You can also use the wood beam calculator from the american wood council website to determine maximum rafter and joist lengths.
Long span timber beams.
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I beams are high strength long span structural timber beams which are used for residential and commercial applications.
When supporting joists that span 12 feet with no overhang beyond the beam a double ply beam can span in feet a value equal to its depth in inches.
A 2 2x10 can span 10 feet and so on.
Treated mechanical beams are constructed based on the required load and span and are composed of layers of treated timbers or lumber held together by an ultra high quality glue and fastened with high strength hardware.
The span of any wood beam depends on many factors such as type of wood weight of the load and overall size of the beam.
As a result a cedar douglas fir or southern yellow pine long span beams offers less cost less complexity better flow and simpler safety management.
They offer exceptional straightness uniform depth and dimensional stability.
The numbers in gray indicate the distance between the support posts.
The distance over which a wood beam bears a load when used for support is its span.
Economical to produce the i beam is made from a combination of timber products.
In many instances a strategically placed engineered long span timber beam can do the job just as well and looks so much better.
Use the span tables below to determine allowable lengths of joists and rafters based on size and standard design loads.
They are attractive interesting durable and strong.