Shed Roof Joist Spacing

The smallest beams for patio covers are typically 4 by 6.

Shed roof joist spacing.

An essential part of planning a patio roof or gazebo project is determining the number size and spacing of rafters beams and posts according to the loads they will carry. If you move up to 4 by 8 you re usually allowed to span up to 10 feet between posts. A roof joist is always spaced no more than 16 inches apart from another roof joist. In general the maximum span for a 4 by 6 beam is 6 feet between 4 by 4 posts.

2x4 2x6 2x8 2x10 2x12. If you plan to have eaves to protect the shed walls make sure you add the extra length when measuring the rafters. If the roof is not completely square you can decrease the space between joists but never increase the space. The same concept holds true for roof trusses.

In other words you would space a roof joist 15 inches apart from another roof joist but never 17 inches apart. Studs spaced at 16 inches make for a sturdier shed but the 24 inch spacing is more cost efficient. There is no standard spacing it depends on what size of rafters you want to use and the span of your shed. 2 8 s come standard at 1 inch thick.

2x8s are used frequently for these projects. The skillion and shed style roofs are framed with a single slope 2 4 or 2 6 or thicker rafters spanning from the low wall to the high wall. 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. Two options that arise could be your wider 24 and your narrower 12 options for spacing.

So the space between rafters can be greater without reducing the maximum span. For instance 2 grade 2x4s at 16 on center will span just over 9. In many circumstances 16 inches would be your standard spacing for shed floor joist but this is just a rough guideline. Spacing in 12 16 19 2 24.

As the difference between 16 and 24 is roughly 33 spacing shed studs at 24 inches rather than 16 inches can save you one third on the total cost of shed studs. A 4 by 10 can usually span up to 12 feet between posts. If you get premium kiln dried lumber then you could span 10 5 with the same size of lumber and rafter spacing. 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.

Floor joists ceiling joists rafters snow load rafters roof live load deflection limit.