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How to Buy the Right Portable Bleachers
Article published on Jul 14, 2020
Countless Americans cherish memories of summer evenings in the park, basking in the late sunlight while reveling in the timeless joy of watching baseball games. As each generation witnesses its own fleeting trends, from video games and skateboards to the ever-growing realms of social media, one cherished tradition remains, drawing families outside to cheer their team on from the bleachers. Even as our world grows and changes, the simple pastime of spectator sports is here to stay.
Whether your venue needs temporary or permanent seating, there are some important considerations to think through when making a purchase, such as:
- How many people can you safely fit on a set of portable aluminum bleachers?
- What makes bleachers portable?
- Which bleachers are best for larger crowds?
- How are spectators kept safe?
How many people can you safely fit on a set of portable aluminum bleachers?
Bleacher Capacity
Calculating bleacher capacity is relatively simple. Almost every vendor provides information on the number and length of rows, and most have a standard 18-inch width for a person to sit comfortably. From there, it's simple math. Just convert each row's length into inches, multiply by the number of rows, and divide by 18. This will give you the capacity of your bleachers.
Take our basic portable aluminum bleachers for example. The example illustrated above has 4 rows of 7.5 feet each. First, we'll convert the rows and their lengths into inches with the following formula:
7.5 feet x 4 rows x 12 inches = 360 inches.
Now, to calculate how many people can comfortably sit within that space, we simply divide by 18 inches.
360 inches / 18 inches = 20 people.
With this simple formula, we can see that a set of bleachers with 4, 7.5 foot rows has a 20-person capacity. If this still seems confusing, don't worry, most of the bleachers in our collection have their estimated capacities already listed.
What makes bleachers portable?
Bleacher Portability
Most aluminum bleachers are lightweight and a breeze to set up. However, some bleachers have an additional feature to make portability even easier.
Which bleachers are best for larger crowds?
Bleacher Risers
When standard low rise bleachers are not sufficient for high-attendance events or sports fields, bleacher risers allow you to add more and more rows, increasing your spectator capacity.
For example, our Galvanized Steel Elevated Portable Bleachers have options for up to 15 rows and lengths of up to 33 feet. Using the same formula introduced above, we can calculate an estimated capacity of 330 people.
But with each added row, not only does the capacity increase but the bleacher's height increases as well, by about 8 or 9 inches per additional row depending on the design. This brings us to our next point about keeping spectators safe.
How are spectators kept safe?
Shop bleachers with fencing and guardrails for safety.
The risk of falling may not seem significant when bleachers are only a few feet above the ground, but larger elevated bleachers of up to 15 rows may reach more than 10 feet in height.
Bleacher fencing and guardrails help offer stability and extra safety for these higher bleacher rows. Guardrails can even be added to a center aisle so spectators can safely reach the top rows without stumbling. Additional fencing can also be added to help keep personal belongings from falling.
All these features help make high-capacity bleachers safe.
Which of the above bleachers you choose may depend on the environment or events you're trying to accommodate. For instance, outdoor sports fields may benefit from the high capacity accommodation and weather-proof treatment of the Galvanized Steel Elevated Portable Bleachers while indoor gyms or performance stages may benefit from the easy portability of the Tip And Roll Aluminum Portable Bleachers.
The above considerations should help you choose the right portable barricades for your venue, but if you still have questions, don't hesitate to contact our customer service team.
