Weights of Building Materials Occupancy Loads

Material Weight Type of Building Live Load (kN/m2)

Reinforced Concrete 25 kN/m3 Classroom 3.0
Concrete 24 kN/m3 Disco/Gym 5.0
Steel 78 kN/m3 Residential House 1.5
Bricks/Blocks 22 kN/m3 Hostel/Hospital 2.0
Timber (softwood) 6 kN/m3 Offices 2.5
Timber (hardwood) 12 kN/m3 Garages 4.0
Sand 18 kN/m3 Supermarkets 3.5
Aggregates 22 kN/m3 Roof with access 1.5
Cement 18 kN/m3 Roof without access 0.25
Clay 20 kN/m3
Cereals 9 kN/m3
Water 10 kN/m3
Roof Clay Tiles 0.75 kN/m2
Timber Ceiling 0.25 kN/m2
Floor Tiles 1.50 kN/m2
GCI or IT4 (per mm thick) 0.10 kN/m2
Brick/Block wall (per 25 mm thick) 0.55 kN/m2
Plaster/Screed (per 25 mm thick) 0.60 kN/m2

Effective Height for Columns 

End condition at  End condition at top 
bottom  1  2  3 
1  0.75  0.80  0.90 
2  0.80  0.85  0.95 
3  0.90  0.95  1.00 
Condition 1 – Full fixity 
Condition 2 – Partial fixity 
Condition 3 – Nominal restraint 

Figure Q2(c)