Decking Span Has A Huge Effect On A Deck
Avoid a bouncy, soft deck. The decking span you choose will effect the feel and potentially the safey of your deck.
So read on and learn a little bit about what affects the strength of your decking - like material and joist spacing.
Your selection of decking material will determine the maximum spacing of your joists. Some species of wood are stronger than others so refer to the Decking Span Table below before going to the Deck Joist Span Table.
Don’t be afraid to go to use a shorter span if you are unsure. It’s better to build a deck that is strong than bouncy and unstable.
How to interpret the chart
Don’t use a board any smaller than what is recommended for that spacing for that species. So, for 24 o.c. if you use cedar, it can’t be smaller than a 2x6, Hemlock, can’t be smaller than 5/4x6.
| Decking Span Table | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended Maximum Decking Span | |||||||||||
| Wood Species | 12"o.c. | 16"o.c. | 24"o.c. | ||||||||
| Cedar | 5/4x6 | 2x6 | |||||||||
| Clear Cedar | 5/4x4 | 5/4x6 | 2x6 | ||||||||
| Redwood | 5/4x6 | 2x6 | |||||||||
| Clear Redwood | 5/4x4 | 5/4x6 | 2x6 | ||||||||
| Hemlock | 10'4" | 5/4x4 | 5/4x6 | ||||||||
| Pine | 17'4" | 5/4x4 | 5/4x6 | ||||||||