Maximum Ceiling Joist Span

Sixteen inch oc spacing of ceiling joists made from 2 southern pine allows for a maximum 13 inch span length.

Maximum ceiling joist span. Although 2 x 4 s are included in the official table they are not listed because it is never advised to use them. This is the most common as the typical span is 15 feet. Also available for the android os.

With these factors the lightest joist will have a maximum span of 17 feet 8 inches. For example the highlighted cell below shows that a 2 x 6 southern yellow pine joist with a grade of 2 and spaced 24 apart can have a maximum span of 10 feet 0 inches 10 0 if you are designing your structure to support a plaster ceiling. Plain ceilings are sized at 10 lb loads while the ceilings with storage are sized for 20 lb loads.

Span exceeds 26 feet in length. While every effort has been made to insure the accuracy of the information presented and special effort has been made to assure that the information reflects the state of the art neither the west coast lumber inspection bureau the american wood council nor its members assume any responsibility for any particular design prepared from this online span calculator. 1 psf lbf ft2 47 88 n m2.

Dead load weight of structure and fixed loads 10 lbs ft2. Listed are 46 tables based on common loading conditions for floor joists ceiling joists and rafters. Large room joist spacing.

Applications using southern pine. The heaviest joist along with the above factors will span a maximum of 23 feet 8 inches. 1 inch 25 4 mm 1 foot 304 8 mm 1 pound per square foot 0 0479kpa.

These span tables are for 16 o c. 1 in 25 4 mm. This will support a room ceiling that is 10 feet long on one side as in 10 foot by 15 foot or 10 foot by 17 foot rooms which is a standard dimension for many rooms in residential construction.