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Roof trusses

Apex (ridge)

The apex is the highest point of a pitched truss, where the two top chords meet under the ridge of the roof.

Also known as apex, ridge, peak, truss apex, ridge joint

At the apex the two top chords are joined, usually with a single nail plate on each face, often together with the head of a central web. The line of apex joints along a roof forms its ridge.

The apex joint is highly loaded and its plate is sized by the truss design. On very tall trusses the apex section may be made as a separate cap, as in a piggyback truss.

Apex (ridge) Nail plate Top chord Web Bottom chord Heel Overhang Span
The parts of a typical fink (W) roof truss. Every joint is held by a nail plate.
Related terms
Top chordThe top chord is the upper, usually sloping member of a truss that forms the roof slope and carries the roof covering. Nail plateA nail plate is a toothed steel plate pressed into timber across a joint to connect the members of a truss or frame. Piggyback trussA piggyback truss is a tall truss made in two parts: a base truss and a separate cap truss fixed on top of it on site.
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