m )3

No grout 1.05 1.29 1.68 2.01 2.35

1,219 mm 1.48 1.92 2.35 2.78
1,016 mm grout 1.58 2.06 2.54 3.02
813 mm spacing 1.63 2.15 2.68 3.16
610 mm 1.77 2.35 2.92 3.45
406 mm 2.01 2.68 3.35 4.02
Full grout 2.73 3.69 4.69 5.7
Density of unit (19.64 kN/m )3

No grout 1.25 1.34 1.72 2.11 2.39

1,219 mm 1.58 2.11 2.59 2.97
1,016 mm grout 1.63 2.15 2.68 3.11
813 mm spacing 1.72 2.25 2.78 3.26
610 mm 1.87 2.44 3.02 3.59
406 mm 2.11 2.78 3.5 4.17
Full grout 2.82 3.88 4.88 5.89
Density of unit (21.21 kN/m )3

No grout 1.39 1.68 2.15 2.59 3.02

1,219 mm 1.58 2.39 2.92 3.45
1,016 mm grout 1.72 2.54 3.11 3.69
813 mm spacing 1.82 2.63 3.26 3.83
610 mm 1.96 2.82 3.5 4.12
406 mm 2.25 3.16 3.93 4.69
Full grout 3.06 4.17 5.27 6.37
Solid concrete masonry unit
Wythe thickess (in mm) 102 152 203 254 305
Density of unit (16.49 kN/m3) 1.53 2.35 3.21 4.02 4.88
Density of unit (19.64 kN/m3) 1.82 2.82 3.78 4.79 5.79
Density of unit (21.21 kN/m3) 1.96 3.02 4.12 5.17 6.27
 Minimum Densities for Design Loads from Materials

Material Density (lb/ft3) Material

Aluminum 170 Aluminum
Bituminous products Bituminous products
Asphaltum 81 Asphaltum
Graphite 135 Graphite
Paraffin 56 Paraffin
Petroleum, crude 55 Petroleum, crude
Petroleum, refined 50 Petroleum, refined
Petroleum, benzine 46 Petroleum, benzine
Petroleum, gasoline 42 Petroleum, gasoline
Pitch 69 Pitch
Tar 75 Tar
Brass 526 Brass
Bronze 552 Bronze
Cast-stone masonry (cement, stone, sand) 144 Cast-stone masonry (cement, stone, sand)
Cement, portland, loose 90 Cement, portland, loose
Ceramic tile 150 Ceramic tile
Charcoal 12 Charcoal
Cinder fill 57 Cinder fill
Cinders, dry, in bulk 45 Cinders, dry, in bulk
Coal Coal
Anthracite, piled 52 Anthracite, piled
Bituminous, piled 47 Bituminous, piled
Lignite, piled 47 Lignite, piled
Peat, dry, piled 23 Peat, dry, piled
Concrete, plain Concrete, plain
Cinder 108 Cinder
Expanded-slag aggregate 100 Expanded-slag aggregate
Haydite (burned-clay aggregate) 90 Haydite (burned-clay aggregate)
Slag 132 Slag
Stone (including gravel) 144 Stone (including gravel)
Vermiculite and perlite aggregate 25-50 Vermiculite and perlite aggregat
nonload-bearing nonload-bearing
Other light aggregate, load-bearing concrete, 70-105 Other light aggregate, load-bearing concret
reinforced reinforced
Cinder 111 Cinder
Slag 138 Slag
Stone (including gravel) 150 Stone (including gravel)
Copper 556 Copper
Cork, compressed 14 Cork, compressed
Earth (not submerged) Earth (not submerged)
Clay, dry 63 Clay, dry
Clay, damp 110 Clay, damp
Clay and gravel, dry 100 Clay and gravel, dry
Silt, moist, loose 78 Silt, moist, loose
Silt, moist, packed 96 Silt, moist, packed
 Silt, flowing 108 Silt, flowing
Sand and gravel, dry, loose 100 Sand and gravel, dry, loose
Sand and gravel, dry, packed 110 Sand and gravel, dry, packed
Sand and gravel, wet 120 Sand and gravel, wet
Earth (submerged) Earth (submerged)
Clay 80 Clay
Soil 70 Soil
River mud 90 River mud
Sand or gravel 60 Sand or gravel
Sand or gravel and clay 65 Sand or gravel and clay
Glass 160 Glass
Gravel, dry 104 Gravel, dry
Gypsum, loose 70 Gypsum, loose
Gypsum, wallboard 50 Gypsum, wallboard
Ice 57 Ice
Iron Iron
Cast 450 Cast
Wrought 480 Wrought
Lead 710 Lead
Lime Lime
Hydrated, loose 32 Hydrated, loose
Hydrated, compacted 45 Hydrated, compacted
Masonry, ashlar stone Masonry, ashlar stone
Granite 165 Granite
Limestone, crystalline 165 Limestone, crystalline
Limestone, oolitic 135 Limestone, oolitic
Marble 173 Marble
Sandstone 144 Sandstone
Masonry, brick Masonry, brick
Hard (low absorption) 130 Hard (low absorption)
Medium (medium absoprtion) 115 Medium (medium absoprtion)
Soft (high absorption) 100 Soft (high absorption)
Masonry, concrete Masonry, concrete
Lightweight units 105 Lightweight units
Medium weight units 125 Medium weight units
Normal weight units 135 Normal weight units
Masonry grout 140 Masonry grout
Masonry, rubble stone Masonry, rubble stone
Granite 153 Granite
Limestone, crystalline 147 Limestone, crystalline
Limestone, oolitic 138 Limestone, oolitic
Marble 156 Marble
Sandstone 137 Sandstone
Mortar, cement, or lime 130 Mortar, cement, or lime
Particleboard 45 Particleboard
Plywood 36 Plywood
Riprap (not submerged) Riprap (not submerged)
Limestone 83 Limestone
 Sandstone 90 Sandstone
Sand Sand
Clean and dry 90 Clean and dry
River, dry 106 River, dry
Slag Slag
Bank 70 Bank
Bank screenings 108 Bank screenings
Machine 96 Machine
Sand 52 Sand
Slate 172 Slate
Steel, cold-drawn 492 Steel, cold-drawn
Stone, quarried, piled Stone, quarried, piled
Basalt, granite, gneiss 96 Basalt, granite, gneiss
Limestone, marble, quartz 95 Limestone, marble, quartz
Sandstone 82 Sandstone
Shale 92 Shale
Greenstone, hornblade 107 Greenstone, hornblade
Terra cotta, architectural Terra cotta, architectural
Voids filled 120 Voids filled
Voids unfilled 72 Voids unfilled
Tin 459 Tin
Water Water
Fresh 62 Fresh
Sea 64 Sea
Wood, seasoned Wood, seasoned
Ash, commercial white 41 Ash, commercial white
Cypress, southern 34 Cypress, southern
Fir, Douglas, coast region 34 Fir, Douglas, coast region
Hem fir 28 Hem fir
Oak, commercial reds and whites 47 Oak, commercial reds and white
Pine, southern yellow 37 Pine, southern yellow
Redwood 28 Redwood
Spruce, red, white, and Sitka 29 Spruce, red, white, and Sitka
Western hemlock 32 Western hemlock
Zinc, rolled sheet 449 Zinc, rolled sheet
 aterials

terial Density (kN/m3)

27
s
m 12.7
21.2
8.8
m, crude 8.6
m, refined 7.9
m, benzine 7.2
m, gasoline 6.6
10.8
11.8
82.6
86.7
(cement, stone, sand) 22.6
ose 14.1
23.6
1.9
9
7.1

e, piled 8.2
us, piled 7.4
led 7.4
piled 3.6

17
d-slag aggregate 15.7
burned-clay aggregate) 14.1
20.7
cluding gravel) 22.6
te and perlite aggregat 3.9-7.9
nload-bearing
e, load-bearing concret 11.0-16.5

17.4
21.7
cluding gravel) 23.6
87.3
2.2
ed)
9.9
mp 17.3
gravel, dry 15.7
t, loose 12.3
t, packed 15.1
ng 17
gravel, dry, loose 15.7
gravel, dry, packed 17.3
gravel, wet 18.9

12.6
11
d 14.1
gravel 9.4
gravel and clay 10.2
25.1
16.3
11
7.9
9

70.7
75.4
111.5

, loose 7.1
, compacted 5
ne
25.9
e, crystalline 25.9
e, oolitic 21.2
27.2
e 22.6

absorption) 20.4
medium absoprtion) 18.1
absorption) 15.7

ht units 16.5
weight units 19.6
eight units 21.2
22
ne
24
e, crystalline 23.1
e, oolitic 21.7
24.5
e 21.5
me 20.4
7.1
5.7
ged)
e 13
e 14.1

d dry 14.1
16.7

11
eenings 17
15.1
8.2
27
77.3
d
anite, gneiss 15.1
e, marble, quartz 14.9
e 12.9
14.5
ne, hornblade 16.8
tural
d 18.9
illed 11.3
72.1

9.7
10.1

mercial white 6.4

southern 5.3
as, coast region 5.3
4.4
mercial reds and white 7.4
thern yellow 5.8
4.4
ed, white, and Sitka 4.5
hemlock 5
70.5