Scaffold Load Calculator

No. This is an educational tool that multiplies platform area by a uniformly distributed load. It does not design scaffolds, check TG20 or system-scaffold data, assess ties, standards, ledgers, boards, foundations or wind, and must not replace a competent person's design, calculations or handover inspection.

Multiply the boarded length by the boarded width. If you have several identical boarded lifts, multiply by the number of platforms for a total boarded area. Real scaffolds often have different boarded widths and loadings on each lift — that needs proper design.

They are guide uniformly distributed service loads used in scaffold standards, from Class 1 (0.75 kN/m²) through Class 6 (6.00 kN/m²). Picking a class in this tool only shows the arithmetic for that pressure × area. It does not certify that your scaffold is that class.

For a uniform load: total imposed load (kN) = load per m² × total boarded area (m²). Working backwards, load per m² = total applied load ÷ area. Concentrated loads, partial boarding and dynamic effects are outside this illustration.

No. Follow NASC TG20 (or the relevant system guidance), the Work at Height Regulations duties, and engage a competent designer or temporary works engineer wherever the scaffold is not a standard compliant configuration. This page is for learning the basic load arithmetic only.

Site teams often talk about load in kilograms of materials. Dividing kilonewtons by g (≈ 9.81) gives a rough kilogram-force equivalent. It is still only an illustration of the uniform load you entered, not a capacity check.