How to Figure Square Foot with Weight

You can determine square footage from the pressure placed on building materials.

Square footage is a measurement of the area of a certain object or space. When buildings are erected, engineers must ensure materials can support the number of pounds of pressure exerted per square foot. If you know the pounds per square foot exerted, you can determine the square footage from this measurement. Square footage measurements are extremely useful in determining the amount of space within a structure.

Things You'll Need

• Pressure calculation
• Calculator

Instructions

1. Determine the total pounds of pressure exerted on the structure. You may have to contact the engineers or architects involved in building the structure to obtain this information.

2. Determine the pounds of pressure per square foot. You also may need to consult building professionals for this.

3. Divide the total pounds of pressure (from Step 1) by the pounds per square foot (from Step 2) to find the square footage. For instance, if the total amount of pressure is 6,000 pounds per square foot and the pounds of pressure per square foot is 3, divide 6,000 by 3 to get 2,000 square feet.

References

• Doc Stoc: Estimating Foundation Loads

Resources

• Penn State: Weights of Building Materials, Agricultural Commodities, and Floor Loads For Buildings