How to Read Truss Design Drawings
This invaluable information is provided compliments of Structural Building Components Association (SBCA). Should you be considering purchasing trusses on your own, it will be to your benefit to familiarize yourself.
Trusses are incredibly efficient structural framing solutions and, consequently, are used in most of today’s light-frame wood construction projects. Many different professions encounter trusses, whether they are builders, framers, code officials, architects, engineers, or involved in another building trade. One of the most comprehensive documents to help understand how a specific truss is designed to perform (and be installed correctly) is its Truss Design Drawing (TDD).
TDDs are generated by the proprietary design software used by a component manufacturer (CM), so the exact layout of a TDD may vary slightly between software providers, but the same information is included regardless. To help individuals read and understand TDDs, SBCA has created a library of brief yet comprehensive videos called, “How to Read Truss Design Drawings.” The goal of this video series is to explore the various aspects of TDDs and give context to explain why the information is important.
