Roof Sheathing Material Thickness

For information on large panelized roof systems refer to the commercial construction application section.

Roof sheathing material thickness.

Comes in standard 4 by 8 foot sheets is strong durable and relatively light. Roof sheathing attaches to the surface of the rafters or trusses to form the structural skin of the roof. It also holds roofing nails well. As per code in my area ottawa canada i plan on using 3 8 plywood for sheathing.

Roof sheathing materials plywood. The roof covering will be asphalt shingles. This minimum will only work if the rafters are set 16 inches apart at most and if the roof doesn t have too much load. And for wood structural panel sheathing r803 2 2 allowable spans.

Typical types of wood used for roof sheathing are oriented strand board known as osb and plywood. Malcolm i almost always use 5 8 zip sheathing on roofs and metal roofing installers have never questioned it. Minimum thickness most roofs will be sheathed in plywood at least 3 8 inch thick. Many code requirements are not inspected.

You would go to table r503 2 1 1 1 to determine minimum nominal panel thickness. Steeper roofs tend to have thinner sheathing due to not much weight being applied to the roof while flat and low sloop roofs that are likely to gather weight from precipitation or people walking on it. Common roof sheathing applications and installation recommendations are described in the related publications listed at right. Required sheathing thickness for roofing important factors.

Loads will vary with the. That will suffice on a roof with rafters set 16 inches apart with minimal roof loads. That s considered to be the minimum. I just read somewhere actually in taunton press roofing with asphalt shingles book that one should consider using sheathing thicker than code to avoid sagging between rafters.

It spans the rafters to support the roofing and in the case of panel sheathing such as plywood or osb it acts as a diaphragm with the walls to resist horizontal loads. The common grade of plywood for roof sheathing is cdx. Sheathing comes in different thicknesses and what type of roof you have will help designate what type of thickness you need. And if you re still wondering what roof sheathing is and what materials are typically used read on and satisfy your curiosity.

Correct installation of roof sheathing will ensure the best performance and help reduce complaints and callbacks. I ve never used commodity osb on a roof but it s probably fine in 5 8 thickness and possibly in 1 2 thickness. Cdx works fine in 1 2 or 5 8 thickness. If you re in search of quotes for a roof sheathing job improvenet can put you in touch with up to four local contractors for free.