A

ccording to recent industry reports, 6,500

Structural
people have been injured from collapsing
balconies and decks in the United States
since 2003. Complicating matters for

Specifications existing homes, the North American Deck and

Rail Association (NADRA) estimates there are 40
million decks in America that are more than 20
years old. This means these decks were installed
updates and discussions on prior to today’s building codes.
structural specifications To encourage compliant deck design and con-
struction, the American Wood Council published
Design for Code Acceptance No. 6 – Prescriptive
Residential Wood Deck Construction Guide (DCA
6). The latest version reflects requirements in
the International Code Council’s (ICC) 2012
International Residential Code (IRC) and other
provisions pertaining to single-level residential
wood deck construction. DCA 6 can be found at
www.awc.org/codes-standards/publications/dca6.
Engineers may be called upon to design decks
or certain portions of them. They may also be
involved in inspection and
retrofit activities related to ensure adequate lateral capacity. An example is a

Residential Wood residential wood decks. The

purpose of this article is to
use of “hidden” fasteners for edge-grooved decking
material. The potential problem with this type of
Deck Design highlight certain engineer-
ing topics related to DCA
fastener system is that the deck boards provide very
little to no diaphragm capacity or stiffness for the
6 and provide some of the deck with respect to lateral loads. As discussed in
By John “Buddy” Showalter, P.E. background for those issues. the Deck Lateral Loads section below, decking can
and Loren Ross, P.E. Much of the information is taken from the DCA provide diaphragm capacity and stiffness, but those
6 Commentary. strength and stiffness values assume face nailing of
the decking into the framing.
Minimum Requirements
and Limitations Joists and Beams
DCA 6 applies to single level residential wood Joist span calculations assume a 40 psf live load,
John “Buddy” Showalter is Vice decks only. Multi-level decks create additional 10 psf dead load, L/360 deflection limit for simple
President of Technology Transfer variables such as concentrated loads due to stairs. spans, No. 2 grade lumber, and wet service condi-
for the American Wood Council Structural members and connections shown in tions. Overhang (cantilevers) calculations assume
and serves as a member of the DCA 6 have been sized based primarily on a L/180 cantilever deflection with a 220-pound
STRUCTURE magazine Editorial uniformly distributed floor live load of 40 psf point load (same as used for span rated decking),
Board. He may be reached at and a dead load of 10 psf (table footnotes specify No. 2 grade lumber, and wet service conditions.
[email protected]. where other point loads have been considered). If Joist spans are limited to a maximum of 18 feet,
a deck is not prone to sliding or drifting snow, the with beams and footings sized accordingly. If longer
Loren Ross is Manager of criteria in DCA 6 can be conservatively applied joist spans are designed, joist hangers, beams, posts,
Engineering Research with the to a deck with a uniformly distributed snow load and footings will have to be analyzed to ensure
American Wood Council. He can of 40 psf and a 10 psf dead load. Concentrated appropriate load path. Joist spans can cantilever
be reached at [email protected]. loads such as those created by hot tubs are beyond past the beam, or the joists may attach to one side
the scope of DCA 6 and require a design profes- of the beam with joist hangers. Deck beam spans
sional or other approved installation approach. can extend past the post up to LB/4. Beams are
All decks prescribed in DCA 6 assume the pri- sized based on tributary load from joists framing
mary structure resists lateral forces per Section in from one side only within the span limits.
R507.2.3 of the IRC.
Deck Framing Plan
Decking Requirements For resistance of lateral loads, the deck is assumed
Alternate decking materials or alternate methods to act as a diaphragm in an open-front structure.
of fastening decking to joists can have a critical The decking, when nailed to the joists and rim joist,
impact on the resistance of lateral loads. Equivalent acts as sheathing in this diaphragm. Larger aspect
strength and stiffness developed by alternative ratios may be permitted where calculations show
materials and fastening methods are necessary to that larger diaphragm deflections can be tolerated.

Reprinted with permission by STRUCTURE® magazine  April 2017

 State University (Carradine et al., 2006). (see IRC Section R507.2.3). Instead of the
Joist Hangers Designers should note that this empirical prescriptive 1,500-pound hold-down tension
Research has shown that joist-hanger-to-ledger approach allows for greater fastener spacings device specified, an alternate engineered con-
connections resist lateral loads. When permit- than can be calculated per the NDS. It also nection detail would be required. To ensure
ted by the hanger manufacturer, the use of permits the use of lag screws that don’t meet transfer of tension device loads into the floor
screws instead of nails to attach hangers to the the minimum fastener penetration require- diaphragm, DCA 6 shows nailing from above
ledger can decrease the potential for the joist ments into the main member for lag screws. through floor sheathing and into floor joists
to pull away from the ledger. The basis for edge distances and spacing or blocking between floor joists of the house.
between rows is NDS Tables 11.5.1C and An equivalent connection from underneath
11.5.1D, respectively, for perpendicular-to-grain is permissible using framing angles and short
Post Requirements conditions. Per NDS Table 11.5.1C, edge dis- fasteners to penetrate into the floor sheathing.
A minimum 6x6 nominal post is specified tance is 4D (where D is fastener diameter) for Decks are assumed to be similar to open-front
in DCA 6. IRC section R407.3 specifies a the loaded edge. Per NDS Table 11.5.1D, the structures defined in American Wood Council
minimum 4x4 (nominal) wood column size; spacing between rows is based on the l/d ratio (AWC) Special Design Provisions for Wind and
however, it would often be overstressed in of the fastener. Per 11.5.1.3 of the NDS, the Seismic (SDPWS). Decks covered in DCA 6 are
applications covered in DCA 6. Further, this maximum spacing between fasteners is 5 inches. assumed to be diaphragms that cantilever from
simplification provides adequate bearing for This requirement is based on potential shrink- the house and are limited to a deck length-to-
beams. Note that notching the post to accom- age of the ledger, which could create tension width ratio of 1:1. Larger aspect ratios may be
modate a nominal 3x, 4x, or 2-ply 2x beam perpendicular-to-grain stresses if the outer edges permitted where calculations show that larger
exceeds notching limits for bending members. of the ledger are constrained by bolts. diaphragm deflections can be tolerated. Designers
Therefore, if posts are embedded and designed The requirement for minimum distance should also note that diagonal sheathing (deck
to resist lateral load conditions, the post would between the top of the ledger and the bottom boards at 45 degrees to the joists) provide a much
need to be designed per the National Design row of fasteners is based on NDS 3.4.3.3(a) stronger and stiffer diaphragm. A comparison
Specification® (NDS®) for Wood Construction. An for shear design at connections. When the of diagonal lumber sheathing versus horizon-
option of 8x8 nominal posts allows for a deck connection is less than five times the depth, tal sheathing (boards perpendicular to joists) in
height of up to 14 feet in all cases. 5d, of the bending member from its end, an SDPWS Table 4.2D reveals a four-fold stiffness
Prohibiting attachment of the beam to the adjusted design shear must be calculated. increase for diagonal sheathing.
sides of the post with fasteners only ensures The connection of ledgers to existing empty For non-ledger decks, DCA 6 prescribes three
wood-to-wood bearing. The design of fasteners or hollow masonry cell blocks is not practical. methods of transferring lateral loads from deck
for wet-service conditions requires significant Most manufacturers of concrete block anchors joists to the rim board: joist hangers, blocking,
capacity reductions and should be evaluated do not publish allowable shear values for a or use of framing angles. This connection is to
by a design professional. ledger connected to empty hollow masonry transfer forces acting parallel to the house. A
Diagonal bracing can contribute to the stiffness block of unknown compression and breakout connection equal to the diaphragm capacity of
of the deck and, therefore, cause additional lateral strength. Due to the uncertainty and lack of single layer diagonal boards, or approximately
loads on the posts. Since center posts receive test data for this application, use of a non-led- 300 plf, is required.
more vertical load than corner posts, additional ger deck is recommended for this application. Diagonal (knee) bracing is commonly used
lateral load can cause overstress. For this reason, on decks to help resist lateral forces and pro-
DCA 6 does not show the use of diagonal brac- vide increased stiffness; however, the IRC does
ing on center posts.
Non-Ledger Decks not prescribe diagonal bracing.
The lateral force applied to corner posts is The provisions of DCA 6 assume that the
based on the capacity of the connection at the primary structure is used for lateral stability. Guard Post Attachments
brace. Therefore, the full capacity of the brace A non-ledger deck, as defined in DCA 6, is
connection is assumed to be developed and vertically independent of the primary structure
for Required Guards
applied 2 feet below the beam. but still relies on the primary structure to resist Both the IRC and International Building Code
lateral loads, whereas a free-standing deck is (IBC) specify that guardrails and handrails be
both vertically and laterally independent. capable of resisting a minimum concentrated
Footings live load of 200 pounds applied in any direc-
Footing sizes are based on the assumptions of tion for required guardrails (see IRC R312.1).
1,500 psf soil bearing capacity and 2,500 psi
Deck Lateral Loads Commonly used residential guardrail post con-
compressive strength of concrete, which are The IRC currently does not state the design nections were laboratory tested at the required
the minimum values based on IRC Tables lateral loads for decks, but it does provide an load level for a code-conforming assembly per
R401.4.1 and R402.2. A concrete weight of approved design which DCA 6 incorporates. the IBC (Loferski et al., 2006). A commercially
150 pcf is also assumed, making solving for DCA 6 states that the document does not available connector, typically used in shear
the footing size an iterative process. address lateral stability issues beyond those wall construction, was tested in a post-to-deck
addressed in Section R507.2.3 of the IRC. residential guardrail assembly. The connection
Ledger Attachment IRC R507.1 requires anchorage of the deck passed a load test based on code provisions
to the primary structure to resist lateral loads. for a “tested assembly.” Connection details in
Requirements Further, the IRC includes hold-down ten- DCA 6 reflect these test results.
Fastener spacing requirements in DCA 6 are sion devices as a prescriptive means to achieve A minimum requirement of 1,800 pounds
based on 2012 IRC R507.2.1, which is based compliance with the lateral load connection for the hold-down connector ensures adequate
on testing at Virginia Tech and Washington requirements without mandating engineering capacity (Loferski et al., 2005) for a 36-inch

Reprinted with permission by STRUCTURE® magazine  April 2017

maximum rail height. A higher rail height stringer length. Cut stringers were analyzed Since a concentrated load would be created
requires the design of a higher capacity con- with 5.1-inch depth which is based on 7.75:10 on the ledger, it would be resisted by the
nector. Manufacturers’ tabulated values for rise-to-run ratio. A size factor, CF, of 1.0 is used bolts at the end of the ledger. The provisions
hold-down connectors typically include a load since 2x12 is the size basis. for minimum distance, de, between the top
duration (CD) increase of 60% since connec- of the ledger and the bottom row of fasteners
tors for shear walls are used to resist wind and is based on NDS 3.4.3.3(a) for shear design
seismic loads. The 200-pound concentrated
Stair Footing Requirements at connections.
load requirement for guardrails is assumed to Stair stringers should be supported by bearing
be a 10-minute load duration (e.g. it would at the end where the stairway meets grade. The
not see a maximum 200 pounds outward load default footing assumes a 40 psf live load and
Conclusion
for more than 10 minutes cumulatively in its 10 psf dead load over a tributary area of 18 Engineers may be called upon to design resi-
lifetime). Therefore, CD=1.6 is used for hold- inches and one-half of the maximum span of dential decks or inspect existing decks. While
downs in this application. 13 feet–3 inches permitted for solid stringers. prescriptive provisions for deck construction
DCA 6 shows minimum and maximum This calculates to 500 pounds. are readily available, an understanding of the
spacing requirements for bolts in deck joists While bolts are sometimes used for this detail, basis for those provisions will help engineers
and deck rim boards. The 5-inch maximum proximity to the end of the stringer could lead with the design process.▪
spacing is per NDS 11.5.1.3. This require- to splitting of the stringer – especially cut
ment is based on potential shrinkage of the stringers. The 2x4 bearing block alleviates this This article is adapted from Wood Design
joist or rim board, which could create ten- situation. However, in addition to the bearing Focus (Volume 26, Issue 3) and used with
sion perpendicular to grain stresses if the block, bolts would also be required to provide permission from the Forest Products Society.
outer edges of the deck joist or rim are con- lateral support if a guard post is used.
strained by bolts. To achieve the minimum
spacing requirements, a nominal 2x8 or wider Framing at Chimney
(deeper) outside joist or rim board is required.
or Bay Window
Where the header frames into the trimmer
Stair Requirements joist, a concentrated load is created. This
DCA 6 shows 5/4 boards spanning 18 inches or condition was evaluated and the analysis
requirement
requirement
less. isis imposed
Specific products imposed to limit
to limit
classified local
bylocal stresses
size asstresses
deck- Table 3.
Table 3. Trade-offs
revealed Trade-offs for bolt
for bolt design
that the distance design values
fromvalues vs. net
vs.
the end net section capacities
section
of the capacities (lbs).
(lbs).
resulting
resulting
ing from
are usually shrinkage
fromassigned
shrinkage of wood members.
of wood members.
a recommended span of trimmer joist to the point where the header Group Tear-out
Tear-out
Bolt Adjusted as dimension Group
Where
Where
16 specialAdditionally,
or 24 special
inches. detailing is
detailing isIRC
used
used to address
to
Table address
R301.5 frames Bolt Adjusted
into it – designated Z
Diameter Multiple Bolt andNet Net Section Row Tear-
Tear- ZGT''
GT
shrinkage,
shrinkage, such
such as
as the
the use
use of
of
footnote (c) requires a 300-pound concentrated slotted
slotted holes,
holes, Diameter Multiple
“a” – must be limited. Bending Bolt Section
shear Row
the 5-inch
the
load 5-inch
check on limit
limit
staircancan
treads.be adjusted.
be adjusted.
Analysis revealed that (in.) to determine
(in.)
were checked Capacity nZ'
Capacity nZ' Tension
Tension
the reduction in ZZNT
NT'' out Z
out ZRTRT'' ssrow = 4"
row = 4" ssrow = 5"
row = 5"
2x8By increasing
By increasing
No. 2 Southern the spacing
the spacing between
Pine between
works for bolt rows,
a 34½-
bolt rows, a double trimmer joist span when carrying
11 9562
9562 7706
7706 7875
7875 6418
6418 7260
7260
ssrow
row,, in
inch in the
spanthe(36 example
inches minus
example to 55 inches,
to inches,
¾-inchthe the group
bearing
groupat a 6-foot header.
7/8 8368 7910 7875 6521 7365
tear-out
each
tear-out capacity
end)capacity
when the isis 300
increased. Table
poundsTable
increased. 33 reveals
reveals
is distributed Bolts7/8or lag screws used8368to attach the trim-7910 7875 6521 7365
trade-offs
across
trade-offs that can
2 inches
that can be
(e.g. be
150used inbased
pli),
used in the example
the example
on L/288 to
to ¾ to the ledger
mer hanger
¾ 7174
7174 8121
are required to fully
8121 7875
7875 6627
6627 7471
7471
deflection criteria (ICC-ES Acceptance Criteria extend through the ledger into the band
174 requires 1/8-inch deflection limit: 36-inch/ joist or rim board. If a typical face mounted
1/8-inch = 288). hanger is installed where only nails are used
Solid stringers were analyzed as simple span to attach the hanger to the ledger, the ledger
beams using the horizontal span, not the actual would carry a significant portion of the load.

On behalf of the industry it represents, AWC is

committed to ensuring a resilient, safe, and sustain-
able built environment. To achieve these objectives,
AWC contributes to the development of sound public
policies, codes, and regulations which allow for the
appropriate and responsible manufacture and use of
wood products. We support the utilization of wood
products by developing and disseminating consensus
standards, comprehensive technical guidelines, and
tools for wood design and construction, as well as
providing education regarding their application.

www.awc.org [email protected]
Reprinted with permission by STRUCTURE® magazine  April 2017
 References
American Wood Council. National Design Specification (NDS) for Wood Construction, ANSI/AWC NDS-2012. Washington, DC. 2012.
Carradine, D. M., Donald Bender, Joseph R. Loferski, and Frank E. Woeste. “Residential Deck Ledger Connection Testing and Design.”
Wood Design Focus. Vol. 16, No. 2. Forest Products Society. Madison, WI. Summer 2006.
International Code Council Evaluation Service. Acceptance Criteria for Deck Board Span Ratings and Guardrail Systems (Guards and
Handrails)–AC174. Washington, DC. Approved January 2012, editorially revised February 2014.
International Code Council. International Building Code, 2012 Edition. Washington, DC. 2012.
International Code Council. International Residential Code, 2012 Edition. Washington, DC. 2012.
Loferski, Joseph R., Dustin Albright, and Frank E. Woeste. “Tested Guardrail Post Connections for Residential Decks.” Wood Design Focus.
Vol. 16, No. 2. Forest Products Society. Madison, WI. Summer 2006.
Loferski, Joseph R. and Frank E. Woeste. “Strong Rail-Post Connections for Wooden Decks.” Journal of Light Construction. Williston, VT.
February 2005.