How to Calculate Mezzanine Floor Load Capacity

Mezzanine floors can be used in any way you like, but you do need to be aware of their load capacity. This refers to how much weight they will be able to hold before the structure breaks.

Floor load capacity is important because it ensures the safety of everyone working in the building, means the space is used efficiently and complies with regulations and standards.

First Floors are specialist mezzanine floor designers, manufacturers and installers across the UK. We work with a range of industries, from manufacturing and warehouses to retail stores and offices to garages, to efficiently expand their space. Each industry and client has different needs for their mezzanine floor, meaning the load-bearing capacity needs to meet their specific requirements. Our team are expert at working out what this will need to be and designing a structure that will support it.

In this blog, we share how you can calculate your mezzanine floor load capacity.

What is Mezzanine Floor Load Capacity?

As we explained in our recent blog “Understanding Mezzanine Floor Load Capacity”, floor load capacity is “the amount of weight it will be able to take at one time.”

This calculation will dictate how the structure is designed to meet your needs and how you are able to use the space, making it a vital part of the design process.

Why Calculating Load Capacity is Essential

Calculating the floor load capacity is imperative for a number of reasons.

  1. Safety – if the limit is exceeded, the floor can collapse, which poses a great risk to everyone working within the building.
  2. Legal requirements – in the UK, we have strict standards and regulations that need to be met for health and safety. You need to calculate the load capacity in order to meet certain regulations, such as BS6399.
  3. Functionality – as we have said above, you need to know that your space will support how you want to use it, so you need to know how much weight it can hold.

So, how do you work out the load capacity of your mezzanine floor?

Step-by-Step Guide to Calculating Load Capacity

This calculation isn’t overly difficult once you have wrapped your head around it. Make sure you take your time to understand which figures go where so that you can be confident that you have the right number at the end.

Step 1: Measure the mezzanine floor dimensions.
Step 2: Calculate the weight of the mezzanine’s materials (flooring, beams, columns).
Step 3: Determine the anticipated weight of people and equipment that will be on the floor.
Step 4: Add the two weights together to get the overall weight of the mezzanine floor.
Step 5: Apply safety factors to ensure the structure meets or exceeds the required load capacity.

If you aren’t sure about this calculation, don’t worry! The team at First Floors are here waiting to help you as part of their design and installation service.

This is a calculation that we will do at the beginning of the design phase, so if you are struggling to work out the load capacity you need, we can help you.

Common Mistakes in Calculating Load Capacity

When working out this calculation, it is important that you include absolutely everything that might be on the floor of this space. There are a few common mistakes that are made when doing this that can have detrimental impacts on the design and compliance of the space.

  • Ignoring dynamic loads – people forget to think about the mobile machinery they will be using on the floor. This would mean when it came to using the space, the floor was over capacity, breaking compliance and posing a threat to the health and safety of everyone.
  • Overloading with heavy machinery – miscalculating the weight of heavy machinery can quickly turn into you overloading the floor’s load capacity.
  • Not checking with professionals – as you would check a client-facing email, you need to check your calculations. Incorrect maths could lead to fines or structural failures.

Expert Calculations With Us

Put simply, to work out the floor load capacity of your mezzanine floor, you need to work out the weight of the structure and the weight of the equipment, machinery and people on the floor and then add these figures together.

This is a calculation that will dictate how the structure is built and how it can be used, so it is a pivotal part of the design phase.

With that in mind, any professional design and installation team will incorporate this calculation within their processes.

At First Floors, we are mezzanine floor specialists offering comprehensive services. Our design team will work with you to complete this calculation as one of the first steps they take in their process, so you can be confident going forward that your mezzanine floor will be able to meet the purpose you need it for.

As we manufacture the designs ourselves, you can also rest assured that the final product will perfectly match the design we put together, and delays will be avoided as we won’t have to work with third-party manufacturers.

Our end-to-end service ensures a smooth and consistent process from the beginning to end.

Contact our team today for help calculating your mezzanine floor load capacity and discuss how we can help you. Call us on 01789 764172 or complete our online contact form, and we will call you back.