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Roof trusses

Flat truss (parallel chord)

A flat truss has parallel top and bottom chords, used for flat or low-slope roofs and sometimes for floors.

Also known as flat truss, parallel chord truss, flat roof truss, low slope truss, sloping flat truss

With the chords running parallel, the truss works like a deep, open beam. The webs leave space for ducts, pipes and cables, and the top chord can be given a slight fall so rainwater drains off a nominally flat roof.

The same parallel chord principle is used for floor trusses. Where a roof has to be flat over part of a building, flat trusses are combined with pitched ones.

Related terms
Floor trussA floor truss is a parallel chord truss used as a floor joist, with an open web that services can pass through. Truss typesRoof trusses come in many shapes, such as fink, mono, attic, scissor and girder trusses, each suited to a different roof form, span or use of the roof space. Girder trussA girder truss is a strengthened, often multi-ply truss that carries the load of other trusses or of a point load.
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