Building Codes & Span Tables

Codes, bylaws & references

Building codes, municipal bylaws, PDFs and links we have researched and taken information from. The National Building Code and the references we hold our own copies of are here; the entry page links this page rather than carrying them, which is Movie's own call on 14 Oct once the column filled up: “might need to make a seperate page for BUILDING CODE links and just have link from the the ENTRY page”.

Open web joists: safe span table

Maximum clear span between bearings for wood open web floor joists, by joist depth and spacing. Rough Drafter uses this table to size the joists over a garage.

How it was made

For planning only. These figures are kept well clear of the limits, but they are not a manufacturer's table. The engineered joist layout from the supplier governs.