A column load schedule is a load takedown turned into a table you can hand to the next person. It lists every column with its tributary area, its dead, live and roof loads per level, the cumulative service load, and the governing factored reaction at the base. It is the deliverable, the thing the foundation designer and the checker actually read. StructLoads exports it directly, and this page explains what it contains and how to read it.
What a load schedule is for
A takedown computes numbers; a schedule organises them so other people can use and check them. The foundation designer needs the base reaction for every column; the checker needs to see the load cases and confirm the arithmetic; the next revision needs a baseline. A schedule with one row per column meets all three. It is the same structural load information as the takedown, arranged for hand-off rather than calculation.
What it contains
A useful schedule keeps the load cases separate so a reviewer can re-apply the factors.
| Column | Trib (m2) | DL (kN) | LL (kN) | Roof (kN) | Service (kN) | Factored (kN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 interior | 30 | 519 | 270 | 30 | 819 | 1070 |
| C2 edge | 15 | 260 | 135 | 15 | 410 | 535 |
| C3 corner | 7.5 | 130 | 68 | 8 | 206 | 268 |
The interior, edge and corner rows follow the expected one to one half to one quarter pattern from interior vs edge vs corner column loads, which is itself a built-in check on the schedule.
How to build one
Run a takedown for every column, then tabulate: a reference, the tributary area, the load cases per level, the accumulated service load, the governing combination, and the factored base reaction. The per-column method is in how to calculate column loads. By hand this is slow and error prone once there are dozens of columns, which is why schedules are built in spreadsheets or generated by software that exports the table.
How to read it
Read across a row to follow one column from its floor loads to its factored base reaction, and read down a column of the table to compare loads across the building. The factored reaction is the design number for the footing, derived by applying the ASCE 7 combinations to the service loads. Keeping dead, live and roof in separate columns is what lets a reviewer recompute the factored value and confirm the governing case.
Checks built into the schedule
A schedule makes errors visible. The reaction ratios should follow the position pattern; the sum of all column service loads on a floor should equal the floor pressure times the floor area; and no factored reaction should be wildly out of line with its neighbours. These are the same checks described in how to check a load takedown, now easy to run by scanning the table. Reviewing the schedule is not a formality: a CROSS safety report on a tower crane foundation design error describes a pile schedule in which the completed building’s dead load had been wrongly combined with the crane loads, an error only found when an independent checker read the schedule after the first crane was already up.
From schedule to foundations
The factored base reaction in the last column is the load the footing is designed for, and the service reaction sizes the footing against the soil. So the schedule is the bridge between the superstructure takedown and the foundation design, feeding the footing calculations directly. StructLoads carries both the service and the factored value so each foundation check uses the right one.
Key takeaways: column load schedules
A column load schedule is the takedown as a table: one row per column, load cases per level, cumulative service load, and the governing factored base reaction. It is the deliverable the foundation designer and checker use, with the position ratios as a built-in check. StructLoads generates and exports it as a preliminary document a qualified engineer reviews against the full design.
Quick answers
What is a column load schedule?
A column load schedule is a table listing every column with its tributary area, the dead, live and roof loads it collects per level, the cumulative service load, and the governing factored reaction at the base. It is the organised output of a load takedown, one row per column, so the foundation designer and the checker can read every column’s load at a glance.
What does a column load schedule include?
It includes a column reference, its tributary area, the dead, live and roof loads per level, the accumulated service load, the governing load combination, and the factored design reaction at the foundation. Some schedules add the trial column size and the footing reaction. Keeping dead, live and roof separate lets a reviewer re-apply the load factors.
How do you build a column load schedule?
Run a load takedown for every column, then tabulate the results: one row per column, columns for tributary area, the load cases per level, the cumulative load, and the factored base reaction. Doing it by hand is slow and error prone across many columns, so it is usually built in a spreadsheet or generated by software that exports the table.
When is a column load schedule not enough on its own?
It is a gravity load deliverable, so it is not enough where moments, lateral loads or slenderness govern the columns, or where transfers redistribute load. The schedule lists axial gravity reactions; combined actions and lateral effects need the full analysis behind them. A qualified engineer reviews the schedule against the complete design.