Live Demo — Pole Wind Resistance Grade Calculator
Enter your pole geometry, mounted accessories and design wind speed to get the Beaufort wind resistance grade and recommended wall thickness instantly.
Pole Wind Resistance Grade Calculator
Free professional wind resistance grade calculator for solar street lighting poles. Input the pole height, cross-section and material, the lamp and solar panel wind areas, and the local design wind speed to compute the wind pressure, wind load and bending moment, then check the base stress, deflection and WMO Beaufort wind resistance grade.
Key Features
Pole Geometry
Set the pole height (10-66 ft), tapered or cylindrical type, top/bottom diameters, wall thickness and Q235/Q345 steel grade to define the column.
Accessory Parameters
Enter lamp and solar panel weights and windward areas so the calculator accounts for the extra wind load carried by the mounted equipment.
Wind Load Parameters
Input the 50-year-return design wind speed, the wind pressure height coefficient (μ_z) and the shape coefficient (μ_s) for the wind action model.
Wind Load Results
Get the basic wind pressure W_0 = V²/1600, the wind pressure at height z and the wind load standard value on the pole.
Strength & Deflection Check
Verify the base bending stress σ = M/W_n against the steel design strength and the tip deflection against the H/40 industry limit.
Grade Assessment
Receive the calculated WMO Beaufort wind resistance grade (Level 6 to typhoon) and a recommended wall thickness for the pole.
Technical Specifications
| Platform | HTML5 Web App | Android (via WebView) |
| Core Calculation | W_0 = V²/1600; W_z = W_0 × μ_z × μ_s; σ = M/W_n ≤ f |
| Pole Height | 10 - 66 ft |
| Diameters | Top 2-12 in, bottom 2-16 in; wall thickness 0.08-0.4 in |
| Steel Grade | Q235 (f ≈ 215 MPa) / Q345 |
| Design Wind Speed | 45 - 135 mph (50-year return) |
| Coefficients | Height coefficient μ_z 1.0-2.0; shape coefficient μ_s 0.5-1.5 |
| Deflection Limit | ≤ H/40 (f_max = F_wk × H³ / (8EI)) |
| Industry Standards | ASCE/SEI 7-16, EN 40-5, EN 1991-1-4, AS/NZS 1170.2, WMO Beaufort |
| Output | Wind resistance grade + recommended wall thickness |
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the wind resistance grade determined?
The grade follows the WMO Beaufort scale, which references the 10-minute average wind speed at a height of 10 m (33 ft). The calculator compares the design wind speed to the grade bands — for example 64-73 mph is Level 11, and 73-83 mph is Level 12.
What is the wind pressure height coefficient?
μ_z corrects the basic wind pressure for height above ground, because wind speed and pressure grow with elevation. It is applied together with the shape coefficient in W_z = W_0 × μ_z × μ_s; a typical value is 1.2 for a street-light pole.
What does the strength check σ = M/W_n verify?
It verifies that the maximum bending stress at the pole base, σ = M / W_n where W_n is the net section modulus, stays below the steel design strength f (Q235 ≈ 215 MPa). If the stress exceeds f, the pole would fail by bending under the design wind speed.
Why is the deflection limited to H/40?
Excessive tip deflection under wind would mis-aim the lamp and look unstable, so the industry limit is H/40 (see EN 40 / ASCE 7). For a cantilever under a uniformly distributed wind load the tip deflection is f_max = F_wk × H³ / (8EI); treating the load as a point at the tip would give F_wk × H³ / (3EI).
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