Floor Joist Spacing
To find the actual distance between the inside edges of each adjacent floor joist subtract 1 inches from either 12 or 24 inches.
Floor joist spacing. Spacing is measured from the center of one. But larger is not always better when builders are constructing a home or adding a room addition. Common sense tells you that large floor joists can carry more load and spacing joists closer together also increases the load bearing capacity of a floor. Common joist spacings for 2 by 10 joists and other dimensional lumber sizes are 12 16 and 24 inches.
So what is the proper shed floor joist spacing. The extra two inches of vertical distance when a floor is framed with 2 x 10 joists rather than 2 x 12s can be quite important for example. Joists that are closer together can support more weight which allows the joists to span a longer distance than joists spaced further apart. But if you double the width of the boards the distance the joists can span increases between 80 to 100 even though youre using the same board feet of lumber.
With some structures floor joists are required to be 12 or 24 inches apart on center. For example if you double the thickness or number of joists in a floor the distance the boards can span will increase by approximately 25. The maximum span distance for 12 inch spacing is greater by as much as 30 percent compared to 24 inch spacing. While most residential construction uses 2x8 joists with 16 inch spacing there are many other factors you need to consider when determining the proper joist span length.
The width of a board is an important factor in determining the distance a floor joist can span playing a much larger role than the thickness. Joist span and spacing is set by your local building code. You should check with your local building department for construction requirements in your area.