DASMA TDS 155 - Residential and Commercial Wind Load Guides

Selecting a garage door for wind resistance requires translating a local wind speed into a pressure rating in psf. DASMA TDS 155 provides a step-by-step guide for doing that translation for both residential and commercial applications, so you end up with a door that matches the actual load your site will see.

What this data sheet says

TDS 155 contains two reference tables: one for residential projects (tied to IRC wind speed maps) and one for commercial projects (tied to IBC and ASCE 7). Each table shows how to look up your design wind speed, select the correct exposure category (B, C, or D), and find the minimum required design pressure for your door.

"Wind load guides allow the contractor or specifier to determine the minimum design pressure rating required for a garage door based on the project location and applicable building code."

Key steps the guide describes:

1. Find your local ultimate design wind speed (Vult) from the applicable code wind speed map.
2. Identify your exposure category. Exposure B is suburban with trees and buildings; Exposure C is open terrain; Exposure D is near open water.
3. Look up the required minimum design pressure (psf) in the TDS 155 table for your wind speed and exposure combination.
4. Select a door with a rated design pressure at or above that value.

The residential guide is built around IRC R609.4 requirements. The commercial guide references IBC Chapter 16 and ASCE 7.

When it applies

TDS 155 is used any time a door must meet a specific wind load requirement:

• New construction permit applications: the local AHJ may require documentation that the door meets the site-specific design pressure. TDS 155 gives you the number to put on the permit application.
• Replacement in a wind-prone location: if your jurisdiction has updated its wind speed maps (Denver adopted the 2025 DRC with Vult 115 mph Exposure C), you may need a higher-rated door than the one you are replacing.
• Commercial specifications: project architects and engineers use TDS 155 to specify a minimum DP rating in the door schedule.

For Denver and most Front Range suburbs, the relevant inputs are Vult 115 mph and Exposure C. That combination yields a required design pressure you can look up directly in the TDS 155 residential or commercial table.

What this means for you

Get the required psf number before shopping for a door. Once you have the number from TDS 155, you can compare door spec sheets directly. Any door with a rated DP at or above the required psf is compliant; one that falls short is not, regardless of marketing claims.

Exposure category affects the required psf significantly. An open-field location classified as Exposure C may require 20 to 30% higher design pressure than a suburban Exposure B location at the same wind speed. If your home is on the prairie east of Denver, confirm your exposure category before selecting a door.

The table gives a minimum, not an optimum. Choosing a door rated 10 to 15% above the required minimum gives a safety margin for wind gusts that exceed the design speed.

G Brothers can pull up the TDS 155 table for your address and tell you the minimum DP rating your replacement door needs to meet current code.

Full text and source

Download DASMA TDS 155 from the official TDS index at https://www.dasma.com/technical-data-sheets/.

This entry explains the wind load selection process for sectional garage doors. For garage doors in windborne debris regions, additional impact resistance requirements apply under IBC 1609.1.2 and ANSI/DASMA 115.

Want to put numbers to this? Use the interactive wind load psf / mph converter below, or open the full wind load psf / mph converter with examples and notes.