What do Schneelastzonen als Geodaten show?
Germany's snow load zones are defined in DIN EN 1991-1-3/NA, the national annex to Eurocode 1 for snow loads. The scheme comprises zones 1, 1a, 2, 2a and 3, and together with the site altitude the zone yields the characteristic snow load on the ground, the base value for roof snow loads. Mapular provides these zones as queryable polygons, replacing the manual lookup on the zone map in the standard.
How binding are Schneelastzonen in structural design?
Legal status
Reference data
An authoritative input for analysis and screening. It carries no legal effect of its own.
The snow load zones are defined in DIN EN 1991-1-3/NA, the German national annex to Eurocode 1 for snow actions. The zoning parametrises a binding design standard. This layer is reference data that makes those standardised zone definitions available as queryable geodata.
What this means for you
For your workflow, the zone plus site altitude fixes the characteristic ground snow load your engineers design roofs against. As data, it lets feasibility studies, roof-mounted solar assessments and portfolio screenings start from a documented zone value. The binding snow load verification remains the structural engineer's responsibility.
Which attributes do the Schneelastzonen include?
- Snow load zone: The zone value (1, 1a, 2, 2a or 3) as defined in DIN EN 1991-1-3/NA, ordered from lower to higher characteristic snow loads.
- Zone geometry: The zone boundary as a polygon, so any address or coordinate can be intersected and assigned to exactly one zone.
- Federal state: The Bundesland each zone polygon belongs to, for filtering, state-level reporting, and portfolio breakdowns.
- Classification basis: A reference to the underlying standard, DIN EN 1991-1-3/NA, documenting which zoning scheme the value follows.
Snow load zones vary strongly across Germany: low zones dominate the northern lowlands, while the low mountain ranges and the Alpine south reach zone 3, where altitude drives the characteristic load up sharply. One notable gap exists at the source level. Niedersachsen does not publish its snow load zones as source data, so it is not part of this layer.
What can you do with Schneelastzonen as geodata?
- Screening rooftop solar portfolios for snow load zones at scale, the zone behind the ground snow load that governs whether existing roofs carry additional panels.
- Feed early structural design assumptions for halls and wide-span roofs with a documented zone value before the detailed snow load calculation begins.
- Automate feasibility checks in site selection: flag high-zone, high-altitude locations where snow loads drive roof structure and cost.
- Underwrite building portfolios consistently: attach the standardised snow load zone to every insured object instead of relying on ad-hoc manual lookups.
Where do the Schneelastzonen come from?
Standardised zone definitions from the German national annex to Eurocode 1 for snow loads, compiled into one consistent, queryable nationwide layer.
Which Bundesländer do the Schneelastzonen cover?
The Schneelastzonen layer covers 15 of 16 German federal states. Niedersachsen is the exception: its snow load zones are not published at source, so no zone polygons are available there. All other states are included in one consistent layer.
Coverage by federal state
- BBBrandenburgAvailable
- BEBerlinAvailable
- BWBaden-WürttembergAvailable
- BYBavariaAvailable
- HBBremenAvailable
- HEHesseAvailable
- HHHamburgAvailable
- MVMecklenburg-Western PomeraniaAvailable
- NILower SaxonyNot published by the state
- NWNorth Rhine-WestphaliaAvailable
- RPRhineland-PalatinateAvailable
- SHSchleswig-HolsteinAvailable
- SLSaarlandAvailable
- SNSaxonyAvailable
- STSaxony-AnhaltAvailable
- THThuringiaAvailable
Where the federal state publishes this layer, we carry it: 15 of 16 federal states today. Where it doesn't, we say so.
Coverage gap
Your region of interest isn't covered?
Coverage follows what each state and municipality has actually digitised, so there are real gaps, and they are not always where you would expect. Tell us the region and the layer you need and we will look into what can be sourced for it, including data we do not list today.
Tell us what you needHow do you access the Schneelastzonen layer?
One unified dataset: Ready for direct integration into your GIS, CAD, or BI tools. Standard formats, documented schema.
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Frequently asked questions about Schneelastzonen
What are Schneelastzonen?
Schneelastzonen are Germany's standardised snow load zones, defined in DIN EN 1991-1-3/NA, the national annex to Eurocode 1 for snow loads. The scheme comprises zones 1, 1a, 2, 2a, and 3. Together with the altitude of a site, the zone determines the characteristic snow load on the ground used in structural design.
Which snow load zones exist in Germany?
Germany uses five snow load zone classes under DIN EN 1991-1-3/NA: zones 1, 1a, 2, 2a, and 3. Zone 1 covers regions with the lowest characteristic snow loads, while zone 3 covers the highest-load regions such as the Alpine south and parts of the low mountain ranges. The intermediate zones 1a and 2a refine the classification.
What does the snow load zone determine in structural design?
The snow load zone, combined with the site's altitude above sea level, determines the characteristic snow load on the ground under DIN EN 1991-1-3/NA. From this base value, engineers derive the design snow loads on roofs. A higher zone or a higher altitude means larger loads and correspondingly stronger roof structures.
Why is Niedersachsen missing from the Schneelastzonen layer?
Niedersachsen does not publish its snow load zones as source data, so no zone polygons are available for that state. Mapular's Schneelastzonen layer therefore covers 15 of 16 German federal states. We state this gap openly rather than filling it with interpolated values that have no published basis.
Does the Schneelastzonen layer replace a structural engineer's verification?
No. The layer provides the standardised snow load zone for a site as reference data, which accelerates screening and early design assumptions. The binding snow load verification for a specific structure, including altitude, roof shape and local effects, must be performed by a qualified structural engineer under the applicable standards.
Why use Schneelastzonen as geodata instead of the map in the standard?
As geodata, snow load zones become queryable: a coordinate goes in, a zone value comes out. That makes portfolio-wide screening, automated feasibility checks and consistent project documentation practical, where otherwise every single site has to be located by hand on the printed zone map in DIN EN 1991-1-3/NA.