What size header for 10′, 6′, 8′, 12′ &16 foot span load bearing wall | what size header for 10 foot span load bearing wall | what size header for 6 foot span load bearing wall | what size header for 12 foot span load bearing wall | what size header for 16 foot span load bearing wall | what size header for 8 foot span load bearing wall.
A header is a horizontal beam generally made of timber that provided along the opening in exterior wall and interior load bearing wall in full length for doorway, window, skylight or stairway. Wood header provide structural support in wood frame construction.
Typically header is provided at least twice size then any other surrounding members such as rafter purlin and stud. It is often made of two to four joists, rafter or studs. It runs between full length supports and along its length and carry the load of shorter studs, joists or rafter that terminate at the opening.
The header helps to provide support, stability and strength to the top and side sections of the door frame. The header for a window & door is seems like a bridge that transferring the weight above it to the floor and foundation below.
Doors in a load-bearing wall that holds the weight of the house, created by beams and trusses, need a larger header than those in non-load-bearing walls. The header is usually made out of dimensional lumber installed on its edge. Calculating and know the size of the header depends on what the header needs to support.
Headers carry the weight of the structure above and transfer it to the trimmers down to the floors and foundations below. Longer openings such as in garage require larger headers. Load bearing walls those that carry the weight of joists and trusses require larger headers than non-bearing wall.
In this article you know about what size header for 10 foot, 6 foot, 8 foot, 12 foot, & 16 foot span load bearing wall that will help you in better understanding and to figure out or estimate of header size and their depth and help in important for you to use the right size header.
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What size header for 10′, 6′, 8′, 12′ &16 foot span load bearing wall
Calculating header size is complex as depending on many factors such as:- the length of the window or door opening, the combined weight of the floors, walls and roofs above, the building width, the snow load in the area, whether it’s a load bearing wall where joists, trusses and rafters rest or a non-bearing wall to which joists, trusses and rafters run parallel, whether it’s an exterior or interior bearing wall and what species of wood you’re working with.
What size header for 10 foot span load bearing wall
As per general rules and guidelines, for a 10 foot span load bearing exterior windows & door opening or interior wall, you will need atleast 3- 2×12 size of header made of #2 grade of Douglas fir- larch and two jack studs each side when building that consist of roof & ceiling their width is no more than 28 feet wide and snow load of 30 psf. Thus, triple 2×12 size header is needed for a 10 foot span load bearing exterior opening or interior wall.
What size header for 12 foot span load bearing wall
As per general rules and guidelines, for a 12 foot span load bearing exterior windows & door opening or interior wall, you will need atleast 4- 2×12 size of header made of #2 grade of Douglas fir- larch and two jack studs each side when building that consist of roof & ceiling their width is no more than 20 feet wide and snow load of 30 psf. Thus, 4- 2×12 size header is needed for a 12 foot span load bearing exterior opening or interior wall.
What size header for 6 foot span load bearing wall
As per general rules and guidelines, for a 6 foot span load bearing exterior windows & door opening or interior wall, you will need atleast 2- 2×8 size of header and 2 jack studs on each side for building consist of only roof & ceiling, for one floor 2- 2×10 size header & for two floor 3- 2×10 size of header made of #2 grade of Douglas fir- larch will be needed when building width is no more than 28 feet wide and snow load of 30 psf. Thus, 2- 2×8 most suitable size of header is needed for a 6 foot span load bearing exterior opening or interior wall.
What size header for 8 foot span load bearing wall
As per general rules and guidelines, for a 8 foot span load bearing exterior windows & door opening or interior wall, you will need atleast 2- 2×12 size of header and 2 jack studs on each side for building consist of only roof & ceiling, for one floor two floor building 3- 2×12 size of header made of #2 grade of Douglas fir- larch will be needed when building width is no more than 28 feet wide and snow load of 30 psf. Thus, 2- 2×12 most suitable size of header is needed for a 8 foot span load bearing exterior opening or interior wall.
What size header for 16 foot span load bearing wall
As per general rules and guidelines, for a 16 foot span load bearing exterior windows & door opening or interior wall, you will need something like 2- 1.75″× 16″ (2- 1 3/4″× 16″) size of GLULAM or LVL header. When span is more than 12 feet it is better to use GLULAM or LVL header because it is stronger than general lumbar. Thus for a 16 foot span load bearing wall, size of LVL header or GLULAM should be 14 to 16 inches deep and 3.5 inches wide.
Conclusion:-
● For a 8 foot span load bearing wall, you will need atleast 2- 2×12 size of header and 2 jack studs on each side for building consist of only roof & ceiling and for one floor two floor building 3- 2×12 size of header will be needed.
● For a 6 foot span load bearing wall, you will need atleast 2- 2×8 size of header and 2 jack studs on each side for building consist of only roof & ceiling, for one floor 2- 2×10 size header & for two floor 3- 2×10 size of header will be needed.
● For a 16 foot span load bearing wall, you will need something like 2- 1.75″× 16″ (2- 1 3/4″× 16″) size of GLULAM or LVL header.
● For a 10 foot span load bearing wall, you will need atleast 3- 2×12 size of header and two jack studs each side when building that consist of roof & ceiling and for 1 and two floor you should use 10″ deep of GLULAM or LVL header.
● For a 12 foot span load bearing wall, you will need atleast 4- 2×12 size of header and two jack studs each side when building that consist of roof & ceiling and for 1 and two floor you should use 12″ deep of GLULAM or LVL header.
