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Building elements

Truss types

Roof 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.

Also known as types of roof trusses, attic truss, room-in-roof truss, scissor truss, fink truss, mono truss, girder truss, raised tie truss

The most common is the fink (W) truss, an efficient standard truss for duo-pitched roofs. A mono truss has a single slope; an attic (room-in-roof) truss leaves an open rectangle in the middle for a usable room; a scissor truss has a sloping bottom chord for a vaulted ceiling; and a girder truss is a multi-ply truss that carries other trusses.

In Scandinavia trusses are also grouped into two main families: triangulated trusses, such as the W truss, which are fully braced by webs, and frame (A-) trusses, which leave the roof space open for a room and usually need an intermediate bearing wall.

Every truss in a building is designed individually by truss design software, which sets the member sizes, the plate at each joint and the bracing. A single house can need several different truss types, all produced to the same accuracy.

Related terms
Fink trussA fink truss is the standard pitched roof truss, with internal webs arranged in a W; it is the most widely used truss type for houses. Frame truss (A-truss)A frame truss (A-truss) is a roof truss built as an open frame of rafters, tie, collar beam and side struts, leaving the roof space free for a room. Attic trussAn attic truss leaves an open rectangular space in the middle of the roof, so the loft can be used as a room. Scissor trussA scissor truss has a sloping bottom chord, so the ceiling underneath can follow the roof and form a vaulted room. Monopitch trussA monopitch (mono) truss has a single sloping top chord, forming a roof that falls in one direction only. Hip trussHip trusses are a set of trusses of decreasing height that together form the sloping end of a hipped roof. Girder trussA girder truss is a strengthened, often multi-ply truss that carries the load of other trusses or of a point load. Raised heel trussA raised heel truss has a taller heel, so the full thickness of ceiling insulation can continue out over the wall. Floor trussA floor truss is a parallel chord truss used as a floor joist, with an open web that services can pass through. Roof trussA roof truss is a prefabricated triangulated timber framework that supports a roof and spans the space between external walls.
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