Engineering and Construction

Dead loads are always present in a building; that is, they do not vary with time. They include the weights of the materials and components that comprise the structure. The dead load of a component is computed by multiplying its volume by the density of the material. Because both the densities and the dimensions of the components are known with reasonable accuracy, dead loads in a building can be estimated with greater certainty than other load types. Densities of some of the commonly used materials are given in  Table 2.


The dead load for which a building component is designed includes the self-load of the component plus the dead loads of all other components that it supports. For example, the dead load on a column includes the weight of the column itself plus all the dead load imposed on it. In Figure 3.3, the dead load on a column is the weight of the column plus the dead load from the beams and slab resting on it. Similarly, the dead load on a beam is the weight of the beam itself plus the dead load from the slab that it supports. The dead  load on the slab is only the self-weight of the slab. However, if the slab supports a floor finish, ceiling, light fixtures, or plumbing and electrical pipes, their weights must be included in the dead load acting on the slab.