Building Code Requirements

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 Typical Building Code Requirements The building codes typically require that decks be able to support the same  live load as the rooms to which they connect. In a residence, that's 40 psf. for  a 300 sq. ft. deck, that's a total of 12,000 lbs.

Take, for example, a 2  by Southern Pine deck ledger board attached to the house framing. With a 1/2"  diameter bolt and a single shear applied perpendicular to the grain for  "normal"duration, the allowable shear load in the bolt is 330 lbs. Of course,  the bolt itself could handle many times that load, but what will fail first is  the wood; that's what limits the capacity to 330 lbs.

For a deck with  joists spanning 14 ft. with 2x10's 16" on-center and 2x6 decking, the weight of  the deck itself is approximately 7.3 psf. Add this to a design live load of 40  psf, and the total load is 47.3 psf. One half of this load must be supported by  the ledger board at the house. Simple multiplication (14 ft. x 47.3 psf x 1/2)  gives a load along the ledger of 331 lbs. per foot.

The Stratton  Bracket® greatly increases the "shear" of the wood because the wood "sits" in  the brackets.