Design Glulam Beams and Columns to CSA O86
Design glulam beams and columns in Canada to CSA O86, drawing on real glulam product data from suppliers including Mercer and Nordic Structures so your grade and section choices match what's actually available to specify. Bending, shear, bearing and buckling are checked automatically, with connection design covering dowels and bolts. Try the calculators to specify your next glulam beam or column with confidence.
Start Designing for Free See Integrated Suppliers- Standard: CSA O86:2019, aligned to NBC 2020
About Glulam · CSA O86
The New Engineering Platform for Mass Timber In Canada
Glue-Laminated Timber (Glulam) is a staple of Canadian construction, from the expansive roofs of BC hockey rinks to heavy-timber commercial framing in Quebec. The SPEC Toolbox Glulam Calculator is calibrated for the Canadian engineer. It automates the Limit States Design (LSD) requirements of CSA O86 (Engineering Design in Wood), streamlining the complex application of volume effects (KZ) and stability factors (KL) for standard Canadian species.
The engineer's guide
Glulam · CSA O86
What This Calculator Does
Analyzes Glulam members under gravity and wind loads using standard Canadian load combinations (1.25D + 1.5L):
- Moment Resistance (Mr): Checks positive and negative bending capacity, applying Volume Effect Factor (KZ) or Lateral Stability Factor (KL).
- Shear Resistance (Vr): Verifies longitudinal shear resistance (fv) at critical section (distance “d” from support).
- Bearing (Qr): Checks compressive resistance perpendicular to grain (fcp) at supports.
- Axial Resistance (Pr): Checks compression parallel to grain for columns, including interaction with bending moments (Pr/Pro + Mf/Mr ≤ 1.0).
- Deflection: Calculates immediate and long-term creep deflection (2Kcreep), critical for large span roof beams.
Design of Glulam Beams
Supplier & Code Integration — CSA O86:19 provisions and NBC 2020 loading conditions. Applies Canadian design factors: service condition, load duration, creep factors.
Analytical Model: Elastic Beam Theory (Euler–Bernoulli); Section Properties (moment of inertia, section modulus, effective area, stiffness); Stability Considerations (effective length, restraint conditions for lateral/torsional instability).
Structural Performance Checks: Bending Verification, Shear Verification, Deflection Verification (instantaneous + long-term/creep), Slenderness Verification.
Design of Glulam Column
CSA O86:19 + NBC 2020. Canadian grades such as 20f-EX Douglas Fir-Larch evaluated with service condition factors and load-duration adjustments.
Analytical Model: Elastic Member Analysis; Section Properties (moment of inertia, radius of gyration, section modulus); Load Eccentricity Effects (both principal directions).
Structural Performance Checks: Bending Verification, Compression Verification, Combined Actions Verification (CSA O86 interaction equations), Buckling Verification, Lateral Torsional Stability.
Design of Glulam Connections
CSA O86:19 primary framework. Advanced Yield Modeling: CSA dowel-type fastener yield equations, derived from Johansen-type yield theory. Manufacturer Data Integration: supplier-specific glulam properties.
Supported Connection Type: Dowel and Bolt Connections (CSA O86 dowel-type fastener provisions).
“Global-Local” Connection Library: Universal Fastener Selection (bolts and dowels, CSA equations and adjustment factors). Verified Compatibility: glulam materials from Mercer Canada and Nordic Structures, plus user-defined material via manual input.
Automated Structural Checks: Geometric Check, Yielding Resistance, Row Shear Resistance, Splitting Strength, Group Tear-Out Resistance, Net Tension Resistance.
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Beam-to-Column Connection Design
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