How to Calculate Scaffolding Loads in Victoria
If you’ve ever stood on a scaffold and wondered, “Is this strong enough to hold me, my tools, and my team?” — you’re asking the right question.
Sunrise Scaffolding knows that in Victoria — and especially for Geelong scaffolding projects — accurate load calculations aren’t just best practice, they’re a legal and WorkSafe Victoria requirement. Get it wrong, and you risk unsafe working conditions, costly project delays, or worse, a serious incident.
As a trusted scaffolding company servicing Geelong, Ballarat, and the Bellarine Peninsula, we take the guesswork out of the process. Every scaffold we erect is carefully calculated during the design stage to ensure safety, compliance, and stability.
Step 1: Know Your Scaffold Type and Duty Rating
Before any work begins, we determine the correct duty rating for your scaffold. This rating dictates how much weight each platform per bay can safely support, and it’s a key factor in scaffold design.
Here’s the breakdown:
Light Duty Scaffolds – Up to 225 kg per platform per bay. Ideal for hiring a scaffold tower for painting, electrical work, or light maintenance.
Medium Duty Scaffolds – Up to 450 kg per platform per bay. Ideal for general trades like carpentry, tiling, or light steel framing.
Heavy Duty Scaffolds – Up to 675 kg per platform per bay. Built for bricklaying, concreting, demolition, and other heavy-impact jobs.
Special Duty Scaffolds – Custom-designed for unique loads, such as loading bays. Must meet at least light-duty standards.
The Sunrise Scaffolding team always follow manufacturer specifications to ensure every structure meets or exceeds safety requirements.
Please explore our complete scaffolding services to get started today!
Step 2: Understand the Types of Scaffold Loads
When we calculate scaffold load capacity, we look at three main types of loads:
Dead Load – The weight of the scaffold structure itself (frames, planks, stairways, ladders, ties, screens, etc.).
Live Load – People, tools, materials, and debris.
Environmental Load – External forces like wind, rain, or even earthquakes.
We also factor in point loads — concentrated weight in a single spot, such as multiple workers or stacked materials.
This process ensures the scaffold is not only safe but also equipped with the right fall protection measures to keep workers secure.
Step 3: Factor in Height and Stability
Load capacity isn’t just about weight — scaffold stability matters too.
Height-to-Base Ratio – For most scaffolds, the safe rule is 4:1 (height shouldn’t exceed four times the base width).
Wind Conditions – For mobile scaffolds in windy conditions, we design to a more conservative 3:1 ratio.
Ties and Bracing – We secure scaffolds to structures at regular intervals (every second lift vertically and every third bay horizontally) to prevent sway or collapse.
Step 4: Real-World Example — Scaffold Load Calculation
Let’s say you need a medium-duty scaffold with a bay width of 2.4 m and a platform width of 1 m.
Max load per m² = 450 kg ÷ (2.4 m × 1 m) = 187.5 kg/m²
Live load: 3 workers (80 kg each = 240 kg) plus 100 kg of materials = 340 kg
Dead load: 200 kg
Total load = 540 kg
Because this exceeds the medium-duty rating of 450 kg per platform per bay, we’d either reduce the load or design a heavy-duty scaffold for the job.
This also helps clients understand the scaffolding hire cost. Duty ratings and design requirements directly impact the amount of material and labour needed for safe scaffold installation.
Our team of experienced scaffolders takes the guesswork out of the equation. Meet the Sunrise Scaffolding team, who make safety a priority.
Step 5: WorkSafe Victoria Compliance
We work in line with WorkSafe Victoria's scaffolding safety guidance, including their load tables and calculation methods.
Our approach ensures:
Scaffold loads are always based on actual weights and verified manufacturer data.
Designs are prepared and inspected by competent, qualified professionals.
Platforms maintain clear access for the safe movement of workers and materials.
Learn more about our scaffold safety and compliance process.
Why Choose Sunrise Scaffolding?
Safety is at the core of everything we do at Sunrise Scaffolding. From the initial design through to the final inspection, our team manages every technical detail of the scaffolding process with precision and compliance in mind — allowing you to stay focused on completing your project with confidence.
Our promise: Every scaffold we erect is designed for safety, stability, and full compliance with WorkSafe Victoria requirements.
Scaffolding load calculations aren’t something you should leave to chance. When you partner with us, you’re not just hiring equipment — you’re gaining peace of mind that your structure has been designed and built by experts who understand the science of safe working at heights.
This is exactly why the team maintains strict adherence to load calculations before the scaffold goes up — so there are no surprises on-site.
Contact us today to discuss your project requirements.
