Soft trees such as pressure treated pine and western red cedar are weaker woods. Different decking products and wood species have different strengths. There are 2 factors that play into determining your required (or ideal) board thickness: Wood strength and joist spacing. So what thickness of decking board to I need? These thicker boards are the strongest with minimal movement, and they can span the widest joist spacing. This is the most common decking board sold based on standard 16” OC joist spacing and type of material, this may be the minimum allowable thickness. Robi Decking’s nominal 4/4 or 1 x products are actually 13/16” thick for a bit of extra strength. This varies a bit for different wood products companies. Use the table below to understand the most common board thicknesses:ĭecking Thickness Definition Table Nominal Thickness The most popular thickness for decking boards in North America is a 5/4 thickness which is an actual 1” thick. There is a nominal thickness and then an actual thickness. Or vice-versa: make sure your joist spacing is properly aligned with the decking material you have chosen.ĭecking boards come in varying thicknesses that can be a bit confusing. Whether you are building a brand new deck, or putting new boards onto an existing frame, it’s critical to make sure you choose decking boards that are sufficiently strong to suit your joist spacing. The bigger the space between the joists, the stronger you need your decking boards to be, as they will have bigger distances in between the support joists they are fastened to. Joist spacing is typically referred to as “On-Center” or “OC”, e.g, 16” OC. Joist spacing is the distance between each joist, and are measured in inches from center-of-joist to center-of-joist. Joists are typically spaced out evenly for stability, ease of board installation and a clean look. Joists support the decking boards, which are fastened onto the joists from above. They are set upright for strength, usually fastened to the house at one end, and sitting on top of a central support beam near the other end. If you have ever looked up at a deck from underneath, you’ve seen joists, which are dimensional lumber, (often 2×8’s or 2×10’s). Start with Joists… Joists are the heart of your deck infrastructure. Either way, this post should help you determine the optimal decking board dimensions for your project.Įxperienced builders may want to skip this paragraph, but for most homeowners, it’s important to get your terminology right. Trying to figure out the right decking board thickness for your new deck? Or maybe you’re putting new boards on an existing deck? Or even trying to determine joist spacing based on the type of decking you have chosen.
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