As a component manufacturer, you enable better building. As a partner to CMs across the country, MiTek does the same — from advanced design software and automated production equipment to innovative and integrated technologies that lead to a more profitable and stable future for your...

Top chords are usually braced by roof sheathing. Roof sheathing provides effective lateral bracing when nailed directly to the top chord. In cases where roof sheathing cannot be directly applied to the top chord, purlins are used to prevent lateral buckling of truss top chords. The Truss...

MiTek Engineering software gives you two options to input snow load – Ground Snow and Roof Snow (flat roof snow). What is the difference between ground snow and flat roof snow? Ground snow load, pg, is obtained directly from the American Society of Civil Engineers Standard (ASCE 7)...

Lumber has ability to handle higher stresses under shorter periods of time. This characteristic is known as Load Duration Factor. Load Duration Factor typically ranges from 0.9 to 1.6 and is based on the amount of cumulative time the load is applied to the structure. Per the National Design...

When designing trusses for special loads or special conditions, it is important to define the individual truss members correctly. Without proper member definitions, trusses could be inadvertently under-designed and/or have incorrect analog. The most common member types are webs and chords. Top...

Trusses are designed as individual components to resist the in-plane stresses resulting from the loads applied in the same in-plane direction. To resist out of plane forces, adequate bracing/restraint is required. In absence of designed temporary and permanent bracing plans, BCSI (Building...

Attic truss with 7 feet room height – should it be designed for 20 psf (pounds per square foot), 30 psf or 40 psf room live load? IRC (International Residential Code) defines Habitable Space as a space in a building for living, sleeping, eating, or cooking. Per IRC 2018 Table...

How does ripping lumber, cutting a board along its length, affect its grade or strength values? Structural lumber is graded or inspected which provides designers, through the National Design Specification® (NDS®) for Wood Construction, the strength/design values for the lumber members....

Per BCSI-B4 (Building Component Safety Information): The term “construction loading” is typically used to describe Loads from workers and Building materials on unfinished structure, as, for example, when builders temporarily stack bundles of panel sheathing or gypsum board on...

The first thing to consider with bearing sizes is the minimum required by the building codes. Per 2018 IRC, International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, Sec. R802.6 – When a ceiling joist is supported directly on wood or metal, the minimum bearing size required is...