Pergola Snow Load and Wind Ratings Explained

Two spec lines matter more than any other for a pergola or hardtop gazebo outside the Sun Belt: snow load and wind rating. They are also the two easiest to misread, because makers state them in different ways.

What the numbers mean

Snow load is a weight on the roof. In North America, ASCE 7 gives tables of ground snow load by region and tells designers how to turn those figures into roof snow loads, using factors such as roof exposure, roof shape and drifting. Your local building department tells you the ground snow load that applies to your address. A pergola rated below that number is not a safe choice for a snowy site.

Wind rating is a speed in miles per hour. Buildings are generally designed against a strong wind with a long return period, commonly 50 years or more, and regional standards set the values. A maker's mph figure does not tell you which test or standard it comes from, so ask for the basis and the anchoring requirements.

Two ways makers state snow load

Some makers state snow load in lb per sq ft. Others only state a total for the whole roof, called "total roof load" in our data. These are different measures and cannot be converted into one another here. Compare them only to figures of the same kind.

Snow load stated in lb per sq ft

Sorted from highest. Prices are the lowest listed price for the line as of November 8, 2026.

The Mirador 111A Offset Hardtop Gazebo leads at 41 lb/sq ft. Among louvered pergolas, the Mirador 111DA, 111A Origami, Infinite and 140DA Sky all state 26.6 lb/sq ft, and the 111DA starts at $2,399. Domi's gazebos state 22 lb/sq ft starting at $649.99, but the two aluminum gazebos have only a 40 mph wind rating, so they suit snow better than wind. At the other end, the Paragon Santa Monica states 8 lb/sq ft and the Cambridge 10 lb/sq ft.

Snow load stated as a total roof load

Sunjoy states only a total roof load for its five gazebos:

These are the totals the whole roof can carry. We cannot say what that is per square foot, so do not compare the 3,400 lb on the 11' x 13' with the 22 lb/sq ft on a Domi unit. Ask Sunjoy for a per-square-foot rating if you live in snow country. Some pergolas, such as the Kozyard Elizabeth and Purple Leaf Athena, state no snow load at all.

Wind ratings

The strongest and weakest ratings, grouped by speed (the 60 to 65 mph middle, Kozyard, Paragon Cambridge and Santa Monica and the Domi wall-mounted gazebos, is left out):

The top group is 102 mph, held by four Mirador louvered lines. Next is 90.2 mph at Mirador, then 82 mph for Paragon Suprema and Lugano. Sunjoy gazebos all state 50 mph. Paragon's Icon Louvered Pergola lists only 49 mph, the lowest louvered figure in the data, even though it costs $3,399.99.

How to use these figures

1. Get your local ground snow load and design wind speed from the building department.
2. Treat the maker's figure as a ceiling. Rated loads assume proper anchoring to a slab or footings.
3. Open louvers in high wind, and close them under heavy snow only if the maker says so.
4. If you live in snow country, start with the best pergolas for snow and best hardtop gazebos for snow.

For the general buying process, read how to choose a louvered pergola.

Rankings

• Best pergolas for snow
• Best hardtop gazebos for snow
• Best louvered pergolas