How Far Apart Are Attic Trusses

Putting the trusses into place.

How far apart are attic trusses.

Common spacing for trusses on this type of building is often between 2 and 4 feet but trusses built with advanced designs may allow spacing as great as 8 or 12 feet. These are typically spaced at certain intervals to provide the necessary support for the roof. For many traditional stick frame builders trusses spaced 8 feet apart seems unnatural but thanks to the ingenuity of modern engineering it is a very common building design. So the space between rafters can be greater without reducing the maximum span.

Shop and barn trusses typically are spaced around 4 on center but sometimes are spaced as far apart as 8 to 10. Once you ve calculated the number of trusses you will need you should purchase the lumber. Truss spacing for metal roof. Depending on the complexity of your free computational tool it may require you to enter details about rafter spacing usually 16 on center bridge type height and board size.

Typical roof truss spacing means that they are usually about 24 inches from centre which means at the centre of one truss there will be a two foot gap or twenty four inch gap until the centre of the next truss. I ve had roof truss manufacturers try to convince me it is impossible to place wood trusses at spacings of over every 4 feet. The bay is the space within the truss and the longitudinal joining members are purlins. Their defense is our engineers will not allow us to.

The truss that is spaced 16 on center is usually designed lighter and handles less weight then the truss that is spaced every 2. Most are spaced between 18 26 inches apart. This is traced back to building codes and structural design standards. With this design change roof trusses could be placed 12 feet apart making it possible for roofs to support the loads to which they would be subjected.

Typically pole barn style buildings in my area have bays distance between trusses of 5 feet to 12 depending on pitch insulation and height. These standards are as follows. It all comes down to engineering. The trusses should be a little longer than the exact width to allow for overhang and you will need sufficient trusses to mount across the length.

And more trusses usually equal more cost. If purlins are laying flat on top of the truss 5 or 6 feet is the max on 2x4 s edge up can go to 12 feet or more. With traditional stick frame construction the trusses are usually spaced 2 feet apart. A 10 8 6 and 4 spacing between trusses has been the standard for most types of construction for years.