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Second floor joist spacing.
Joist span and spacing is set by your local building code.
In buildings with basements the first level of floor joists serves the same purpose.
But larger is not always better when builders are constructing a home or adding a room addition.
This size is no longer acceptable when framing a structure.
Floor joists spaced on regular intervals span the areas between supports such as walls foundations girders and beams.
Newer construction has floor joists spaced at 16 inches on center.
Floor joist span tables for various sizes and species of wood.
Joist span table use these tables to determine floor joist spans based on grade of lumber size of joist floor joist spacing and a live load of 30 lbs ft 2 or 40 lbs ft 2 these tables can also be used to determine deck joist span.
The extra two inches of vertical distance when a floor is framed with 2 x 10 joists rather than 2 x 12s can be quite important for example.
Live load is weight of furniture wind snow and more.
Dead load weight of structure and fixed loads 10 lbs ft 2.
In the past 2x4s or 2x6s were sometimes used as floor joists.
Common sense tells you that large floor joists can carry more load and spacing joists closer together also increases the load bearing capacity of a floor.
Douglas fir 2 by 10 joists graded as structural select allows joist spans up to 21 feet for a live load of 30 pounds per square foot when spaced 12 inches apart 19 feet 1 inch for 16 inch spacing and 16 feet 8 inches for 24 inch spacing.
You should also check your local building codes before starting construction and consult a structural engineer in unusual or extreme situations.
View of second story floor joists from below.
Putting all these factors together gives the minimum size joists needed for various types of wood grades of lumber sizes of boards spacing of joists and the load that will be placed on the floor.
When building a house or even a deck it is important to confirm you have the correct joist sizes spans and spacing before you get started.
When determining the floor joist size measure the length of the span.
Maximum floor joist span for no.
Floor joists installed on second or third or higher levels double as ceiling joists for the level below.
A live load of 60 pounds per square foot demands more support and shorter spans.
Floor joist spacing has traditionally been 24 inches on center or from center to center of the joists.
1 psf lb f ft 2 47 88 n m 2.
Normal spacing is 16 inches on center from center to center though some floors may have joists on 12 inch or 24 inch centers.
The next factor to consider is the joist spacing that will be used and the amount of weight the flooring will need to support.
While most residential construction uses 2x8 joists with 16 inch spacing there are many other factors you need to consider when determining the proper joist span length.
