How far apart do rafters need to be?

Standard industry roof rafter spacing is 12”, 16”, 19.2”, and 24” on-center, however other spacing may be used by a Structural Engineer. Depending on all contributing factors though, 16” and 24” are commonly used for most buildings. The wider the space between rafters often results in rafters of greater depth too.

How far apart should posts be for patio cover?





Common Post Spacing



In general, the maximum span for a 4-by-6 beam is 6 feet between 4-by-4 posts. If you move up to 4-by-8, you’re usually allowed to span up to 10 feet between posts. A 4-by-10 can usually span up to 12 feet between posts.

What is the maximum span for a 2×6 Rafter?

How Far Can a 2×6 Rafter Span? A 2×6 rafter can span 14 feet 8 inches when spaced 16 inches apart with No. 1-grade southern pine lumber on a roof with a 3/12 slope or less with a maximum live load of 20 pounds per square foot and a dead load of 15 psf.

What is the spacing of roof trusses?

Roof trusses should be 24” apart, on center. Trusses are allowed to be closer together, at either 12” or 16” on center, but building codes allow for 24” on center spacing without using heavier duty fasteners for truss to wall connections.

How far apart should 2×8 rafters be?

A rule of thumb is 1.5 times a joist’s depth but in feet when spaced at 16” centers. In general, a 2×8 will span 1.5 x 8, so 12-feet.

How far can 2×4 rafters span?





A 2×4 can span a maximum of 6′ 7” when spaced 16” apart and used as a floor or deck joist. When used as a ceiling joist or a roof rafter, a 2×4 can span up to 7′ 3” spaced at 16”, and 6′ 4” when spaced 24” apart. Due to the small spans of 2x4s, they often are not used in horizontal load-bearing capacities.

How far can a 2×10 Rafter span without support?

A 2×10 beam – made up of two 2x10s nailed together – can span up to 11′ without support beneath a deck that is 4′ wide. For a more normal-sized deck, the same beam can span 8′, supporting a deck that is 8′ wide. You can also triple a 2×10 beam.

How far can a roof beam span without support?

A common roof truss can span up to 80′ without support. Many factors affect this number, such as the size of lumber used in the truss, the slope of the roof, potential snow load, and the type of truss used.

How far apart do porch columns need to be?

Double columns spaced 7 to 8 feet (2.1 to 2.4 meters) apart frame the entrance, which is 5 to 6 ft. (1.5 to 1.8 m) wide. Two more outset columns spaced slightly less far apart than the center width complete the porch’s breadth.

How far apart should roof battens be?



Each product has different requirements, for example, batten spacing for (0.42BMT) corrugated metal roofing needs to be no more than 1100 mm apart, but batten spacing for 0.48BMT metal roofing can be up to 1600 mm apart.

How far can roof rafters span?

Max. Live Load 20 lbs/ft2 (956 N/m2)

Maximum Span (ft – in)
Nominal Size (inches) Rafter Spacing, Center to Center, OC (inches) Lumber Grade
2 x 8 12 19′ – 11”
16 17′ – 3”
24 14′ – 1”

Can you use 2×4 for rafters?

You can use either 2×6 or 2×4 rafters for roofs with a 3/12 pitch or greater, but it depends on the overall size of your shed. For roofs that won’t experience heavy snow loads, a gable roof can span up to 22′ with 2×4 rafters.

How much weight can a 2×4 rafter hold?



While a standard 8-foot 2×4 can support about 1,000 pounds vertically and up to 300 pounds horizontally (when placed on edge), It’s important to remember that not all 2x4s are the same. Factors such as wood species, moisture content, and grade impact how much load a 2×4 can hold vertically or horizontally.

Can a 2×6 span 8 feet?

Double 2×6 Beam Span



For joist spans of 8′ or less, the beam span is 5’11” and 4′-8” respectively, and 5′-4” and 4′-2” if the span is 10′ or less. A double 2×6 header can span between 2′-1” and 6′-0” for exterior walls depending on building width, snow load, number of floors, and location and number of bearing walls.

What size roof joists do I need?

Wherever possible, joists should span the shortest distance. Common joists sizes are 200 x 50mm, 175 x 50mm, and 150 x 50mm. The joists will normally be placed at 400mm centres but no more than 600mm centres.

What size rafters do I need for a 12 foot span?

As per general rules and guideline, for 10 -12 foot span, generally you need 2″×6″ size of rafter, for 15 -16 foot span, you need 2″×8″ rafter, for 18 – 20 foot span, you need 2″×10″ rafter & for 24 foot span, you need 2″×6″ size of rafter placed at 16″ apart from centre.

What kind of wood do you use for roof rafters?



Kiln-dried Douglas fir wood presents the number one choice for building a rafter-styled roof in a wood frame house. This tree grows prodigiously in the Pacific Northwest. Since it is readily harvested in substantial quantities, the price is reasonable.

How many rafters do I need?

Already having the rise will make it easy to determine the rafter length by loading the numbers into the equation chart. For example, a roof with a span of 20 ft and a rise of 7 feet needs rafters that are the square root of 400 + 49 = 21.2 feet.

How do you layout rafters?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: So there's a couple ways you can do it the easiest way is to use the speed square. You take your speed square place the flange on the edge of the board.

How do you design roof rafters?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: The width of the building. By the height of each. Individual. Increment which on a four and 12 pitch roof every foot it's going to go up four inches every two foot it would be up eight inches.