Timber Posts & Beams

Hardwood Posts and Beams are fundamental structural elements in construction, commonly used in framing systems for buildings and other structures.

Timber Posts (Vertical Members)

Posts are vertical structural elements that support loads from above and transfer them to the foundation. They are crucial for stability and load distribution in a building.

Decorative posts: Provide aesthetics but may not contribute significantly to structural integrity.

Applications:

• Supporting roofs, decks, porches, and beams.
• Used in post-frame buildings like pole barns and pavilions.

Timber Beams (Horizontal Members)

Beams are horizontal structural elements designed to carry and distribute loads across spans. They support roofs, floors, and walls by transferring loads to posts, walls, or foundations.

Applications:

• Floor joists and roof rafters.
• Bridge construction and overhangs.

Post-and-Beam Construction

A popular building method where posts (vertical supports) and beams (horizontal supports) create a framework:

Advantages:

• Open, spacious interiors with fewer interior walls.
• Aesthetic appeal of exposed wood or steel.
• Durable and strong structures.

Applications:

• Timber-framed homes, barns, and commercial buildings.
• Outdoor structures like pergolas and gazebos.

GRADES

• F7 – Cypress Pine
  Visually stress graded, a suitable choice for use in decks and pergolas. Often preferred by builders for its strength, flex and cost qualities. Refer to appropriate span tables for load capacity and spanning ability, these will indicate what end sections can span over a set length, at a specific spacing.
• F14 & F17 
–
  Visually stress graded, F14 & F17 can be used in a vast range of construction applications such as joist and beam construction for decks, patios, and house lintels. Refer to appropriate span tables for load capacity and spanning ability, these will indicate what end sections can span over a set length, at a specific spacing.
• F27
 – 
  Visually stress graded, F27 is suitable for interior (non-durable) and exterior (dura 1) structural applications such as bearers, joists, beams, lintels & stairs. Being a DAR appearance grade material F27 is ideal for structural decorative applications like exposed beams and rafters.
• Landscape
 –
  Landscape Grade is a non-structural grade. Sleepers and posts without a building grade fall into this category and can be used in applications such as garden edges, steps, retaining walls* and raised garden beds.

*Retaining walls (irrespective of height) closer than 1.5 meters to a building, and retaining walls greater than 1-meter-high will generally require building approval and certification by an engineer.

NOTE: Sizes may not be applicable to all grades. Please confirm availability before specifying or ordering.

Useful Resources:

• Landscaping Structural Timber
• Timber Species and Properties
• Trulam GL18
• Trulam Span Tables GL13 and GL18
• Wood Solutions Structural Grading