CLT Design Software for Eurocode 5 | Engineering Platform

Supplier & Code Integration

Effective CLT floor design starts with the correct application of Eurocode material and load factors. Our platform integrates supplier data with Eurocode 5 requirements, enabling fast and reliable structural verification.

Analytical Methods for CLT Stiffness

• The Gamma Method: Best for standard, uniform CLT panels with 3, 5, or 7 layers. It accounts for the rolling shear deformation in the cross-layers by using a simplified efficiency factor.

• The Extended Gamma Method: Our recommended method for thick panels (7-ply and above) or non-uniform layups. It provides a more refined calculation of effective stiffness by accounting for the rolling shear stiffness of every individual cross-layer, preventing overly conservative designs.

• The Shear Analogy Method: The most rigorous analytical approach, suitable for highly complex or asymmetric layups. It treats the panel as a composite beam with distinct bending and shear stiffness components, providing the highest level of accuracy for all layup configurations.

High-Performance Vibration Design

Vibration is often the governing serviceability limit state for CLT floors. We have included the latest Eurocode drafts to provide a superior design outcome:

• Support Conditions: Model realistic scenarios including stiff or flexible supports to accurately predict floor behavior.

• Performance Levels: Specify target performance levels to meet specific building requirements, moving beyond simple frequency checks to holistic occupant comfort.

This calculator goes beyond simple static deflection. The tool analyzes the Fundamental Frequency (f1) and Impulsive Velocity Response, allowing you to tune the floor mass and stiffness to meet strict vibration criteria (e.g., 8Hz for offices), ensuring the “feel” of the floor matches the quality of the building.

Advanced CLT Fire Engineering

Structural fire design for mass timber is a critical component of any Eurocode-based structural verification and performance-based fire engineering solution.

SPEC Toolbox simplifies this complexity by offering multiple verification pathways aiding engineering judgement, ranging from the widely adopted ÖNORM B EN 1995-1-2:2011 (Austrian National Annex to Eurocode 5) to the cutting-edge prEN 1995-1-2:2023 (2nd Generation Eurocode). Whether you are utilizing a standard fire curve based on EN 1363-1 testing or project-specific fire test data, the platform calculates precise charring depths and residual load-bearing capacities, helping your CLT panels meet stringent Eurocode safety and structural integrity requirements.

Precision Charring & Bond-Line Integrity

Our engine accounts for the sophisticated physics of timber charring, moving beyond simple uniform rates. You can define the basic charring rate β₀ based on timber density and moisture content, and the platform automatically applies relevant Eurocode modification factors to determine notional charring rates βₙ. Crucially, our 2nd Generation Eurocode module explicitly models bond-line integrity and delamination effects, preventing the catastrophic loss of protection often ignored in simplified calculations for layered timber elements such as CLT.

Automated Factor Analysis for Performance Solutions

To provide total engineering transparency, SPEC Toolbox enables granular control over charring variables. The platform automates the calculation of Eurocode charring and protection factors, including parameters related to gaps, protection layers, and layer fall-off behaviour. This “No Black Box” approach allows engineers to either use code-specific default values or bypass them with manual inputs derived from manufacturer fire tests, creating a verified path from Eurocode first-principles calculations to project certification.

1. Moving Beyond Simplified Connection Design

While Eurocode 5 (EN 1995-1-1) is the current European standard for timber design, modern mass timber connections often require more advanced modelling and manufacturer-specific data to achieve optimal performance.

Advanced Yield Modeling: SPEC Toolbox utilizes the Eurocode Johansen Yield Models to provide accurate and reliable design outcomes for dowel-type fasteners in timber connections.

ETA Integration: We integrate supplier-specific European Technical Assessments (ETAs), ensuring your designs utilize ultimate performance data unique to specific product families.

2. Simplified Screw & Joint Design

Our platform transforms complex connection math into a streamlined, high-speed workflow:

Preconfigured Joint Types: Rapidly design and verify Half Laps, Splines, and Butt Joints with automated geometry checks.

Steel-to-CLT: Specialized modules for timber-to-steel connections, handling the complex stress distributions at the interface.

3. The “Global-Local” Connection Library

SPEC Toolbox is the only platform that allows you to pair your choice of CLT Supplier with the world’s leading Connection Manufacturers:

Universal Fastener Selection: Choose from top-tier brands including ESSVE, Eurotec, Klimas, Rocket/Vynex, Rothoblaas, Schmid Schrauben, Sihga, SPAX, Würth, or Pitzl.

Verified Compatibility: Seamlessly verify these fasteners against European CLT panels such as KLH, Kalvasta Timber, Binderholz, Södrа, MTT, Theurl, or Xlam Dolomiti.

In-plane CLT Design

ProHolz vol 1 Clause 5.8

ProHolz identifies three failure mechanisms for CLT shear walls:

• Mechanism 1: Shearing of failure of the boards along a joint
• Mechanism 2: Shearing failure of the glued surface at the intersection of joints.
• Mechanism 3: Shearing failure of the entire plate.

FP innovation Clause 3.8

By considering the shear stresses in the lamellas and the crossing areas, three different failure modes exist in CLT beams subjected to shear stresses such as

• Failure Mode I: Shear failure parallel to the grain in the gross cross-section
• Failure Mode II: Shear failure perpendicular to the grain in the net cross-section
• Failure Mode III: Shear failure in crossing area of orthogonal lamination

Wall Connection Models

In summary of the methods that are used to determine the capacity of the CLT shear wall at the connection points include:

Metodi	Sommario
Method I, Casagrande et al. 2016	Analizza le pareti di taglio utilizzando la rotazione dei corpi rigidi e l'equilibrio statico, con il punto di rotazione sul bordo del pannello, concentrandosi sul bilanciamento delle forze interne.
Method II, Wallner-Novak et al. 2014	Utilizza un blocco di sollecitazione rettangolare semplificato e tiene conto della resistenza di attrito, fornendo un approccio più dettagliato alla resistenza allo scorrimento.
Method III, Tomasi, 2014	Simile al metodo Wallner-Novak, ma con una lunghezza della zona di compressione diversa e presuppone una fondazione estremamente rigida con un calcolo raffinato dell'asse neutro.
Method IV, Pei et al. 2012	Tratta il pannello CLT come un corpo rigido che ruota attorno a un angolo con connettori modellati come molle elastiche, basandosi sulla resistenza di connessione calibrata a posteriori ed escludendo dalla analisi la resistenza allo scorrimento.
Method V, Reynolds et al. 2017	Migliora il metodo di distribuzione triangolare della tensione includendo una zona di compressione e tenendo conto dell'attrito per migliorare la valutazione della resistenza allo scorrimento.

If you’re looking to design CLT on your next project, then SPEC Toolbox has you covered!