Wood Beam Calculator for Structural Analysis
Solid wood beams are a staple in both residential and commercial construction—used in floors, roofs, decks, and headers. Whether you’re framing with Southern Pine, Douglas Fir, Hem-Fir, or SPF, choosing the right beam size is essential to ensure structural safety and efficiency. StruCalc’s wood beam calculator makes it fast and easy to run span, deflection, and load checks for solid sawn lumber.
Building Materials Supported
Wood
Steel
LVL & Glulam
Masonry
Concrete
Advanced Calculations & Reliable Insights
Analysis Capabilities
Multi-Span Beams
Cantilever Beams
Triaxial Loading
Dynamic Load Linking
English & Metric Units
Auto Sizing
ASD & LRFD
Checks & Outputs
Normal Stress
Shear Stress
Moment of Inertia
Buckling
Moment Capacity
Deflection
Reactions
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Wood Beam Calculator FAQs
What Can You Calculate with StruCalc’s Wood Beam Tools?
StruCalc’s wood beam size calculator helps you:
- Determine the required beam size for a given span, load, and species
- Check shear capacity, bending strength, and deflection limits
- Compare multiple lumber grades and orientations
- Evaluate multi-span beams with continuous loading or cantilevers
The tool automatically applies applicable load combinations per IBC and ASCE 7.
What Wood Species and Grades Are Supported?
StruCalc includes design values for most commonly used lumber:
- Douglas Fir-Larch
- Southern Pine
- Hem-Fir
- Spruce-Pine-Fir (SPF)
- Western Red Cedar, and more
Users can select size, species, and grade to evaluate allowable moment, shear, and stiffness.
What Applications Can This Calculator Be Used For?
The wood beam calculator is ideal for:
- Floor beams and Floor Joists
- Roof beams and Roof Joists
- Deck beams and headers
- Wall openings (e.g., door and window headers)
It supports single-span, multi-span, and cantilevered conditions with adjustable bearing lengths.
How Is This Different from a Span Table or Lumber Chart?
Span tables provide rough guidance—but assume standard loads, support conditions, and spacing. StruCalc offers:
- Custom load input for real-world accuracy
- Interactive lumber calculator with live feedback on design changes
- Code-based deflection and strength checks
- Linked member reactions to connect beams to joists, posts, or walls
This ensures your beam sizing is based on your project—not generic assumptions.
What Standards Are Used?
StruCalc’s wood beam span calculator follows:
- NDS (National Design Specification for Wood Construction)
- IBC (International Building Code)
- ASCE 7 load provisions for live, dead, snow, and wind
Design can be done using either ASD (Allowable Stress Design) or LRFD (Load and Resistance Factor Design).
Structural Design Calculations Made Simple
Increase Your Productivity
Let StruCalc save you time on structural calculations and help you do more of what you do best.
Maximize Accuracy & Compliance
StruCalc delivers accurate calculations according to industry best practices that meet IBC and NDS code.
Streamline Permit Approval
Designed according to industry best practices, our detailed reports are purposefully structured to accelerate permit approvals.
Features that Our Customers Love
Linked Load Paths
Get dynamically updated results with linked load paths.
Comprehensive Material Database
From wood and laminates to concrete and steel, we’ve got you covered!
Relevant Codes & Standards
Compliant with the IBC and NDS, StruCalc keeps you up to date with latest code.
Automated Member Sizing
Simply input your loads and let StruCalc determine the most efficient size of your beam, footing, and more!
Quick Calcs
Use our pre-configured calculators to get quick calcs for hundreds of common applications
Design View
Streamlines the addition of loads through an intuitive data input screen, allowing for easy editing.
Powerful Solutions For Every Project
ENSURE YOUR ENGINEERING CALCULATIONS ARE FUTURE-PROOF
StruCalc Supports the 2024 IBC
StruCalc Plus and Pro have been updated to support the 2024 International Building Code standard to ensure that you stay up to code now and in the future.
Saving you time with
Quick Calculations & Permit Ready Reports
With a library of built-in use cases and a robust report generation engine, StruCalc gets you the answers you need quickly and gives permit reviewers the detail they’re looking for.
Powerful tools for complex analysis
Dynamically Track Linked Load Paths
When loads are changed, calculations are automatically updated, saving you time and accurately identifying issues. Let StruCalc do the heavy lifting for you!
Now Offering PDH Courses
Join our community to get great deals on quality PDH courses or get our StruCalc Pro with PDH annual subscription to get 15 PDH hours included with StruCalc Pro.
Why Choose StruCalc?
Fast, Intuitive User Interface
Our straight-forward UI is designed for efficiency, making complex structural calculations easy to navigate with minimal learning curve—so you can focus on design, not deciphering software.
Personalized Onboarding & One-On-One Support
When you need help getting started or expert advice on a complex application, our veteran team of support engineers are just a click or call away.
Extensive Application & Material Database
With hundreds of real-world use cases and a library of common construction materials, StruCalc provides everything you need in one powerful platform.
Pricing & feature comparison:
| Top-tier differences: |
StruCalc Pro: $89.97/mo |
ClearCalcs Pro: $119/mo |
ENERCALC: $199/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personalized Onboarding | |||
| 1:1 Engineering Support | |||
| 2024 IBC | |||
| User Themes | |||
| Concrete Beams | |||
| Masonry Beams | |||
| Wood Shearwalls | |||
| 2024 NDS | |||
| 2021 IBC | |||
| 2018 IBC | |||
| 2018 NDS | |||
| Imperial Units | |||
| Concrete Columns | |||
| Metric Units | |||
| Steel | |||
| Solid Sawn | |||
| I-Joists | |||
| Glulams | |||
| Structural Composite | |||
| 24+ Load Combinations | |||
| LRFD | |||
| ASD | |||
| Beam & Joist Spans | |||
| Live & Dead Loads | |||
| Isolated Footings | |||
| Continuous Footings | |||
| Collar Ties | |||
| Embedded Posts | |||
| Hip & Valley Beams | |||
| Flitch Beam | |||
| Stud Walls | |||
| Wind, Snow, & Seismic Loads | |||
| Advanced Footing Loads | |||
| Out of Plane Loading | |||
| Multi-span Columns | |||
| Bearing Walls | |||
| Retaining Walls | |||
| Linked Load Tracking | |||
| Beam Analysis | |||
| Wall Analysis | |||
| Masonry Columns | |||
| Concrete Walls | |||
| Masonry Walls | |||
| Wood Hangers | |||
| Curved Glulams |
Packed with Features
Best pricing in the industry
No one else offers as many features as StruCalc. Get more for your money and join thousands of architects and engineers that have chosen StruCalc as their partner for structural calculation software.
The Importance of Accurate Calculations
Over- or under-sizing a wood beam can lead to serviceability issues, wasted material, or code violations. StruCalc’s wood beam span calculator and lumber span calculator provide detailed structural checks for bending, shear, and deflection. All results follow NDS (National Design Specification) standards, ensuring compliance for residential and commercial projects alike.
Get Started with StruCalc
For engineers and construction professionals, beam calculation software is an indispensable tool for accurate structural analysis. StruCalc’s beam solver simplifies complex calculations, ensuring safety, compliance, and efficiency. With features like linked load paths, automated member sizing, and detailed calculation reports, StruCalc streamlines beam reaction calculations and beam size optimization. Whether working with wood, steel, or concrete beams, StruCalc enhances productivity and ensures regulatory compliance with the IBC and NDS codes.