Collar Tie

Collar Tie

A collar tie is a tension tie in the upper third of opposing gable rafters that is intended to resist rafter separation from the ridge beam during periods of unbalanced loads, such as that caused by wind uplift, or unbalanced roof loads from snow.

Do I need collar ties?

Collar ties are necessary to prevent separation of the roof at the ridge due to wind uplift. Rafter ties resist the forces caused by gravity loads that would otherwise cause the roof to pancake and push out the sidewalls.

Where do you put collar ties?

Collar ties attach between every other pair of opposing rafters at the upper third of the roof below the ridge or peak of a roof section.

Do you need collar ties on every rafter?

Collar ties should be no smaller than 1×4 nominal lumber and should be near or in the upper third of the rafter span. In 24 inch rafter spacing, collar ties are on every other pair of rafters or 48 inches apart.

Does a collar tie reduce rafter span?

Collar ties can be used used to reduce rafter span – they essentially provide intermediate support for the rafter, but only for roofs with a pitch of more than 1:3.

What is a Perling?

A purlin (or historically purline, purloyne, purling, perling) is a longitudinal, horizontal, structural member in a roof. In traditional timber framing there are three basic types of purlin: purlin plate, principal purlin, and common purlin.

Can collar ties be removed?

Also, in high wind situations with lower pitched roofs, collar ties may help hold the ridge assembly together, although steel strap ties installed just below the ridge board would probably work better. My call is that in the vast majority of such cases, collar ties can be removed with no detrimental effect.

How far down should collar ties be placed?

When it comes to collar tie placement, the code specifies that collar ties are to be located in the upper one-third area of the attic space up near the ridge and shall not be spaced more than 4 feet on center.

Can I use 2×4 for collar ties?

Collar ties must be at least 1x4s; when attached to a small rafter, such as a 2×4 or 2×6, a larger collar tie can provide more nailing area. The IRC one-size-fits-all requirement for collar ties and ridge straps is three 10d nails at each end of the collar tie or strap, as provided in Table R602. 3(1).

How far can a 2×6 rafter span without support?

A 2×6 rafter can span 14 feet 8 inches when spaced 16 inches apart with No. 1-grade southern pine lumber on a roof with a 3/12 slope or less with a maximum live load of 20 pounds per square foot and a dead load of 15 psf.

Robert Thorne
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Robert Thorne

Robert Thorne covers electric vehicle innovations, autonomous driving systems, global mobility trends, and automotive engineering developments.