The tables below give maximum spans for rafters and beams.
Roof joist spacing shed.
2 8 s come standard at 1 inch thick.
For light load roofs 24 o c.
A shed s sturdiness relates to stud spacing and stud spacing is a notable factor in total materials costs.
A roof joist is always spaced no more than 16 inches apart from another roof joist.
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.
Metal roofs and pole buildings.
Studs spaced at 16 inches make for a sturdier shed but the 24 inch spacing is more cost efficient.
For heavy roofs or in areas with substantial snowfall or winds call your local building department for code requirements.
Most roof framing is 24 on center and you can still build sheds up to 14 with 2 4 rafters at 24 on center.
2 4 rafters can span up to 7.
Although the standard spacing of roof trusses may be the same as that of rafters with 24 inch spacing being a common option the design of a truss may allow for the use of a lower grade of lumber than would be required for rafters with comparable spacing and span.
Spacing your 2 4 shed rafters at 24 on center limits the width of your roof.
If you move up to 4 by 8 you re usually allowed to span up to 10 feet between posts.
There is no standard spacing it depends on what size of rafters you want to use and the span of your shed.
The smallest beams for patio covers are typically 4 by 6.
Stud spacing for a shed is important for two reasons.
A 4 by 10 can usually span up to 12 feet between posts.
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.
In general the maximum span for a 4 by 6 beam is 6 feet between 4 by 4 posts.
If you get premium kiln dried lumber then you could span 10 5 with the same size of lumber and rafter spacing.
For heavy loads 2x4s can span up to 5.
In other words you would space a roof joist 15 inches apart from another roof joist but never 17 inches apart.
If the roof is not completely square you can decrease the space between joists but never increase the space.
Two options that arise could be your wider 24 and your narrower 12 options for spacing.
Skillion shed style roof framing.
16 inch and 24 inch stud spacing.
2x8s are used frequently for these projects.
For instance 2 grade 2x4s at 16 on center will span just over 9.
If you plan to have eaves to protect the shed walls make sure you add the extra length when measuring the rafters.
The figures are based on quality materials.
