4 kN or 20 kN?
An L-retaining element rating of 4 kN or 20 kN means that the horizontal ground surface at the level of the crown of the L-retaining element’s upright can be loaded with, respectively, 4 kN/m² or 20 kN/m².
In practice, this means that the ground above a 4 kN L-retaining element can only take the load presented by snow and people. It can also take a small ride-on mower, but vehicle loads are not allowed.
A 20 kN L-retaining element can take the weight of private cars provided that the cars park some metres away from the crown of the L-retaining element’s upright. If the ground surface slopes upwards from the crown of the L-retaining element’s upright, a 20 kN/m² rating is always required.
