Are Truss Roofs Stronger Than Other Types?

Finding a good roof truss company in San Diego gives you more benefits than simply saving money on your construction costs. One benefit of purchasing from Roof Truss Manufacturers in San Diego is that builders can create stronger, safer roofs than they can with traditional stick-built rafters. These truss roofs are more likely to withstand bad weather and other environmental stressors, making them a better bargain all around.

Why Are Trusses Stronger than Rafters?

Trusses are inherently stronger than stick built rafters because of the methods of construction used for each type of roofing.

Trusses are built with several points of stress, while rafters have only two. A rafter is a straight line from the peak of the roof to the top of the building’s wall. Because each rafter is a straight line created from one continuous piece of lumber, that piece must bear all the stress of that particular area of the roof. This can lead to problems when roofing is subjected to high winds and rafters are pulled in more than one direction, for example. Rafter roofing has been known to split and break under these circumstances.

Truss roofing, on the other hand, stands up to multiple stresses due to the fact that a truss is created with several points on which forces can act. The typical truss is a triangle with several chords or members inside the triangular frame. At every point where chords or members join, the truss contains a spot to deflect force. At each of these locations, trusses can withstand impact and dissipate force, which means that the entire force does not act on a single spot but is spread out over a wider area.

For this reason, trusses are often much better at handling torsion, or forces that twist the truss from one side to the other in a circular motion, as well as shear, when the truss is buffeted from a straight-line force, than rafters. In high winds and other conditions that demand a roof withstand great or sudden impacts, trusses will hold up much longer and much better than stick-built rafter roofs.

Ultimately, builders can create a stronger, safer roof with trusses than with rafters. Furthermore, depending on the shape and type of truss, trusses can often handle much heavier loads in terms of roofing materials. This helps greatly when designing a tile roof, which weighs significantly more than shingles, or when planning a roof that must span a large distance without a break.

Stone Truss is one of the leading truss manufacturers in San Diego. For decades, Stone Truss has been serving the builders of San Diego with quality truss roofing and flooring products, designed, built and delivered on time. If you are looking for truss products or need help deciding what will work for you, give our professionals a call today. We can help you keep your building costs low and still deliver a strong, safe home or business to your clients!