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Standard Wood Screw Length

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Orsted

Civil/Environmental
Apr 3, 2019
22
Hi,

I'm new to designing wood screws and I cant see the lengths for this type of screw.

Is there any reference in determining the lengths available for this type of wood screw?

Image below is per AWC-NDS 2018.

AWC-NDS_2018_Sample_o8dsfm.png


Thank you.
 
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Odd question, but check with US Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, WI and likely there will be an answer.
 
Drop by the local hardware/fastener store and take a look!

It's good to know what's actually in stores when specifying products.
 
There is no "standard" length per diameter. As an example, you can get a No. 8 wood screw in 1/2", 3/4", 1" and so on. In general, the larger the diameter of the screw, the longer the shortest available length will be. For example, you will not likely find a No. 14 wood screw that is 1/2" long.


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Very little in the way of "standard" sizes from my experience in the contracting world. Always bought screws in huge buckets from dedicated fastener supply stores, and the off chance i was stuck in some hardware store, it seemed the available supply was quite random.

screws come in increments of 1/4". (at least in Canada/US)

When I specify screws, I will spec:

screw material type (Steel, galv, hot dip galv, stainless)
gauge
minimum length of threaded embedment
as well as a general note for the maximum the screw is allowed to be shimmed/packed out.

If you don't spec everything you want, you can't be upset when what you imagined isn't provided.
 
The picture you're showing is a good choice for structural wood screws. I know them as Simpson SDWS or "truss screws", though their use has expanded beyond just fastening multi-ply trusses together, and a lot of manufacturers are producing those types of screws.
I usually get the specs from Simpson strong-drive screws. Simpson does a good job in providing length, diameter, shear and pullout capacities, which you can use in a performance type note.
When navigating the strongtie products, remember to scroll down the page for the capacity charts, they're easy to miss.
I was going to say, you don't find the SDWS in a lot of diameters, mostly 0.2" and 0.25" but it looks like Simpson has added some nail replacement screws with variety of sizes. Other mfr's may still have limited diameter selections.
It's easier to detail a connection for screw diameters less than 0.25" because the minimum spacing requirements apply without reduction, the adjustment factor is held at 1 (NDS 12.5.1).
 
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