Calculators / Sheds, pergolas and gazebos
Will your hardtop gazebo hold the snow?
Pick your gazebo, or enter its rating, and how much snow you let build up. You get the load, what the gazebo is rated for, and how deep each kind of snow can get.
Updated · How we check our numbers
Close to its rating
15 of 16.4 psf
12 in of average snow is about 15 psf. Sunjoy 12x14 Cedar Wood Hardtop is rated for 16.4 psf, so there is little to spare: clear it sooner if the snow gets wet.
- Your snow
- 15 psf12 in, average
- Rated for
- 16.4 psffrom the maker
- Roof
- 168 sq ft
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Estimate for planning only, not professional advice. Check the manufacturer’s instructions, your local code and a licensed professional before you buy, build or install. Use at your own risk. Terms.
snow load = 12 in ÷ 12 × 15 lb/cu ft (average) = 15 psf
rating = 16.4 psf, from the maker
How deep before it's over
By kind of snow- Light, fluffy snow7 lb/cu ft (NDSU)Up to 28 in
16.4 psf ÷ 7 = 2.3 ft of this snow.
- Average snow15 lb/cu ft (NDSU)Up to 13 in
16.4 psf ÷ 15 = 1.1 ft of this snow.
- Drifted or packed snow20 lb/cu ft (NDSU)Up to 9 in
16.4 psf ÷ 20 = 0.8 ft of this snow.
- Wet, packed with ice snow40 lb/cu ft (UW-Madison, low end of 40 to 58)Up to 4 in
16.4 psf ÷ 40 = 0.4 ft of this snow.
Building codes set a ground snow load for every area; Minnesota, for example, uses 50 or 60 psf by county. A kit rated well below yours is a summer structure: plan to clear it. Your building department has the number.
Use a roof rake from the ground, not a ladder, and clear the whole roof evenly so one side isn't left loaded.
Maker's wind figure: “Wind resistance: 31.1MPH”. Anchoring: Not stated on the page.
How we work it out
snow load (psf) = depth (in) ÷ 12 × density (lb per cu ft)
How heavy snow is. NDSU Extension puts light, fluffy snow at about 7 lb per cubic foot, average snow at 15 and drifted or compacted snow at 20 or more. UW-Madison Extension gives 40 to 58 for packed snow with ice. So a foot of average snow is about 15 psf, and a foot of icy snow 40 or more.
What the gazebo can take. Makers rate snow three ways. Pounds per square foot we use as given. A total in pounds we divide by the roof area from the maker's dimensions, which assumes the snow sits evenly. Inches of snow can't be compared without the kind of snow, so we show what that depth weighs at each density.
Where the numbers come from
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