Structural load converter
Convert a distributed load between kN/m², kg/m² and pounds per square foot, the three ways floors and roofs are specified.
That's about the same as an office floor. That allows about 3.187 people of 80 kg on every square meter.
What it means
How much can it carry?
These are characteristic loads, before partial safety factors. Codes multiply them by 1.5 or so before a member is actually sized.
Every unit
Your load in every unit
Learn
Three things worth knowing
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1 kN/m² = 102 kg/m² = 20.9 psf
Dividing by gravity turns force into mass. The kilogram figure is the one most people can picture.
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Newtons, not kilograms
Structural codes work in force, because that is what a beam resists. Kilograms per square meter are a convenience for people loading the floor, not for the engineer sizing it.
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Dead load is not live load
The live load is what you put on the floor. The screed, tiles and services underneath are dead load, and they are counted separately and permanently.
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Popular load conversions
Background
About distributed loads
Floors are designed for a load spread over every square meter. A home is 1.5 kN/m², an office 2.5 and a warehouse 10 or more.
A kilonewton is about 102 kilograms of weight, so 2.5 kN/m² is roughly 255 kg on every square meter — three or four people standing shoulder to shoulder.