Load Bearing Wood Beam

In beam speak you say.

Load bearing wood beam.

You can also use the wood beam calculator from the american wood council website to determine maximum rafter and joist lengths. Add up all the loads acting on a header or beam and then translate this load into terms of how much load each lineal foot of header or beam will feel. A two 2 by 6 standard beam has actual dimensions of 1 5 by 5 5 inches which would give a section modulus of 1 5 x 5 5 x 5 5 6 7 6 which is not enough for this example. Anything 5 and above we always at least double cripple.

The formula for the section modulus is beam width times beam depth squared divided by 6. It is important to remember though that while the beam carries the load of the ceiling above all that load is then transferred at the ends to vertical post structures created by a. This translation is the key to any structural sizing. If you re unsure ask a building contractor or your local building inspector for advice.

Beam span maximums are based on a maximum anticipated live load. A load bearing wall almost always has ceiling or floor framing running perpendicular to it. Replacing a load bearing beam with a flush beam was our mission last week. A 2 by 8 beam would be sufficient.

Use the span tables below to determine allowable lengths of joists and rafters based on size and standard design loads. The client had an existing wood beam with two posts connected to his kitchen island and didn t like seeing the posts. This header must carry x pounds per lineal foot. The first step is the same for sawn and engineered wood materials.

Two 2 by 4 beams together would not be enough. A dense wood that bears weight on the ends of those fiber bundles like a stump does can achieve the load carrying capacity of structural steel. Wood gets its strength from its longitudinal cellulose fibers. According to the 2012 irc codes any beam joist or header shall never have a bearing of less than 1 1 2.

Beams of more than one ply must be fastened together with either nails or bolts. On longer spans the beam may require much more bearing space as indicated by this table. The span of a beam is dependent on a few variables. If it s a load bearing wall the inspector may help size the beam or recommend that you have a structural engineer or architect size it.

If the wall is load bearing you will need to carry the weight of the level above by other means such as constructing a beam or buying a special laminated beam. When loads are borne perpendicular to the grain of the wood the load bearing capacity of the wood is at its least.