How Far Apart Should Roof Rafters Be On A Shed

For example in the rafter span table below the highlighted cell in the 40 live load table indicates that 2 x 8 southern yellow pine joists that have a grade of 2 that are spaced 24 apart can have a maximum span of 10 feet 3 inches 10 3 if designing for a live load of 40 lbs ft 2.

How far apart should roof rafters be on a shed.

For heavy roofs or in areas with substantial snowfall or winds call your local building department for code requirements. Decreasing the distance between rafters to 12 inches however increases the maximum span to 14 feet 4 inches. If your project had a rafter length of 8 or less a safe and strong method is to use 2x8 framed 16 on center. Maximum rafter spans for a patio roof in areas with mild climates patio roofs are generally designed for loads of 30 psf pounds per square foot.

Depending on the size of your structure you will need to cut several or many more. Rafters are commonly spaced about 24 inches 61 cm apart. For standard shed roof rafter spacing see rafter span chart. 2 4 rafters can span up to 7.

Most roof framing is 24 on center and you can still build sheds up to 14 with 2 4 rafters at 24 on center. The number of rafters needed will be determined by the length of your roof. To determine how far apart to set rafters measure the width of the metal panel and then the width of the first hill and valley of the panel. 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.

As a general rule roofs that have a high human occupancy rate should be framed with rafters every 16 structures such as sheds or barns can be frames with rafters every 24 again make sure to consult local codes. Putting the trusses into place. For heavy loads 2x4s can span up to 5. For instance 2 grade 2x4s at 16 on center will span just over 9.

For example 2 by 6 rafters made from select structural grade douglas fir that are required to support a live load of 20 pounds per square inch can have a maximum horizontal span of 11 feet 4 inches. Most are spaced between 18 26 inches apart. All roof rafters should be identical so follow the same steps to measure the plumb cut tail cut and birdsmouth cut. Double the hill and valley width since this is the amount that the panel will overlap the one next to it on each side.

Once you ve calculated the number of trusses you will need you should purchase the lumber.