Floor Joist Spans Wood Deck

The proper deck joist span distance between supporting beams below the joists for your deck should be known before you start building and is needed to draft your deck plan.

Floor joist spans wood deck.

Again it s important to know your local codes. If you use 5 4 decking joists must be no farther apart than 16 inches. Section r507 5 notes that deck joists can cantilever up to 1 4 of the joist span. Even when using the strongest wood to build joists for a deck that wood is still subject to the elements and can bend bow or warp with time.

The larger the deck the larger the joists. Joist size spacing between joists decking material and wood species. Floor joist span tables for various sizes and species of wood. Decking boards span from joist to joist.

View joist rafter tables. Listed are 46 tables based on common loading conditions for floor joists ceiling joists and rafters. Here s a helpful chart covering the most popular wood framing species and their maximum allowed spans. In typical deck construction with a ledger on one side of the joist and beam on the other the size of the joists is driven by the size of the deck and based on the general maximum spans mentioned above.

Joist span table use these tables to determine floor joist spans based on grade of lumber size of joist floor joist spacing and a live load of 30 lbs ft 2 or 40 lbs ft 2 these tables can also be used to determine deck joist span. Simplified maximum span tables for selected visual and mechanical grades of southern pine lumber in sizes 2 4 thru 2 12. Steel joists such as trex elevations are machine made making each joist an identical twin. If you will run decking at an angle you might need to put the joists closer together.

This article explains typical spans for deck joists deck beams and deck flooring giving both standard span tables and a quick rule of thumb that works pretty well. For best results refer to our wood and composite deck joist span table. Deck joists have a different maximum span length depending upon the size spacing and framing material that you re creating your deck with. Decking made of 2x4s or 2x6s can span up to 24 inches.

But you ll notice when you look at the portion of the span table for joists with cantilevers that the joist span for decks with a cantilever is often less than the span for the same sized joist without cantilevers. The spans of joists varies based upon several factors. The deck joist span chart below is based on the updated codes from the international residential code 2015 which for the first time specifically addressed these deck design considerations. Joist beam spans sizes.

Framing tables for decks.