Universal Forest Products

Bearing

Bearing Requirements
Bearing is any part of a structure (wall, column, pier, etc.) that supports vertical loads and is itself supported by a footing (a concrete pad under a foundation wall or a thickened concrete slab that carries loads down to "undisturbed earth"). Walls, etc. that are not supported by footings are not considered bearing.

Unless indicated otherwise by Open Joist™ Engineering, minimum bearing length of 1-1/2" is required to support each end of an Open Joist floor truss (see Installation Details).

Open Joist is a bottom-chord-bearing product that must be supported by the truss' bottom chord. To achieve the same framing results as "top-chord-bearing" or "mid-chord-bearing" trusses, hangers and/or blocking should be used.

Open Joist is a simple-span product that must be butted or overlapped at any intermediate bearing such as a beam or wall. Open Joist is not designed for multiple-span applications.

Interior Bearing Installation
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		Interior Bearing Installation – End-to-End - DWG / PDF
		Interior Bearing Installation – Bearing Wall Above - DWG / PDF

Each Open Joist floor truss is marked to indicate the top and bottom of the truss. Trusses should be installed in the proper orientation as indicated by these markings. To ensure correct installation, make sure the end diagonal web of the truss is pointing downward toward the sill plate.

Open Joist can eliminate the need for 2 ply (2x12) ledgers when installing a floor system to a poured concrete or block wall. With an allowable 1-1/2" bearing, you can save time and money by using a 2x6 pressure-treated ledger with 2x4 pressure-treated studs attached to the wall with engineered fasteners. This will eliminate both the heavy 2x12s (2 ply's) and the tedious installation of lining up the holes to J-bolts.