Lumber Species

Question: 

What type of wood is usually used for wood trusses? I live in Louisiana and I would guess pine, but I want to make sure.

Answer: 

It depends on what type of wood is available in your market. You are right in that Southern Pine is predominantly used in the southern states such as Louisiana. Truss manufacturers in the western states may have better access to Douglas-Fir and Hemlock-Fir species and use those. Truss manufacturers further north may have better supplies of Canadian Spruce-Pine-Fir. Many different species can be used in truss construction as long as the lumber strength properties and plate grip values used in the software design program reflect the materials used in the truss. The American Wood Council’s National Design Specification for Wood Construction (NDS) lists different species or species combinations and their corresponding design values, which are used in the design of metal plate connected wood trusses.

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