Exploring Different Types of Trusses
Trusses are web-like structural components that are used in residential and commercial construction. They may support the roof (roof trusses) or the floor (floor trusses). Compared to roof rafters and floor joists, trusses offer superior strength and versatility. If you’re new to the industry, you might be surprised by just how many different types of trusses there are.
A Look at Floor Trusses
If you’re designing a floor, you have three main choices: I-joists, dimensional lumber floor joists, and floor trusses. I-joists are I-shaped components that feature panel webs and flanges. They are rather lightweight. Dimensional lumber floor joists were quite popular before floor trusses were first introduced. However, these joists cannot handle the large spans that are typical of open floor plans. The more modern option is the floor truss. These types of trusses are manufactured from high-quality lumber. Their diagonal and vertical components are securely held with metal plates. This design offers superior strength and versatility.
There are a few different types of trusses for floors:
- Bottom chord bearing floor trusses – These trusses are installed on top of load-bearing walls, forming the floor for the upper levels.
- Bottom chord bearing trimmable end floor trusses – These are just like bottom chord bearing floor trusses. However, they can be trimmed to fit up to six inches at each end.
- Top chord bearing floor trusses – This is an end structure that allows the load-bearing wall to be situated underneath the double top chord.
- Mid-block bearing floor trusses – These floor trusses are ideal for use in multi-story additions. They allow the floor of the addition to precisely match the height of the existing floor.
An Overview of Roof Trusses
Roof trusses are an excellent alternative to roof rafters. They function by transferring the weight of live and dead loads to the supports, such as the building’s walls. (Live loads include wind and rain. Dead loads include roofing materials.) If you were to look at one end of a building under construction, you’ll see that the roof truss is the triangular structure that forms a peak at the top and has webbed components forming triangular patterns within its body. There are many different types of trusses for roofs, including the following:
- Standard trusses – Also called common trusses, these are perfectly symmetrical, with the same pitch on either side of the peak.
- Custom trusses – A custom truss is custom-designed for a particular building. L&L Manufactured Components is pleased to provide custom trusses for residential and commercial clients.
- End trusses – The end trusses, or gable trusses, are located at the ends of a building.
- Post frame trusses – These are designed for longer spans and are typically used for commercial buildings, such as those in the agricultural or industrial industries.
- Energy trusses – These are designed to accommodate significant depths of insulation for greater energy efficiency.
There are other types of roof trusses, and at L&L, we can design and manufacture all of them.
After you’ve brushed up on the basics of the different types of trusses, you may be ready to begin your own building project. Contact L&L Manufactured Components—the leading truss designer and manufacturer serving Arizona. We look forward to developing a proposal for you.
