This is the structural wall called external wall of the building that carry the load from above (own weight & load from roof) and transfer it to the foundation.
Depending on the type of building and the number of stories, load-bearing walls are gauged to the appropriate thickness to carry the weight above it.
Outer wall could become unstable if the load exceeds the strength of the material used, potentially leading to the collapse of the structure.
A load bearing wall is opposed to a curtain wall, which uses the strength of a sub-wall to bear the weight of the curtain such as the brick facade on a skyscraper, and superstructure, usually a steel frame, to carry the weight of the floors and walls inside the curtain walls protection.
The materials most often used to construct load-bearing walls in large buildings are usually stone, brick, concrete or concrete block.
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