Definitely the 16" spacing came first. (Ask any owner of a plaster & lath
home).

Some of these things were innovation driven (like the invention and
adoption of plywood, chipboard, sheetrock, etc.) I was discussing this with
the engineer here at work and he said that some things are failure driven
(Steve's dance on the 2nd floor, for example). Some things were engineering
driven, Some things were material driven (think of truss plate and steel
hangers invention in trusses, for example). Increased computerization has
driven a lot of innovation, like truss design (and the related design of
the roof). One can't ignore the "regulatory momentum" of some things (like
requiring engineer approval on new truss designs), codes, inspectors,
permits, etc.

And at the bottom of all this is economics. The builder is going to use
whatever saves him money or gives him some sort of an edge.



A man understands one day that his life is built on nothing, and that's a
bad, crazy day. - Cosmo Castorini, Moonstruck


On Thu, Apr 17, 2014 at 9:27 AM, Phil Schempf  wrote:

> I wonder which came first, 16" spacing or 4' sheet stock, sort of a chicken
> and egg type of deal.
>   What's the framing practice in metric countries, guessing it's not 16"
> centers and 4' plywood?
>
> Phil
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 17, 2014 at 5:32 AM, CheekyGeek  wrote:
>
> > I have no specific knowledge or source (would love to see the real
> history)
> > but I suspect that the 16" standard came about as a result of
> engineering,
> > in combination with the standardization of the lumber production
> industry.
> >
> > We've all heard of the 2x4 and we all know that today it isn't 2"x4". 16"
> > is a logical progression of the 2x4 sequence and so may, mathematically
> > have something to do with it (along with the standard of 8' ceiling
> > heights, perhaps?). I know in older homes the 2x4s ARE 2"x4".
> >
> > I'm guessing an engineer did the math and calculated that, at an 8'
> ceiling
> > standard, and a 16" on-center wall panel stud standard, the necessary
> > strength could be provided by less material in the stud (and the lumber
> > industry could get more material from the same tree) and so the 1-1/2" x
> > 3-1/2" 2x4 was born. (Leaving the 16" on-center standard alone).
> >
> > But, like I said, this is all conjecture. I'd love to see the history of
> > the development somewhere.
> >
> > A man understands one day that his life is built on nothing, and that's a
> > bad, crazy day. - Cosmo Castorini, Moonstruck
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Apr 17, 2014 at 8:17 AM, Michael Blair 
> wrote:
> >
> > > It's a code requirement in California for any dwelling space.  Every
> > house
> > > I've lived in has 2X4s on 16 inch centers.  My great-grandfather built
> > all
> > > houses this way.  My house now was built in 1925 -- 2X4s on 16 inch
> > > centers.
> > > The 1906 house I lived in had 2X4s on 16 inch centers.  The Victorians
> > I've
> > > worked on had 2X4s on 16 inch centers, so the standard has been around
> > for
> > > a very long time.  Fiberglass insulation specifically for walls comes
> in
> > > 16 inch wide rolls.  Roof insulation comes in 24 inch wide rolls.
> > >
> > > Why?  You'd need to ask a structural engineer for the rational.
> > >
> > > Mike in Sacto
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
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