Which gazebos can take heavy snow?
The Hanso Horizon claims 60 pounds per square foot, more than double anything else we found, and Sunjoy's manuals say not to count on its gazebos in snow at all.
Snow claims, in pounds per square foot
Maker's own claim. Sunjoy figures are our arithmetic from total roof pounds. Dashed lines: FEMA P-957 weight of one foot of snow.
Why snow numbers are confusing
Hanso gives snow as pounds per square foot. Sunjoy gives it as total pounds on the whole roof. Same idea, different math. The ratings page has a conversion.
Short version:
| Model | Maker's claim in pounds per square foot |
|---|---|
| Hanso Horizon | 60 |
| Hanso Pro+ | 25 |
| Sunjoy Estate Planter 13x15 | about 18 (3,500 pounds over 195 sq ft) |
| Sunjoy Kingston 12x20 | about 15 (3,700 pounds over 240 sq ft) |
The Sunjoy figures are our arithmetic, and a bit high, since we used floor size for roof size.
How much snow is that?
FEMA's figures put a foot of fresh light snow at about 3 pounds per square foot and a foot of wet snow at about 21 (FEMA P-957, as summarized on inspectandtest.net). Roughly:
- 15 pounds: about 5 feet of light snow, or under a foot of wet snow.
- 25 pounds: about 8 feet of light snow, or a foot and a bit of wet snow.
- 60 pounds: about 20 feet of light snow, or close to 3 feet of wet snow.
Snow drifts and piles, so your roof can hold more than the depth on the ground. Rain on snow adds weight fast.
Find your number
Your area's ground snow load is on the ASCE 7 Hazard Tool (ascehazardtool.org) and the Applied Technology Council site (snowload.atcouncil.org). Look up your address and compare. If your number is near or over a model's claim, pick something stronger or take the roof off for winter.
Be careful with Sunjoy
The store pages list snow figures. The manuals say the opposite: "not designed to withstand harsh weather, including high winds, rain, and snow." One of the Kingston gazebos is listed up to 3,700 pounds, and the warranty in the manual is one year. We'd call a Sunjoy a three-season gazebo until Sunjoy says otherwise in writing. Email them and ask.
Buy
Prices and specs read Nov 4, 2026.