Beam Span

More about: Beam Span

What it calculates

The “Beam Span” calculator computes Allowable span, m in m from 7 parameters: beam section width (cm), beam section depth (cm), beam spacing (m), total floor load (kg/m²), design bending strength (MPa), modulus of elasticity (GPa), allowable deflection 1/n of span, n.

Used in design, material estimation, and structural calculations.

Example calculation

With parameters Beam section width = 10 cm, Beam section depth = 20 cm, Beam spacing = 0.6 m, Total floor load = 400 kg/m², Design bending strength = 13 MPa, Modulus of elasticity = 10 GPa, Allowable deflection 1/n of span, n = 250 the result is 4.43 m (Estimate for a simply supported timber beam; design floors to your building code (e.g. Eurocode 5)).

How to use

1. Enter beam section width, beam section depth, beam spacing, total floor load, design bending strength, modulus of elasticity and allowable deflection 1/n of span, n — each field above is adjustable with a slider.
2. Allowable span, m (m) is calculated automatically as you type.
3. Check the worked example below to see the formula applied to real numbers.
4. Copy the result or bookmark this calculator.

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