ASCE 7-22 • ACI 318-19 • IBC / CBC • HCAI
Seismic Calculation Services
PE/SE stamped seismic calculations for equipment, nonstructural components, and MEP systems — anchorage, bracing, vibration isolation, support frames, and certification. Pick the service that matches your scope below, or send the equipment schedule and we'll scope it for you.
Which seismic calculation do you need?
Each scope below is a full service page with the governing code sections, deliverables, and turnaround. Most projects combine two — anchorage plus bracing, or isolation plus anchorage.
Seismic Anchor Calculations
Equipment bolted to concrete, steel, or a housekeeping pad.
Fp per ASCE 7-22 §13.3.1, Ω0p amplification, then ACI 318-19 Ch. 17 steel, breakout, pullout, and §17.8 interaction. Stamped in 5–7 days.
View serviceSeismic Bracing Calculations
Suspended piping, ductwork, conduit, cable tray, and trapezes.
Brace forces and maximum spacing per ASCE 7-22 §13.6, transverse and longitudinal layout, attachment and hanger-rod stiffening checks.
View serviceVibration Isolator Calculations
Equipment on springs, pads, or restrained-spring mounts.
Load per mount, spring rate, static deflection, natural frequency, transmissibility, plus snubber gap and the 2Fp check in §13.6.1.
View serviceHospital Equipment Anchorage
California acute-care projects under HCAI review.
Ip = 1.5 anchorage for OSHPD 1 facilities, prepared against HCAI PIN requirements and coordinated with OSP/OPM/PCS preapprovals.
View serviceNonstructural Component Certification
The reviewer wants the equipment itself qualified, not just anchored.
IBC §1705.13 / ASCE 7 §13.2.2 certification by AC156 shake table testing, analysis, or experience data.
View serviceFinite Element Analysis
Hand calculations can't defend the configuration.
Skids, custom frames, tall or slender equipment, and local stress problems where a closed-form check is not credible.
View serviceOne load path, one coordinated package
A seismic calculation is only complete when every link between the component and the structure has been checked:
seismic demand → component → isolator / restraint → support frame → connection → anchor → structure
Most rejected submittals are not wrong about Fp. They stop one link short — a brace sized without its connection, an isolator selected without its snubber, an anchor checked for steel but not concrete breakout. Related references: ASCE 7-22 Chapter 13 guide, anchor bolt design examples, and common anchorage mistakes.
Seismic calculation services — frequently asked questions
- What are seismic calculations?
- Seismic calculations determine the earthquake demand on a component and prove the supports, restraints, and connections can resist it. For nonstructural components that means the ASCE 7-22 §13.3.1 horizontal force Fp, the §13.3.2 vertical component Fv, and then a capacity check of every element in the load path from the equipment through the frame and anchors into the structure.
- Which seismic calculation do I actually need?
- If equipment is bolted to a slab, roof, or pad, you need anchorage calculations. If piping, duct, conduit, or cable tray is suspended, you need bracing calculations with brace spacing. If the equipment sits on springs, you need isolator and snubber calculations. If a California hospital reviewer must accept the equipment itself, you need HCAI preapproval or project-specific certification. Many projects need two or three of these in one coordinated package.
- What is the difference between seismic calculations and seismic certification?
- Calculations demonstrate the design of a specific installation — this unit, on this pad, with these anchors. Certification demonstrates that the equipment itself is qualified for seismic performance, usually via ICC-ES AC156 shake table testing or analysis, and results in an OSP/OPM/PCS preapproval or an IBC §1705.13 certificate of compliance. Certification does not replace project anchorage calculations, and anchorage calculations do not satisfy a certification requirement.
- Can you provide PE/SE stamped seismic calculations?
- Yes. Packages are sealed by a California-licensed PE/SE and prepared for AHJ, HCAI (formerly OSHPD), and owner review. Every governing section is shown — including the limit states that do not control — so a reviewer can verify the design path in one read.
- What do you need to start a seismic calculation?
- Project location or site seismic parameters (SDS, SD1), equipment operating weight and dimensions, center of gravity, mounting-point layout, the supporting structure type, anchor or existing attachment details, importance factor Ip, and the specification section that defines the submittal. Send those and you get a fixed-fee quote within 24 hours.
Keep reading on related topics
- Seismic Anchor CalculationsPE/SE stamped anchor calculation packages on a 5-day turnaround.
- Seismic Bracing CalculationsBrace force, spacing, and attachment calculations per ASCE 7 §13.6.
- HCAI Seismic CertificationCertification pathways for California hospital equipment.
- IBC & OSHPD Seismic CertificationIBC §1705.13 / ASCE 7 §13.2.2 equipment certification.
Not sure which scope applies?
Send drawings, equipment data, and the specification section. We'll tell you what's actually required and quote it in 24 hours.
Related guides in this topic hub
Continue through the connected code, certification, and design references.