Dead Load and Live Load Calculation Step by Step — Worked Example (ASCE 7-22 Tables C3.1-1a, 4.3-1)
1:26Published July 8, 2026Narrated, with captions and a full transcriptAlso on YouTube
Assemble the dead and live loads for a residential floor in StructSuite per ASCE 7-22 — a floor dead-load assembly out of ASCE 7-22 Table C3.1-1a totalling D = 15.20 psf, and the full standard residential live-load set from Table 4.3-1.
Transcript and details
About this video
What you will see
- The module opening completely empty, then the five dead-load types you pick from: roof, ceiling, floor, interior wall and exterior wall, so you check only what actually exists in your project
- Checking Floor dead load drops in a floor assembly, starting from a Light, Typical or Heavy preset, with any line editable
- A running total dead load D in psf under the assembly, every line weight to two decimals
- Thickness-rate materials totaled for you: four 1/8 in gypsum board layers land as a single 0.5 in line at 2.20 psf
- The full ASCE 7-22 Table C3.1-1a catalog of minimum design dead loads, under the printed table's own section headings
- One click on Residential building the standard residential live-load set, eight Table 4.3-1 occupancies at once
- The whole of ASCE 7-22 Table 4.3-1 opened for any occupancy outside that set, with its own columns for uniform Lo, whether live load reduction is permitted, and concentrated loads
- The panel saying plainly that the ASCE 7-22 Section 4.7 live load reduction is NOT applied by the suite: selections carry through as the tabulated Lo, and a reduced L is entered in the member's own design module
- Collapsing either section into a blue summary
The loads in this example
Floor dead load, Typical preset: 1/2 in gypsum board 2.20 psf (four 1/8 in layers) + 7/8 in hardwood flooring 4.00 psf + 3/4 in subflooring 3.00 psf + 2x10 at 16 in spacing 6.00 psf, for a total dead load D = 15.20 psf. Live loads, the Residential set from ASCE 7-22 Table 4.3-1: 40 psf for all other areas except stairs; 30 psf for habitable attics and sleeping areas; 20 psf for ordinary flat, pitched and curved roofs; 10 psf for uninhabitable attics without storage and 20 psf with storage; 40 psf plus a 300 lb concentrated load on one- and two-family dwelling stairs; balconies and decks at 1.5 times the live load for the area served, not required to exceed 100 psf; and handrails and guard systems at 50 lb/ft with a 200 lb concentrated load. Floor live load reduction is flagged per Section 4.7.2 and roof reduction per Section 4.8.2, flagged, not taken.
Codes referenced: ASCE 7-22 Table C3.1-1a and Table 4.3-1, with Sections 4.5.1, 4.7, 4.7.2, 4.8.1, 4.8.2, 4.12.1, 4.12.2 and 4.15.
Transcript
The narration word for word, 205 words, from the video's own captions. Select a time to play from there.
Dead & Live Loads — ASCE 7-22
0:04In this tutorial we'll assemble the dead and live loads for a residential floor, per ASCE 7-22 — the loads that feed your gravity load combinations.
Add the Dead and Live Loads module
0:15From the dashboard, add the Dead and Live Loads module. It opens empty. Start with dead loads. You pick which dead loads exist in your project from five types. Roof, ceiling, floor, and interior or exterior walls.
Check Floor dead load
0:28Check floor dead load, and a floor assembly is added. Each assembly starts from a Light, Typical, or Heavy preset, or you can edit any line to make it your own. We'll use Typical — about fifteen psf.
Or add any material from ASCE 7-22 Table C3.1-1a
0:40You can also add any material straight from ASCE 7-22 Table C3.1-1a — the full catalog, organized by category. Collapse the section, and the dead loads are captured in a blue summary.
Live loads
0:55Now the live loads. For a typical residential building, just click Residential — and the full standard set of residential live loads is created in a single click.
Or fine-tune from ASCE 7-22 Table 4.3-1
1:06Or open the full ASCE 7-22 Table 4.3-1 to add or adjust any occupancy yourself. Collapse the section, and the residential live loads are captured in the blue summary.
Done — ready for the gravity load combinations
1:19Your dead and live loads are now ready to flow into the gravity load combinations.