Scaffolding,
explained.
A complete Danish reference work on scaffolding — from the AT regulations and load classes per EN 12811-1 to erection, anchoring, fall protection and dismantling. Read the articles. Use the calculators. Train for the exam. Ask the assistant. Same account as technical insulation.
17
Calculators
07
Tests
26
Articles
Facade-scaffold section: two standards with ledgers, one working platform with guardrail (≥ 1.0 m) and toe board, a diagonal brace, base jacks on a sole plate and a wall anchor to the facade. Copper marks the load-bearing parts.
§ 01 — What you can do here
Read, calculate, train — or ask.
Eight tools from post to installation — for apprentices, fitters and installers.
Tools in the trade
§ 02 — About the trade
Scaffolding
Scaffolding is a temporary structure that provides safe access and a stable working platform when the work cannot be carried out from the ground or from a fixed floor. The trade covers erection, alteration, inspection and dismantling — from a mobile tower a few metres high to façade scaffolds, suspended scaffolds and sheeting — and it is regulated throughout, because falls from height are among the most serious accidents in construction.
Questions about the trade
What does a scaffolder do?
A scaffolder erects, alters, inspects and dismantles scaffolding on construction and civil engineering sites. The work starts at the base with sole boards and adjustable base jacks that spread the load, and continues upwards with standards or frames, decks, diagonal bracing and ties to the façade. The guardrail is fitted with a handrail at about 1.0 m, a mid rail at about 0.5 m and a toe board of at least 15 cm, and an inside guardrail is added where the gap between façade and deck exceeds 0.3 m. The scaffolder works to the supplier's instruction manual for the exact system erected.
What does the green tag on a scaffold mean?
A green scaffold tag means that the scaffold is fully erected, inspected and released for use, while a red tag means access forbidden. Scaffolds higher than 2 m are tagged at the access points and stair towers, so nobody can start using the scaffold without having seen the tag. The tag states the load class, what the scaffold is intended for, the erection date, the date of the last alteration, the inspection date and the erecting company. If a guardrail is moved or a deck removed, the green tag must come down again: the scaffold is red until a competent person has inspected it anew.
What do the load classes on a scaffold mean?
The load class states how much the deck may be loaded by people, tools and materials together. DS/EN 12811-1 sets out six classes with the distributed loads 0.75, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0 kN/m² for classes 1 to 6, and the class is shown on the tag at the access point. Width is described in the same way with width classes from W06 upwards, that is from 0.6 m working width. If a continuous scaffold is built in several load classes, the lowest applies as a rule, unless the sections are physically separated and each has its own access point.
What training is required to erect scaffolding?
Opstilling, væsentlig ændring og nedtagning af stillads over 3 m kræver en AT-godkendt arbejdsmiljøuddannelse (AMU). Grænsen er ståhøjden — typisk arbejdsdækkets højde over det omgivende underlag — og ikke nødvendigvis stilladsets samlede konstruktionshøjde. Til og med 3 m kræves i stedet en særlig fyldestgørende instruktion i netop den type stillads, der arbejdes med; det er et reelt krav og ikke en hurtig snak på pladsen. Hjemlen er BEK nr. 1978 af 27/10/2021, bilag 11 (tidligere uddybet i AT-vejledning 45.1 om stilladsopstillerens ansvar, ophævet 15-12-2025).
How do you become a scaffolder?
The Danish scaffolder programme is an AMU contract programme of about 2 years, in which courses alternate with practical training in a scaffolding company. The route runs through the individual courses: mobile and trestle scaffolding (AMU 45566) takes 1-2 days and covers mobile access towers to DS/EN 1004-1:2020, while system scaffolding (AMU 22352) takes 15 days — the course the trade calls the three-week course. The myth of a 3-day system scaffolding course therefore does not hold. Beyond erection itself, ties, bracing, guardrails, wind load and reading the supplier's manual make up much of the teaching.
Based on: DS/EN 12811-1 · DS/EN 13374 · DS/EN 1004-1:2020 · AT-vejledning om bygge- og anlægsarbejde (VEJ nr. 10135 af 01/10/2026) · BEK nr. 1978 af 27/10/2021, bilag 11
§ 03 — Read now
Featured articles
Featured articles
All articles →§ 04 — Tools
Work it out.
Select the load class to EN 12811-1 and get the permissible uniformly distributed load — in kN/m² and kg, both per m² and per bay. Combine it with façade and deck area, anchoring, base-plate pressure, and component consumption in the rest of the calculators.
Open calculators→Example · Permitted load on the working platform
Load class 3
§ 05 — Trade in Action
How it looks craftsmanship.
Three assembly operations from the site — drawn as blueprint: pier on base plate, anchoring to masonry and deck with guardrail.
Work processes
Installer assembles spire
The installer adjusts and locks a vertical spire to the base plate with the base spindle adjustment nut while a rope-pull string keeps the frame stable.
Anchoring to masonry
A wall anchor eye is hammered into the mortar joint and connected via the anchor pipe to the scaffolding shoe while another worker holds the pipe's outer end in place.
Assembly of decking and railings
The working deck is laid and locked on the deck supports and the installer mounts the handrail, knee rail and toe rail for full fall protection.
Your trade in numbers
The buildings you work on.
The buildings, brick facades and tiled roofs that need scaffolding.
4,846,196
All buildings in BBR's building index, including sheds, garages and carports
2,481,935
External wall code 1 «Brick»
642,118
Roofing code 5 «Clay tiles»
Across Denmark, counted in BBR.
Source: BBR + DAR (Datafordeler) — bygningsindeks; grundareal fra Matriklen, jordforurening fra Danmarks Miljøportal (DKJord), fredning/SAVE fra Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen (FBB), energimærker fra Grundfasts energimærke-korpus via Grundfast · fetched
See the numbers for your municipalityScaffolding across the country
§ 06 — Next step
One question
in Danish.
The AI assistant can choose load class, explain the AT rules, calculate anchoring and help with real-world cases in the scaffolding trade. Write to it as you would to a colleague.
Ask a questionSafety
Come home in the same state
Du bygger det, alle de andre står på. Muren, maleren og tømreren går op på dit stillads i ugevis bagefter, og de kan ikke se om spindlerne står på fast bund, eller om forankringerne sidder. Under opstillingen er du selv den mest udsatte: rækværket findes endnu ikke der, hvor du står. Derfor er stillads et af de få fag, hvor du skal have papir på det, før du sætter det første rør.
Safety course
34 modules · 312 min · 8 hazards that can kill
§ — Where can you read about Scaffolding?
Find a school near you.
Scaffold erector is offered at 6 places in the country. The list is informational — always check the latest and complete offering on the Education Guide's vocational education map.
Schools offering the programme
Hovedstaden
01- NEXT Uddannelse København — København
Sjælland
01- EUC Nordvestsjælland (NEG) — Holbæk
Midtjylland
01- AARHUS TECH — AarhusAMU
Selve stilladsmontør-uddannelsen har skoleophold få steder; stillads-AMU-kurser udbydes desuden mange flere steder — se ug.dk.