A garage door wind load rating is the wind pressure the door is designed and tested to resist, written in pounds per square foot (PSF) with a positive and a negative value. It is not a wind speed in mph. The local building department decides the number your door needs, and the label on the door shows what it carries.
What is a wind load rating?
A wind load rating states how much wind pressure a garage door is designed to withstand. Wind pushes on the outside of a door (positive pressure) and pulls on it when it blows across the building (negative pressure, or suction), so a rated door carries two values.
The 2021 International Residential Code asks that a garage door carry a permanent label from its manufacturer. According to DASMA, the trade association for door makers, that label names the manufacturer, the model or series, the positive and negative design wind pressure rating, the installation drawing number and the test standard.
Myth: a door is rated for a wind speed
Fact: garage doors are rated in PSF, not mph. DASMA explains that a manufacturer cannot convert a pressure into a wind speed, because the pressure a building needs depends on much more than the regional wind speed. The code asks for a pressure on the label, not a speed, so be careful with any quote that promises a door "rated for 100 mph".
What changes the pressure from one house to the next: the height of the building, the roof slope, nearby buildings and trees, hills and open water, the size of the door and how close it sits to a corner.
Who decides the number my door needs?
The Authority Having Jurisdiction, which for a home is your city or county building department, has the final say. DASMA says design pressures across the country range from 10 PSF to over 70 PSF, and that the design wind speeds on the code map run from the mid-90s mph in California to 170 mph for coastal Louisiana.
Neither a door company nor a manufacturer can guess the figure from your address. Ask your building department or your plans what the garage door must carry, and give that number to the installer before the door is ordered. If you live in an HOA, ask whether it has its own rules for door style and reinforcement; see permits and HOA rules in Los Angeles.
Myth: every garage door is wind rated
Fact: no. DASMA says manufacturers sell doors that are not wind load rated for places where no requirement applies, and a door without a rating does not get a wind load label. A label means the door has a rating.
A rated door is built differently. The maker adds heavier steel, extra horizontal reinforcement and stronger hardware, and tests the door at a pressure above its design pressure. Clopay, for example, describes a test at 150 percent of the design pressure for some of its models. The installer must follow the installation drawing named on the label, or the rating does not apply.
Quick facts at a glance
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| What unit is the rating? | Pounds per square foot (PSF), with a positive and a negative value |
| Can a door be rated in mph? | No, the building code asks for a pressure on the label |
| Who sets the required number? | Your local building department (the Authority Having Jurisdiction) |
| Are all doors rated? | No, only doors sold with a wind load label |
| Where do I find the rating? | On the permanent label on the door |
Source: DASMA technical data sheets listed below.
Myth: a rated door means a storm cannot hurt it
Fact: the rating covers pressure from the wind. It is a separate question whether a code also asks for resistance to wind-borne debris, and DASMA notes that this is another detail the manufacturer often does not know until it is told. The rating also assumes the opener, the tracks and the mounting hardware are installed as the drawing shows.
Ask three things in writing: the PSF value your building department requires, the PSF value on the door's label, and whether the installer follows the manufacturer's installation drawing. Keep a photo of the label after installation.
How this fits with the rest of a door choice
Reinforcement adds weight and cost, so a rated door can change the spring size and the opener you need. Read steel gauge and layers and R-value to see how those choices work with it. Strong, steady wind is also a repair topic: see Santa Ana winds and garage doors.
Where we come in
Emil Garage Doors installs new garage doors in Southern California, and our city pages cover California, including Los Angeles, Fontana and Irvine. If your plans call for a wind load rating, tell us the pressure when you call (213) 340-4232 or use the estimate form, and we will quote a door that carries a label with that value.
Questions people ask
What does PSF mean on a garage door?
PSF is pounds per square foot, the wind pressure the door is designed to resist. A rated door shows a positive and a negative PSF value on its label.
Can a garage door be rated for a certain mph?
No. DASMA explains that garage doors are rated by pressure, not by wind speed, and the building code asks for the pressure on the label.
How do I find out what rating my door needs?
Ask your city or county building department, or read the plans for your home. The building department is the final authority on the design pressure.
Does my current door have a wind load rating?
Look for a permanent label on the door with the manufacturer, model, positive and negative pressure values and the test standard. A door without a label is not rated.
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