Truss Manufacturers and Designers are not responsible for determining these loads for structures; they must be specified by the Building Designer (see the Technical Info section for more on Design Responsibilities). Publications that aid Building Designers in load determination are ASCE 7 – Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, the International Building Code and the International Residential Code. The following resources are offered to Building Designers to aid in determining loads on structures and to Truss Manufacturing personnel to enhance their understanding of the load determination process.

This Excel spreadsheet contains a brief summary of code differences between the IBC & IRC 2003 to 2006 code cycles, in some cases with a side-by-side comparison. It also contains changes to the referenced ASCE 7 editions.

Please note: To use this file, you must have Microsoft® Excel (Excel 97 or higher).

Summary of Changes 2003 to 2006 Code Cycle (Right click on link and choose "Save Target As..." to save file to your machine.)

The American Wood Council (AWC) has developed a new series of easy-to-use Guides to Wood Construction in High Wind Areas. Separate documents address wind design requirements in 90, 100, 110, 120, and 130 mph wind zones. These Guides are based on provisions contained in AF&PA's Wood Frame Construction Manual (WFCM) for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, 2001 Edition, the reference document for high-wind wood-frame construction in the International Residential Code (IRC). Use of the high wind provisions of these Guides will result in design solutions that prescriptively meet the requirements of the WFCM and the IRC.

AWC Wind Guides

Now Available – SBCA Load Guide Version 1.03!
Guide to Good Practice For Specifying & Applying Loads to Structural Building Components

The SBCA Load Guide is a load calculation tool developed for Building Designers (architects, engineers, etc.), Building Code Officials, Component Manufacturers, Truss Designers and Truss Technicians. The goal of the SBCA Load Guide is to help users more easily understand, define and specify all the design loads applied to structural building components. Contact SBCA Tech staff if you have any questions on the content or use of the SBCA Load Guide.

Version 1.03 is a significant revision from previous versions. This version includes:

• Code requirements from the International Building Code (IBC) 2006 and 2009
• Code requirements from the International Residential Code (IRC) 2006 and 2009
• Loading requirements from ASCE 7-05, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures
• Revised printout capabilities for the load calculation worksheets for roof loads and floor loads
• New index with referenced code sections

• Introduction to TLG – Part 1
• Introduction to TLG – Part 2

The SBCA Load Guide is available to anyone at no cost. The only requirement is that you must enter a valid email address so we can contact you with any future revisions. Click the "Download the SBCA Load Guide" link to login using your existing SBCA account or create a new one.

Please note: To use the SBCA Load Guide you must have Microsoft® Excel (Excel 97 or higher).

Go Here if you are having trouble logging in or downloading the SBCA Load Guide.