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The vertical height of the fence panel.
Wind force is assumed to act at mid-height of the panel, which is the standard assumption for a uniformly distributed wind pressure over a flat panel.
The horizontal width of the fence panel.
Used with the height to calculate the panel's total wind-exposed area.
The design wind pressure acting on the panel face.
Take this from a project-specific wind load analysis or the fence system manufacturer's published design pressure for your site's wind exposure.
The horizontal distance from the panel's tip/pivot edge to the ballast block's center of mass.
A larger arm distance means the same ballast mass provides more resisting moment — this is the lever arm in the moment-equilibrium equation.
Required ballast mass per panel
2,300 lb
This is a simplified single-panel moment-equilibrium check assuming wind force acts uniformly at mid-height — it does not account for panel-to-panel bracing/interlock, corner/end conditions, gust factors, or ground friction contribution, all of which affect actual required ballast. Always follow the specific temporary fence system manufacturer's published ballast/anchoring requirements, which are typically more conservative and account for these factors.
- Total wind force on panel
- 751.88 lbf
- Overturning moment
- 2,255.63 lbf·ft
They open the calculator with your figures already in it
Temporary Fence Wind Load Overturning Ballast Calculator: 2,303 lb — shown in imperial, US market. The link sets both, so the result they see is the one on your screen.
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How this was calculated
Formula source(s)
- Overturning moment = Wind Force × Height to Center of Pressure (mid-height for a uniform panel) = (Wind Pressure × Panel Area) × (Panel Height ÷ 2); Required ballast mass = Overturning Moment ÷ (9.81 × Ballast Arm Distance from the Tip Point) — a standard moment-equilibrium check for a free-standing panel resisting overturning (rotation about its base edge), distinct from this site's existing wind-UPLIFT ballast calculator (solar-mount-ballast-calculator), which resists a different failure mode (vertical lift-off, not sideways tip-over).
Inputs used
- Fence Panel Height
- 6 ft
- Fence Panel Width
- 12 ft
- Design Wind Pressure (from Wind Load Analysis)
- 10.44 psf
- Ballast Block Distance from Tip/Pivot Edge
- 11.75 in
Intermediate steps
- Total wind force on panel
- 751.88 lbf
- Overturning moment
- 2,255.63 lbf·ft
Confidence note: This is a simplified single-panel moment-equilibrium check assuming wind force acts uniformly at mid-height — it does not account for panel-to-panel bracing/interlock, corner/end conditions, gust factors, or ground friction contribution, all of which affect actual required ballast. Always follow the specific temporary fence system manufacturer's published ballast/anchoring requirements, which are typically more conservative and account for these factors.
What this calculation does not cover
- Takes the panel's full height x width as wind-catching area, which is right for a sheeted fence and wrong for a bare one. Open chain-link mesh lets most of the wind through; wrap that same panel in shade cloth, debris netting or a printed banner and the force computed here arrives in full. The ballast has to be re-checked for the covering that will actually be on the fence, not the one it was delivered with.
- Assumes the ballast is part of the panel. The arm entered is measured to the block's center of mass, and it only delivers that resisting moment if the block is fixed to the foot or the post; a block resting loose against the foot slides or lifts as the panel starts to rotate, and the moment calculated here is never developed.
Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Presented in US customary units and US trade terminology. Where a formula follows a published standard, that standard and its edition are cited beside it on this page; where none governs, the page says so. Local amendments override model codes — verify against the code in force where you build.
Sources checked 2026-09-06 · in the site-wide review of 2026-09-06 · v1.0.1
Regulatory standards & verification citations1
- Overturning moment = Wind Force × Height to Center of Pressure (mid-height for a uniform panel) = (Wind Pressure × Panel Area) × (Panel Height ÷ 2); Required ballast mass = Overturning Moment ÷ (9.81 × Ballast Arm Distance from the Tip Point) — a standard moment-equilibrium check for a free-standing panel resisting overturning (rotation about its base edge), distinct from this site's existing wind-UPLIFT ballast calculator (solar-mount-ballast-calculator), which resists a different failure mode (vertical lift-off, not sideways tip-over).
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