Stud is the backbone of a home or office. It helps in performing necessary framing in building walls and provides the necessary support for your home or office.
There is a weight limit for studs. Let us help you know how much weight a stud can hold based on various aspects and help you understand some key facts about it as well.
How much weight can a stud hold?
A stud can hold an average of 25,000 – 26,500 pounds depending on whether the load on the wall is properly distributed. Therefore, it can easily be said that every screw you attach to a stud can carry around an average of 75 – 90 pounds depending on the type of stud you use.
There are various kinds of studs. The kinds are based on the type, material, and size of the stud. Depending on these factors, the studs can take more or less weight on them. Let us help you know more about how much weight various studs can take based on various kinds:
Type:
Wall stud:
Depending on the type of wood you use, your wall stud may hold around 100 pounds. It can be more if you use a better and stronger wood.
Ceiling stud:
According to IRC, your ceiling stud may hold around 9 pounds per square foot. It will vary based on the size of your ceiling stud.
Screw-in stud:
A screw-in stud can hold around 90 pounds. But if you need more weight capacity, you can double the stud for more weight capacity.
Lag bolt in stud:
The weight capacity of a lag bolt in stud fully depends on the wood that is used. If you use close-grain hem, fir, redwood, or woods like that, it may hold around 210 pounds. On the other hand, there are some woods which can hold around 270 pounds.
Drywall stud:
Drywall studs can hold around 95 pounds depending on the quality.
Material:
Metal stud:
The weight that a metal stud can take varies on the size. It widely varies between 400 – 2300 pounds.
Wood stud:
Depending on how many and sizes of nails you use on a stud, a wood stud can hold loads of several weights. If you use a thin nail, it may hold only 20 pounds. But if you use several threaded screws, it may hold around 100 pounds or even more.
Aluminum stud:
An aluminum stud can hold around 350 – 800 pounds based on the size of the aluminum used.
Size:
1×3 stud:
When you need studs, 1×3 is one of the lowest sizes of studs you can use. It can hold the lowest weight possible. It is said that it can hold around 70 pounds. But this may vary based on the way you build it for use.
2×2 stud:
2×2 stud can hold around 150 pounds. But this can vary depending on the type of material that is used to make it and which nails or screws are used.
2×3 stud:
A 2×3 stud can take around a load of 250 pounds. Though it can take up to 300 pounds without any major issue.
2×4 stud:
The usual load limit on a 2×4 stud is around 400 pounds if you set the load at the center of the stud. But if it is not restrained then it can hold less weight.
2×6 stud:
If you use an unrestrained 2×6 stud as a load, it can take around 7000 pounds. But the load can be increased by sheathing and many other ways depending on the requirement.
Can two studs hold more weight?
Yes, two studs hold more weight if it properly mounted together. All studs have a certain load capacity. Therefore, it may be required to have some extra headroom for adding more weight to the stud. That’s why studs are doubled where required.
It is known that one screw on a stud may hold around 60 pounds. But if you use two studs with the longer screw which properly distribute the weight on the stud, it can hold around 120 – 135 pounds. That means the weight limit doubles when using two studs together.
The technical reason behind this is that there is more length space to distribute the load. When using multiple studs together with a longer screw in it, the screw will get more space to distribute the load on the studs and help to increase the load capacity as expected.
How to increase how much weight a screw in a stud can hold?
You may require holding a bigger load on the wall. But the screw on the stud may not support that much weight. Although studs can wight several pounds on them, your screw on the stud may not.
If you need to increase the weight a screw can hold, then here are some steps that you may follow to achieve your goal:
Get better quality screws:
High-quality screws can ensure that the screw on your wall can hold a heavier load if required. Construction screws have threads that help the screws to take a heavier load and hold on to the studs.
The more grip that the screw will have in the hole, the more it can ensure that it can hold a heavier load.
Distribute the weight properly:
Distribution of weight is key to increasing the weight on a screw in a stud. If you properly distribute the weight on the screw using a proper distribution system like using multiple studs, then you can increase the weight capacity on a screw in a stud.
Use multiple screws:
Using multiple screws can fulfill your requirement. Where one single screw can hold an average of 80 – 95 pounds, two screws can hold double the weight. So, it is a good idea to use multiple screws if possible.
Set your screw at the middle of the stud:
The middle of a stud is the strongest position to put a screw. The screw can take more weight at the middle of a stud. So, set your screws at the middle of the stud by using proper measurements and a stud finder.
How to know how much weight a stud can hold?
There are a few ways to know how much weight a stud can hold on to the wall. Usually, mathematical calculations help to know how much weight a stud can hold. Let us help you understand this properly using a mathematical example:
Think that you will set a shelf on a wall using studs. Therefore, let us think that you will set an 8 foot long shelve on the wall. For setting this you will use studs that are 16 inches apart from each other.
Assuming that two screws can be used on each stud, each of the screws can hold around 80 – 95 pounds on average. If we think that each shelf can support 750 – 900 pounds, realistically you may not put more than 250 pounds on average.
While the shelves weigh around 35 – 40 pounds on average, they may support roughly 40 pounds of storage on them. So, we can say that the studs can hold 20000 – 27500 pounds using this calculation method.
How to install studs?
As studs are the backbone of a home or office, it is essential to install studs properly. Among all the methods there are available to install studs, let us help you know the best possible way among all of the step by step:
Purchase the necessary materials & tools:
Before starting to work on making the studs, you will have to ensure that you have all the tools and materials that you may require to build it. Make a checklist before you start working.
The most common tools you may require are a circular saw, nails, hammer, tape measure, and many more. As far as materials, you will need the material for making your studs. Here let us discuss how to build studs using structural pine.
Install the bottom & top plate of the stud wall:
Position the bottom and top plate one after another and set them accordingly. Use leveling scale if required and place the plates properly. Mount them using nails and a hammer. Use multiple nails if required to set it properly in place.
Set the noggins between the plates:
Noggins are the horizontal braces between the top and bottom plate. Each of the noggins is spaced 1200 mm apart from the other.
But you can set them closed if you want more strength among them but it will require you to use more noggins than usual. Set them using nails and a hammer.
Final Thoughts
A stud can hold around 25,000 pounds on average. The range differs based on the material of the stud, type, and size of the stud. Although it may differ, a screw-on stud can hold a certain amount of weight and that is around 80 pounds. You can calculate the rest by multiplying the number of screws.