The size of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) needed to span 18 feet will depend on various factors, including the load it needs to support, building code and regulation, design, construction requirements and the spacing between supports.
To determine the appropriate size of LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) to span 18 feet, you will need to consider various factors. However, as a rough guideline, for residential construction, a common choice for spanning 18 feet might be an LVL with dimensions around 3-1/2″ inches by 11-1/4 inches.
Laminated veneer lumber or LVL is much look like plywood, generally made of thin sheets of wood which are sandwiched and bound with super stronger glue. It is a high-strength structural engineered wood product of recent innovation and one of the most widely used kinds of lumber in construction projects in. It is typically used for boards of all kinds, for headers, beam rim boards, skateboards, as well as beams, trusses, edge forming materials and more. It is available in a wide range of lengths, widths and thicknesses.
The American wood Council National design specification for wood, lvl is type of structural composite lumber comparable to glued laminated timber (glulam). LVL is product of recent innovation they are result of new technology and economic pressure to make use of new wood species and smaller trees that cannot be used to make solid Lumber.
LVL is a straight, enough strong wood that fights warping and shrinking, providing great stability for your projects. Use an LVL beam to eliminate twisting and splitting for quiet floors. Because of the wood’s dimensional stability, inspection times are often reduced, too. LVL has a “maximum allowable bending stress” of 2,800 or 3,000 psi. LVL offer several advantages over technical milled lumber, it is made in factory under control specification and it is more stronger straighter and more uniform in size.
Lvl sizes may vary according to manufacturer but lvl standard thickness are 1 3/4 inches to 3 1/2 inches. It is available in thickness from 19mm (3/4 inches) to 178mm (7 inches). LVL length are generally available in 24, 28, 32, 36, 40 and 44 feet with special order up to 60 Feet. It can be customized according to your requirement. More than 60 Feet there is difficulty in transportation and handling.
LVL beam depth are typically 5 1/2 inches (140mm), 7 1/4 inches (184mm), 9 1/4 inches (235mm), 9 1/2 inches (241mm), 11 1/4 inches (286mm), 11 7/8 inches (302mm), 14 inches (356mm), 16 inches (406mm), 18 inches (457mm), 18 3/4 inches (476mm), 20 inches (508mm) and 23 7/8 inches (606mm).
What size lvl beam do i need to span 18 feet
Design a beam width based on the fact that the typical width of an LVL beam is 1 3/4 inches. The width can be increased by laminating in multiples of 1 3/4 inches or 40mm. Beam width should be 1/4 to 1/3 beam depth.
Design a beam depth based on the rule of thumb for estimating the depth of manufactured beams which is to divide the span by 20.
As per LVL span rule of thumb, the depth of the LVL beam should be 1/20th of span in inches and their width is 1/3 to 1/4 of the depth. If beam span is 18 feet in length, then their depth = (18 × 12) ÷ 20 = approx 11 inches and width is 11/3 = approx 4″. So, you would need something like 3-1/2″ × 11-1/4″ size of LVL beam for a 18 foot span.
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What size lvl beam for a 18 foot span
Typically for a 18 foot span, the size of LVL (Laminated veneer lumber) need to be 10-12 inches deep and 4 inches wide. So you would need something like a 3-1/2″× 11-1/4″ size of LVL to span upto 18 feet used for residential building on normal weight condition which providing great stability for your projects.
18 ft lvl beam price
The price of LVL (Laminated veneer lumber) is around $3 to $12 per linear foot. So, for 18 ft lvl beam price = 18×3 = $54 or 18×12 = $216. So, the cost of 18 ft lVL beam or Laminated veneer lumber or Engineered beam would be range between $54 to $216 for materials or between $50 to $200 per foot for installation.
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What size lvl to span 18 feet
The size of the LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) needed to span 18 feet need to be 10-12 inches deep and 4 inches wide. So you would need something like a 3-1/2″×11-1/4″ LVL or engineered wood to span upto 18 feet.
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Conclusions:-
Typically to span 18 feet, you have choice to use 3-1/2″ × 11-1/4″ size of LVL beam or 3-2×12 dimensional lumber for residential application on normal weight condition which providing great stability for your projects.