Wind Pressure Calculator

Wind pressure is the pressure that wind creates on an object, such as a building or a wind turbine. The pressure coefficient is a unitless value that reflects the shape of the object being blown; its value must be taken from tables. It can also be negative, in which case it is a suction. Air density is the mass of air per cubic meter. The wind speed is given in meters per second. These first three values must be given in order to calculate the wind pressure independently of the area. If an area is also specified, then the wind load is calculated on this.

The calculation is:
Pressure coefficient c, air density ρ, wind speed v, area A, wind pressure wp, wind load wl
1. formula: wp = c * ρ/2 * v²
2. formula: wp = c * ρ * v²

The first formula is for the wind pressure according to Bernoulli from the law of conservation of energy, the second for the wind force on a plate, derived from the law of conservation of momentum. The two formulas for wind pressure differ by a factor of 1/2. Which formula is used depends on which definition of the pressure coefficient c is used. According to its standard definition, the first formula is used. However, if the factor 1/2 is already included in the pressure coefficient, then the second formula is used. This must be checked before the calculation. Which definition of the pressure coefficient applies depends on the area and the applicable standards. Most of the time it is the first formula, as in fluid dynamics and engineering and in international standards. In simplified models of aeronautical and automotive engineering, the second definition of the pressure coefficient and thus the second formula is sometimes used.

The wind load is the wind pressure times the area on which it acts. The formula for calculating it is: wl = wp * A

Physics commonly uses SI units. Here is a calculator to convert lengths, temperature, pressure, speed and other units.