Span Rating of Solid-Sawn Deck Boards

Abstract

\n Deck boards are key components in outdoor decks and balconies. The deck board market is shared primarily between solid-sawn and composite products. The focus of this article is solid-sawn wood deck boards, which are manufactured in North America as span-rated products following a policy promulgated by the American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC). The latest revision of the ALSC span rating policy was approved in November 2020, and this article describes the technical basis for the changes. Distributed and concentrated design loads specified in the policy exceed building code minimum requirements. In addition, dynamic load amplification due to deck occupants is included in the new policy. Testing was performed to characterize the effects of partial fixity at joist supports caused by screw fasteners and was incorporated into the span rating methodology.