Beams are horizontal structures and a crucial architectural marvel which helps them to resist any lateral loads.
This member either resists this force laterally or transversely takes the name of the beam and which is applied on the axis of the beam.
Beams can be categorized into many subtypes based on support type or its reimbursement in the RCC beam.
How Far Can A 6×6 Beam Span?
Fourteen feet which are not enough for home usage, not even for a roof.
6×6 span is less, and the strength you see as well is of height, and a 6 x 6 is weaker on the width side.
Weight 6 x6 can support :
A 6 x 6 with around a 12-inch span can support a weight of 2000 lbs. with a 1400psi of what we call bending stress.
To make it stronger, however, one can use it as double, and if there is no slip across any of the face, one can get more than 4000 lbs to support easily.
Beam spanning without any support:
For the supporting joists on 12 feet span and with no overhang beyond a certain beam, one can manage to get the same value of a double-ply span which equals its depth.
Also, a double 2 x 12 beam span is around 12 feet, while a 2 x 10 span is 10 feet.
How can one size a header beam?
Well, honestly, there are some critical points to notice when it comes to sizing the headers or beams or both.
- Begin by selecting a wood type as per your lead requirements.
- Then use a proper span table that can determine the net load of a foot per beam.
- Then, choose an apt span given in the official table.
- Before going to the last step, don’t forget to move down the lumber column you selected in the step above.
- Lastly, double the beam for all the future support in building and planning.
Weight a beam can hold :
When it comes to the weight capacities of beams and especially the larger steel ones for industrial use, there are many pointers to begin with.
- For most wooden beams, the permissible bending stress comes at around 23K lbs. /sq. inch.
- This means that the actual bending stress can be somewhere around 6200 lbs per sq. inch.
- The above number comes when one has made allowances for span and made for the lack of any restraint.
- On a similar note, a beam that has a spanning of 12 foot, and which supports a nominal weight of 600 lbs. Nine hundred units will be the approximate bending moment.
Related Questions and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Q1.) What size of the beam can span up to 20 feet?
Answer: For a 20-foot beam size of clear span, one needs 2 x 8 to 10 dimensional lumbar or 12 to 16 inches of GLULAM/ LVL.
For a floor joist, 8 inches span is more than enough.
Q2.) How much weight can the 4×4 beam support?
Answer: It can support up to 2 tons!
This is because a 2 x 4 beam can support a ton of weight horizontally, and 4×4 can support double the weight.
Q3.) How far does the 4×12 beam span?
Answer: The thing to bear in mind is that the bigger beam, the more the distance it can easily span between the posts.
While a Redwood 4×6 beam should be limited to no more than 6 inches, and that too between the supporting posts.
Q4.) How much weight can a typical 2×12 support?
Answer: A 2×12 can easily handle a weight of 180 lbs. per foot and up to 2100 lbs. and this for a total of 12-inch span.
Q5.) What is the farthest most length that a 2 x 12 beam can reach?
Answer: 14 feet easily for a triple 2×12 wooden beam.
Q6.) What is the span limit of a 6 x 8 beam?
Answer: 8000 lbs support on an 8 inches span.
This was written in the 1973 edition of the Western Woods Use Book by West Coast Lumbermen’s Association.
One also needs to note that this also depends on the species of wood and its grade.
Q7.) How can one calculate the load-bearing beam size?
Answer: One needs to use a typical formula for measuring the sizes, which can be read as follow
- The formula one can read is beaming width x beam depth raised to the power 2 and divided by a 6 factor.
- For example, a 2 x 6 beam that has the dimension of 1.5 x 5.5 inches can give a section modulus of 1.5 x 5.5. x 5.5 / 6 = 7.6.
- A 2×8 beam can be more than sufficient for the purpose.
Q8.) How much weight does the 2 x 10-floor support?
Answer: Each of the 2 x 10 can support up to 1,200 lbs of weight.
This is from face to face of support.
Q9.) What is the maximum span that one can notice in a steel beam?
Answer: When it comes to the world of giant beams, a steel beam is a clear winner.
However, for the rolled sections, even the steel beam has a maximum span range of 12 meters.
Around 12 to 19 meters for shorter sections and up to 42 meters for trusses.
Q10.) How can one size a beam?
Answer: To size a beam, begin by designing a beam depth and which base itself on a rule of thumb.
The rule is to simply divide the span by a factor of 20.
One can notice that the common beam sizes are 5 ½ inches, 7 ¼ inches, 11 ¼ inches, 14, 16, 18, and 20 inches.
Recently, 9 ¼ and 11 7/8 sizes are also becoming popular.
Q11.) What is the longest possible span for a 2 x 6?
Answer: The max live load limit is 20 lbs/ft 2.
The rafter spacing, which is from center to center, varies from 12 to 24 inches with three kinds of lumber grades.
Q12.) How much weight can a 2x12x20 hold?
Answer: 135 to 155 pounds per span.
Q13.) How far can one take the 2 x 6 beam without any support?
Answer: A joist 16 inches from the center span around 1.5 times their depth.
On the other hand, the 2 x 8 goes up to 11 feet and a 2 x 10 up to 15 feet.
Q14.) Can a 6 x 6 sag?
Answer: A sag means a deflection, and almost all materials deflect under the load.
On the other hand, a 6 x 6 has a very improbable deflection which is tough to calculate.
Q15.) Which is stronger, a 6 x 6 or the (3) 2 x 6?
Answer: 2nd option will be a stronger candidate as it requires way less warping and twisting.
Also, the load capabilities are approximately the same whether for a post or a laminated.
Q16.) Can one use a 6 x 6 for the deck beam?
Answer: When it comes to the deck, the beam remains in the horizontal and spans the posts for all decks greater than 60 cm.
Span is less, so never use it for any kind of deckbuilding using this beam.
Q17.) Is the 4 x 6 beam strong the same as the 6 x 6 post?
Answer: Honestly, it is not even one-third as strong as a 6 x 6 because the material gets cut away.
So, not a 4 x 6 is not stronger than 6 x 6.
Q18.) How long can the 6 x 6 post last long in the concrete?
Answer: A normal PT post can last way longer in the concrete for up to five to ten years in soil alone.
Simply embed the post in the concrete and trowel a small peak around it so that the water need not runoff.
Q19.) Why are your 6 x 6 posts splitting off?
Answer: When it comes to the 6 x 6 splitting, extreme loading is the most often reason for this.
Usually, one can find these shrinkages as the wood keeps on drying with time and most often occurs near the wooden grain and is not a structural concern.
This can also be due to an impending disaster or a full collapse.
Q20.) How much weight can the 4 x 6 beam, which is treated by pressure, hold?
Answer: Around 105 lbs if the span is 18 inches and there are no loose knotholes.
The above situation becomes true when the Pine is the Lodgepole Pine or the Ponderosa Pine of Grade 2.
It keeps on changing from beam to beam as per the make. Pine is generally more solid than others.
Final Verdict
Beams are a critical part of any building as they help in weight distribution via direct or indirect support materials.
The major purpose of beams is load resistance, countering the shear forces, or connecting all the frames.
The support bars, main bars, and stirrups play a crucial role as well.
As per the IS codes, 9-inch x 12-inch is a standard sizing of the beam in any residential building.
One can classify the beams on various support conditions such as a simply supported beam, the continuous beam, a fixed beam, or the cantilever and Overhanging beam.
When it comes to the weight limit of the beam, a steel beam can hold around 23000 lbs per sq. inch.
Different sizes have different capacities, and spans like a 2 x 4 can support up to 1K pounds on the vertical.
A 6 x 6 beam spans up to 14 feet and should not be used as a beam because it is not able to cover the load, not even the roofing.
6 x 6 can support a 4000 lbs weight if one uses it in a double beam way.
Try using a bigger beam with a better span.
Thanks For Reading!