How Much Weight Can A Stairway Hold?
It all depends upon the materials used
in the construction of the stairway. Obviously steel would be a lot
stronger than wood and rocks sitting directly on top of well compacted
soil, might be able to carry more weight than any freestanding steel
stairway.
The weight capacity of any stairway will be based entirely upon the
design and materials used to build it. A stairway built entirely out of
three-quarter inch plywood, with a poor design, could have a problem
supporting 200 pounds.
However, a solid steel stairway, like something you would find in an
industrial factory, could carry thousands of pounds.
The best advice I could give anyone who was thinking about carrying
heavy objects up or down a stairway, would be to examine the stairway
carefully, before using it. I've seen some older
basement stairways, I
wouldn't walk down, with an empty paper bag.
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