How Much Weight Can an Awning Hold? (Everything You Need To Know)

There are a lot of benefits to having an awning installed, such as shade from direct sunlight and protection from wind, ice, and rain if you prefer to leave your window open. Although some awnings may look a little delicate, you might be surprised at how much weight one can hold, especially a metal one.

Answer To The question how much weight can an awning hold:

A metal awning (traditionally made out of aluminum) can hold roughly 44lbs at a size of 10’ x 12’. The larger the awning, the more it can hold. Wood awnings can’t hold quite as much and the weight load they can handle, assuming they are constructed with quality materials, is reduced by around 25%.

Of course, how much an awning can hold is directly proportionate to how large the awning is. For example, the above, 10’ x 12’ awning can hold around 96lbs of solid weight, mostly in the form of precipitation. Increase the size of the awning to 10’ x 15’ and it can hold 120lbs.

Can You Walk on an Awning?

It largely depends. Most awnings are small enough that you can do most of your preventative maintenance without ever having to step foot on one. The smaller awning, mentioned above, couldn’t stand the weight of a person.

However, much larger awnings can hold more weight. A 10’ x 30’ awning can handle a 240lb human being if you’re not up there jumping around and trying to do some cartwheels to impress the neighbors.

It’s not recommended that you or anyone else crawl up there often, however, especially if you can conduct any repairs or preventative maintenance from the ground or on a ladder.

If you need to go up on top of one, bring some plywood with you that you can lay across the awning and stand on, that way your weight is appropriately distributed across a wider section and it reduces the possibility of doing cosmetic damage to the top of the awning.

How Much Weight Can a Retractable Awning Hold?

Retractable awnings are far more convenient, especially if you don’t want the awning there all of the time, either because of the particular view on your property or because you like to set up an outdoor event now and then.

They certainly can’t hold the same kind of weight that a solid-built, permanent awning can hold, and it’s difficult to pin down an exact number because retractable awnings, by design, are retractable and the material that provides cover has to be delicate enough to fold up when you retract the awning.

Some retractable awnings are rated to hold up to 300lbs, while others shouldn’t have so much as a cat jump on it or it will tear through the fabric.

Retractable awnings and weather

Retractable awnings are retracted wither with a hand crank mechanism or a motor, so they have some moving parts in them that reduce their ability to hold heavyweight. However, that doesn’t mean they are useless for anything other than cover from the sun either.

In fact, retractable awnings are often rated for a specific level of wind resistance and if you purchase one at a retailer on the Gulf Coast, you’re likely to see some significant wind ratings due to the prevalence of hurricanes and tornadoes in those areas.

All retractable awnings are going to be able to handle rainfall and moderate ice. Heavy snow areas can make things difficult on awnings and if you have a retractable one, you shouldn’t leave it out in heavy snow.

There is a way to calculate how much rain and weight a retractable awning can handle, however, and it’s based on the weight of rainfall and the square footage of the retractable awning’s surface area.

Rainfall can be pretty heavy when it’s really coming down and the impact force of rain is approximately 65lbs per cubic foot. That means that the rate of rainfall on a 10’x12’ awning can create a weight distribution across that surface that is anywhere between 75lbs and 600lbs, depending on how hard its raining.

Fortunately, retractable awnings are designed at angles that are meant to divert the rainfall either off to the sides or at the front, so it minimizes the overall impact of rain far more than something completely flat and parallel to the ground.

Awnings Versus Wind, Snow, and Sleet

Permanent awnings can withstand forces that far exceed the specifications of retractable awnings. Most awnings today are either manufactured with hardened aluminum or wood and while the wood isn’t as strong, either of these awnings can take quite a punch before failing.

Acrylic, vinyl, and natural fabric awnings: Up to the Beaufort Scale 5
Wood Awnings: Are made to withstand above Beaufort Scale 5 but need to be treated for rain
Aluminum awnings: Do not require treatment and are rated for well above the Beaufort Scale 5
Plastic, Glass, and Fiberglass: Do not require treatment and are rated for well above the Beaufort Scale 5

Wood awnings are more than capable of handling just about anything that mother nature has to throw at them, however, they do need to be treated like any deck so that it can better resist the long-term damage from rain.

Also, the acrylic, vinyl, and natural fabric awnings are predominately found in retractable awnings and shouldn’t be exposed to much outside of light rainfalls and the occasional gust of wind that comes with a storm.

However, you can find retractable awnings that are specifically designed to resist heavy wind and you will be more successful depending on where you live. The nature of business dictates that merchandise is often restricted to regional usefulness.

Final Thoughts

Unless you find some cheap, no-name, knock-off brand online, (in terms of retractable awnings), all awnings are going to be able to hold up some degree of weight. Permanent awnings are going to have a distinct advantage in that arena.

However, you shouldn’t count retractable awnings out either. When you are considering the construction of an awning or placing a retractable awning on your home, be sure to read the fine print, as most are pretty informative in terms of their capabilities and resistance to what mother nature can throw at them.

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