SpanFinder.com.au
Use this guide to understand span charts, maximum spans and result margins before comparing deck joists, bearers, beams and framing products in SpanFinder.
A manufacturer span table can be dense. A span chart helps show the relationship between the span you need and the published span available for a product, material, spacing and load case.
SpanFinder does this with result cards: required span, product span, span margin, source table and match quality.
| Required span | Published span | Margin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2400 mm | 2700 mm | +300 mm | Published span exceeds the required span. |
| 3000 mm | 2950 mm | -50 mm | Close result only. Review source table, load case and options. |
| 3600 mm | 4200 mm | +600 mm | Likely larger than required, but still needs checking against the original table. |
A joist span chart usually compares deck joist products by joist spacing, deck height, span type and dead load.
A bearer span chart usually compares bearers or deck beams by floor load width, post spacing, single span or continuous span and support layout.
A span chart is a simplified presentation of span-table data. It helps users compare product span, required span and margin without manually reading every table row.
Not exactly. A span table is usually the source data. A span chart is a clearer comparison or visual display built from that data.
Maximum span is the longest published span allowed by that table row for the stated product, load, spacing and support conditions.
Span margin is the difference between the published product span and your required span. A positive margin means the published span is longer than the required span.
Because charted information may simplify a table. Final selection still needs the source span table and project-specific review.