How much does scaffolding weigh?
Weight decides how many trucks or containers you need – and therefore a large part of the cost of buying scaffolding abroad. Here are the figures we use every day.
Weight per square metre
Scaffolding is sold by the square metre of scaffold face (length × height). Its weight depends on the system, the bay width, the deck material and how many brackets, ties and access parts are included. In the scaffolding packages currently listed on this site, the weight lies between 7.3 and 19.8 kg per m² of scaffold face (median 13.7 kg/m², 27 packages). Complete formwork lots on this site weigh between 15 and 57 kg per m² of formwork area (median 21 kg/m²) – aluminium slab formwork at the lower end, heavy steel wall formwork at the upper end.
- Narrow frame scaffolding (approx. 0.7 m) with steel decks: the lightest steel option per m².
- Wide bays (approx. 1.0 m) and modular systems: noticeably heavier, because of the extra decks and ledgers.
- Aluminium decks or frames: reduce the weight considerably.
- Small packages: are heavier per m², because end guard rails, access and base parts make up a larger share.
How much fits on a truck or into a container?
A standard European semi-trailer (13.6 m) carries up to about 24 tonnes. With the weights above, that is roughly 1,000 to 2,000 m² of steel facade scaffolding per truck – in practice often limited by volume rather than weight, because frames and decks are bulky. For overseas shipments we load 40-foot containers; their payload is lower than a truck’s and loading must be planned carefully. Our guide on shipping scaffolding explains the options.
Where to find the weight
Every offer on this site shows the weight of the complete lot where it is known, and single components show their weight per piece. Send us your list and we will calculate the gross weight and the number of loads for your destination.