Like a lot of things, it's a compromise.
12" would produce more strength and rigidity, but use lots more wood.
24" would make the wood go further, but would lack the stiffness
usually desired in house construction.
Other intervals make for messy arithmetic.
There's a book somewheres that discusses the transition to balloon
framing from post and beam construction, and it apparently took a
while for the industry to settle on the current practice, but of
course I've forgotten the name of the book, and whether or not I
still have a copy. These senior moments seem to last longer and longer.
Milt, the Clamp Guy
At 4/17/2014 07:55 AM, Scott Garrison wrote:
>As Doc said: "In construction framing (at least here in the USA) standard
>spacing of wall
>studs, floor joists, as well as some other things is 16" on center. "
>
>But never having thought about it - only built many structures to this
>requirement - it begs the question where did 16" come from? Why not 12"? I
>understand that railroad tracks in 2014 are sized to Roman chariots of
>likely 500 BC - so that's where that standard came from. But if we framed
>to 12, 18, or 24 inch all engineered beams and calculations would have
>easily accommodated - spans et al would simply be different and plywood
>might be sized differently though 48 x 96 is still easily and completely
>divisible by all but 18.
>
>Completely useless question but I find myself intrigued nonetheless by the
>answer. And it isn't just "Because"
>
>Scott in Duluth
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Milt, The Clamp Guy
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