Is my storage building resistant to wind and snow?

You don’t have to worry about your storage building collapsing under heavy snowfall or during stormy winds. Our storage buildings are designed for this purpose and comply with European laws and regulations in this regard. On our website, you will find under each type of storage building the tab ‘Specifications.’ In these specifications, you will see the maximum wind and snow loads for which a storage building is designed. These are determined in the official strength calculations. It doesn’t matter whether the storage building is anchored with ground pegs or concrete anchors. We advise you to only place the storage building in wind and snow zones that do not exceed these standards. If your storage building is in the Netherlands, you will not exceed these standards.

There are special indications to represent the snow load. We use the notation kN/m², which stands for kilonewton per square meter. In this case, it indicates how much weight of snow the storage building can support per square meter. To convert a kilonewton to kilograms, multiply the number representing kN by 100. For example, 1.3 kN/m² means that the roof can support (1.3 x 100) 130 kilograms of snow per m².

For wind, we express the wind load also in kN/m². Since this might not mean much to you, you can find on our website a list correlating wind load with wind speed, displayed in the usual kilometers per hour. Additionally, we have added the Beaufort scale with the numbers and names of the winds. For example, an 8 on the Beaufort scale indicates a gale-force wind.

To give you an idea of the wind and snow load of some of our storage buildings, see below for an overview. These calculations concern the structure. Any cladding or finishing trims might get damaged during a storm without the storage building collapsing.

Storage building type	Max. snow load	Max. wind load	Wind speed
E509	1.50 kN/m² combined with a wind load of 0.48 kN/m²	0.72 kN/m² combined with a snow load of 0.85 kN/m²	Withstands wind (peak) loads up to 122 km per hour (hurricane force).
H717-37	1.30 kN/m² combined with a wind load of 0.65 kN/m²	0.85 kN/m² combined with a snow load of 0.7 kN/m²	Withstands wind (peak) loads of 130 km per hour (hurricane force).
H1213-30	1.30 kN/m² combined with a wind load of 0.85 kN/m²	0.85 kN/m² combined with a snow load of 1.3 kN/m²	Withstands wind (peak) loads of 130 km per hour (hurricane force).

 

Please note that the actual maximum permissible snow load decreases if you add extra weight to the roof, such as by installing solar panels or hanging heavy lights on the structure. You must deduct this additional weight from the maximum permissible snow load as specified in the storage building’s specifications. Below is an example of how to calculate this.

Suppose the maximum permissible snow load for a certain storage building is 1.2 kN/m², which means 120 kg of snow per square meter can be on the roof. If 1 square meter of solar panels weighs 40 kg, then only 80 kilograms are left for snow. In a region where the specified snow load is less than 0.8 kN/m² (80 kg per square meter), it is safe to install these solar panels on the storage building. In a region where the snow load is higher than 0.8 kN/m², it is not safe to install these solar panels, considering their weight, on the roof.

If, after installing solar panels, you would have insufficient permissible snow load left for your region, you can consider increasing the permissible snow load. This is only possible for the H6, H7, and H8 storage buildings. These three types of storage buildings can be equipped with tension rods, which are essentially extra reinforcement bars in the roof, allowing the permissible snow load to be increased by 0.2 kN/m². The cost for this is approximately 60 euros per tension rod. Depending on the size of the storage building, you will need 3 to a maximum of 10. If you would like to know more about this, please contact us.

All our storage buildings have so-called ‘wind ties.’ By wind ties, we mean a set of strips or cables that divert the wind load on the facade and roof to the floor. These are often installed in a cross arrangement. It provides the structure and frame with strength against wind loads.

We would like to give you some additional points to ensure that your storage building can withstand snowstorms and winds. For example:

1. Always close all doors during strong winds.

2. Correctly assemble the storage building and ensure proper anchoring. Refer to our manual for this.

3. The depth of the storage building foundation must at least reach the frost line. This frost line varies from place to place. If groundwater under your foundation freezes and thaws again, your foundation will detach from the ground. You can prevent this by laying the foundation up to the frost line.

4. Tighten the screws properly but not too tight. This can lead to breaking the screw head. This results in the roof or wall panel not being attached, and secondly, a hole remains in the cladding allowing water to enter. Fastening screws is mainly visual. The screws for the roof cladding have a rubber ring under the screw head. This must be pressed in such a way that waterproofness is guaranteed but not so far that all elasticity is gone.

5. Also, ensure good water drainage. For example, install a gutter to drain rainwater and meltwater from the roof.

6. Do not place the storage building in a region with higher wind and snow loads than the warehouse is designed for. It is not safe, and your warranty will be void.

We hope the above information helps you make an informed choice. If you want to know exactly what the storage building of your choice costs, feel free to fill in our quotation tool. From this, you will receive a quote by email, showing at a glance what the costs and transport costs are for your storage building. You can request multiple quotes and select different options. This way, you can compare them thoroughly.

If you still have questions, we are happy to assist further.