Timber Beams

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US Wood Beam API

Structural analysis for US wood beams following NDS 2018 (Allowable Stress Design). Calculate beam capacity, bending/shear/bearing checks, deflection, and pass/fail status.

Two Approaches

Single-Call (Recommended)

Create, configure, and solve in one request:

Code
 
POST /v1/timber-beam/calculate

Best for quick calculations, automation, and batch processing. API Reference →

Multi-Step

Build calculations incrementally when you need to iterate on parameters:

Code
 
POST  /v1/timber-beam/sheets           → Create
PATCH /v1/timber-beam/sheets/:id       → Update
POST  /v1/timber-beam/sheets/:id/solve → Solve
GET   /v1/timber-beam/sheets/:id       → Get results

API Reference →

Quick Example

Calculate a floor joist using the single-call endpoint:

Code
 
curl -X POST "https://api.calcs.com/v1/timber-beam/calculate" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "projectId": "your-project-id",
    "preset": "floorJoist",
    "name": "Kitchen Floor Joist",
    "attributes": {
      "L_X": 14,
      "member": "2x10 D.Fir-L No. 1",
      "supports": [["Pinned", 0, 1.5], ["Pinned", 14, 1.5]],
      "loadsDist": [["Floor Load", 0, "L", "spacing", "TW_s", {"D": [15], "L": [40]}]]
    }
  }'

Response:

Code
 
{
  "sheetId": "648d7791-e5ea-4809-a69c-6596cb33069c",
  "name": "Kitchen Floor Joist",
  "status": "solved",
  "results": {
    "passed": true,
    "utilizationRatio": 0.67,
    "summaryCheck": {
      "referenceId": "delta_DL+LL_summary",
      "value": 0.67,
      "error": false,
      "failReasons": []
    }
  }
}

Understanding Results

Field	Description
passed	true if all NDS checks pass
utilizationRatio	Demand/capacity ratio (0-1). Lower is better.
summaryCheck.referenceId	Which check governs the design
summaryCheck.failReasons	Empty array means no failures

Presets

13 presets provide sensible defaults for common beam types. Use the API to list them:

Code
 
GET /v1/timber-beam/presets

List Presets in API Reference →

Units & Design Standard

• Code: NDS 2018 (National Design Specification)
• Method: Allowable Stress Design (ASD)
• Units: Imperial

Parameter	Unit	Example
L_X (span length)	feet	14
Support positions	feet	0, 14
Support bearing width	inches	3.5
Distributed loads (D, L, S, Lr)	psf	40
Point loads (D, L, S, Lr)	lbs	1000
Spacing	inches	16

Next Steps

• Error Handling - Understanding validation errors
• API Reference - Full interactive endpoint documentation