Our roof rafter calculator tools are handy for calculating the number of rafters needed rafter length calculator lineal feet of rafter board feed in ridge and sub facia and the total board feet in the roof.
Shed roof rafter spacing.
Most roof framing is 24 on center and you can still build sheds up to 14 with 2 4 rafters at 24 on center.
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.
Rafter spacing rafters must be strong enough to hold the roof sheathing and the shingles.
Maximum rafter spans for a patio roof in areas with mild climates patio roofs are generally designed for loads of 30 psf pounds per square foot.
When placing rafters for a tin roof also frequently referred to as corrugated metal or steel it is common to set the distance between rafters based on the size of the roofing panels.
There is no standard spacing it depends on what size of rafters you want to use and the span of your shed.
Typical rafter spacing codes will specify a minimum spacing of 16 inches 19 2 inches or 24 inches.
Spacing your 2 4 shed rafters at 24 on center limits the width of your roof.
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.
2 4 rafters can span up to 7.
For heavy loads 2x4s can span up to 5.
As most building these days are using those pre made trusses on the roof 24 inches become the main size for any roofing construction when it comes to its truss installation.
For light load roofs 24 o c.
The same concept holds true for roof trusses.
Rise and run means that a 6 12 pitch roof has 6 of rise vertical for each foot of run horizontal.
If you get premium kiln dried lumber then you could span 10 5 with the same size of lumber and rafter spacing.
If your local building authority has a rafter spacing code you may not space rafters wider than required by code.
For instance 2 grade 2x4s at 16 on center will span just over 9.
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.
If your project had a rafter length of 8 or less a safe and strong method is to use 2x8 framed 16 on center.
Visit the roof framing page for more information on cutting roof rafters and visit the roof pitch calculator for determining rafter lengths based on rise and run.
So the space between rafters can be greater without reducing the maximum span.
This is most likely the standard size that you will find on pre made roof trusses.
As a general rule roofs that have a high human occupancy rate should be framed with rafters every 16 structures such as sheds or barns can be frames with rafters every 24 again make sure to consult local codes.
For standard shed roof rafter spacing see rafter span chart.
