Scottsdale Construction Systems

ScotCalc

Engineering Tools

Preliminary Stud Analyzer

Determine preliminary loads for load-bearing and non-load-bearing studs, then check whether your stud works by running them through the ScotCalc CFS Member Calculator.

1 Stud Geometry

Stud height H ft

Floor-to-floor or floor-to-roof clear height.

Stud spacing s in o.c.

Assumed equal to joist spacing.

Stud depth d in

Outside web depth. Used only if eccentricity = Yes (sets e = d/2).

Stud self-weight plf

From Member Calculator's "Weight per linear foot". Typical 1.0–2.5 plf.

2 Vertical Load Condition

Load-bearing stud — supports floors / roof above Non-load-bearing stud — no gravity load above (interior partition or curtain wall)

Joist orientation

Joists perpendicular to wall — wall carries joist reactions (input = floor span on each side) Joists parallel to wall — wall carries a half-joist-spacing strip of floor (input = joist spacing on each side)

Floor span, left ft

Floor SPAN on the LEFT side. Trib width per stud = span/2 (half goes to each end support).

Floor span, right ft

Floor SPAN on the RIGHT side. Set to 0 if no floor on that side.

Floors above N #

Number of FLOOR diaphragms above this stud (not counting roof).

Roof supported above

Occupancy (IBC Table 1607.1)

Live load reduction applies per IBC 1607.12 / ASCE 7-22 §4.7.

Apply IBC 1607.12 / ASCE 7-22 §4.7 live load reduction (uncheck to use full L₀)

Floor dead load psf

Typical light-frame floor: 12–18 psf.

Roof dead load psf

Roof live load L_r psf

IBC Table 1607.1 minimum is 20 psf.

Ground snow p_g psf

0 if non-snow region. Roof snow p_f = 0.7·C_e·C_t·I_s·p_g (C_e=C_t=1.0 assumed).

Risk Category (ASCE 7 Table 1.5-1)

Importance applies to roof snow load (I_s from Table 1.5-2).

3 Lateral Load (Out-of-Plane)

Interior partition wall — apply IBC 1607.16 minimum (5 psf) Exterior wall — enter wind pressure

Design wind pressure psf

Interior selected — 5 psf is being applied automatically. Switch to Exterior above to enter your own value.

4 Axial Eccentricity

No eccentricity (load symmetric, both sides framed) Apply eccentricity e = d/2

Joists framing from a single side place the reaction at the joist bearing — typically eccentric to the stud centroid by ≈ d/2. If both A_L and A_R are non-zero the loads largely cancel and this can be ignored. Default is auto-set based on your trib inputs.

5 Bracing & Sheathing

Sheathing configuration

No sheathing One face sheathed Both faces sheathed

Sheathing weight per face psf

Typical: 1/2″ gypsum ≈ 2.0 psf; 5/8″ gypsum ≈ 2.5; 7/16″ OSB ≈ 1.4; 1/2″ plywood ≈ 1.5.

Fastener spacing in

Spacing of screws attaching sheathing to studs. Typical: 12 in o.c. at field.

Bridging spacing in

Cold-rolled channel through punch-outs. Enter 0 if no bridging. Typical 48–96 in.

Loading pattern along stud

6 Summary of Outputs

Transcribe these values into the matching fields of the CFS Member Calculator above. Enter the LRFD or ASD envelope into the Interaction Checks section (use whichever your design code requires). Full per-combination breakdown is included in the downloaded report.

Effective Lengths & Bracing

K_xL_x

—

K_yL_y

—

K_tL_t

—

L_b

—

C_b

—

Factored Loads — LRFD envelope

P_u

—

kip

M_ux

—

kip-ft

M_uy

0.000

kip-ft

V_u

—

kip

Factored Loads — ASD envelope

P_a

—

kip

M_ax

—

kip-ft

M_ay

0.000

kip-ft

V_a

—

kip

Disclaimer. This tool computes preliminary design loads (P, M, V) and effective lengths per IBC 2021 / ASCE 7-22 load combinations and IBC Table 1607.1 live loads with IBC 1607.12 / ASCE 7-22 §4.7 reduction. It does not perform the AISI S100 capacity or interaction check — that is done by the CFS Member Calculator above. Distortional buckling, sheathing bracing reductions per AISI S240, web crippling at supports, and serviceability (L/240, L/360, etc.) are not generated here — verify separately as needed. For permitted construction documents, results must be verified by a licensed structural engineer using compliant software. Scottsdale Construction Systems makes no warranty as to the accuracy of these calculations and assumes no liability for their use.

ScotCalc · Preliminary Stud Analyzer