Anchor Bolts — Bolts used to anchor structural members to a foundation or other support. Usually refers to the bolts at the bottom of all columns, wind posts, endwall posts and doorposts. When embedded in the concrete foundation of a building or other structure, they resist all tensile or shear forces acting on the columns that they anchor.
Base Angle — An angle secured to a wall or foundation, used to attach the base of the wall paneling.
Base Plate — A plate attached to the base of a column, that rests on a foundation or other support, usually secured by anchor bolts.
Bay — The space between frame centerlines or primary supporting members in the longitudinal direction of the building.
Beam — A primary structural member, usually horizontal, that is subjected to bending loads. There are three types: simple, continuous, and cantilever.
Beam and Column — A primary structural system consisting of a series of roof beams supported by columns. Often used as the endwall of a metal building and commonly known as a beam and post endwall.
Brace Cables — Steel cables used in the roof and walls to transfer loads, such as wind loads, seismic loads, and impact loads, to the foundation. (Also often used to plumb buildings.)
Building Code — Regulations established by a recognized agency, describing design loads, procedures, and construction details for structures and usually applying to a designated political jurisdiction (city, county, state, etc.).
"C" Section — A member formed from sheet steel into the shape of a block "C," that may be used either singularly or back to back.
Clear Height — Dimension from the floor line to the lowest point of primary roof beams or purlins.
Closure — A resilient strip formed to the contour of the ribbed panels and used to close openings created by ribbed panels joining other components.
Collateral Load — All specified additional dead loads other than the metal building framing, such as sprinklers, mechanical and electrical systems, and ceilings.
Column — A primary structural member used in a vertical position on a building to transfer loads from main roof beams or trusses to the foundation.
Dead Load — The dead load of a building is the weight of all permanent construction, such as primary and secondary structurals, roof panels, and wall panels.
Design Load — The loads, expressly specified in the contract documents, that the metal building system is designed to safely resist.
Diaphragm Action — The resistance to racking generally offered by the panels, fasteners, and members to which they are attached.
Eave — The line along the sidewall formed by the intersection of the planes of the roof and wall.
Eave Height — The vertical dimension from finished floor line to the eave line.
Eave Strut — A structural member at the eave to support roof panels and wall panels. It also transmits wind forces from roof bracing to wall bracing.
End Bays — The bays adjacent to the endwalls of a building. Usually the distance from the endwall to the first interior main frame measured normal to the endwall.
Endwall — An exterior wall that is perpendicular to the ridge of the building.
Endwall Post — A vertical member, located at the endwall of a building, that supports the girts. In beam and post endwalls, the endwall posts also support the endwall roof beams.
Erection Bracing — Materials used by erectors to stabilize the building system during erection.
Erection Drawings — A set of plans and details that identifies components and accessories furnished by the manufacturer, in sufficient detail to permit proper erection of the Metal Building System.
Fixed Base — A column base that is designed to resist rotation as well as horizontal or vertical movement.
Flange — The projecting edge of a structural member.
Flange Brace — A bracing member used to provide lateral support to the flange of a beam, girder, or column.
Foundation — The substructure that supports a building or other structure.
Framed Opening — Framing members and flashing that surround an opening.
Gable — The triangular portion of the endwall located above the elevation of the eave.
Galvanized — Coated with zinc for corrosion resistance/as in galvanized steel.
Gage (or Gauge) — A standard unit of measurement for dimension, thickness, etc.
Girt — A secondary horizontal structural member attached to sidewall post or endwall post columns to which wall covering is attached and supported horizontally.
"H" Section — A steel member with a cross-section that looks like an "H."
Header — A horizontal member above a door, window, etc.
Jamb — The vertical framing members located at the sides of an opening.
Knocked Down — this describes the condition of how an item is provided. When a personnel door is provided "knocked down" or "KD", it comes in pieces that have to be assembled. It is the opposite of "pre-assembled".
Lean-To — A structure, such as a shed, having only one slope or pitch and depending upon another structure for partial support.
Liner Panel — A metal panel attached to the inside flange of the girts or inside of a wall.
Mastic — Roll of sealant material that is used to seal panel laps.
Panel Notch — A notch or block-out formed along the outside edge of the floor slab to provide support for the wall panels and serve as a closure along the bottom edge.
Part Mark — A number given to each separate part of a building for erection identification. Also called mark number and part number.
Peak Box — A piece of trim used to tie together the two pieces of rake trim that intersect at the peak of a building.
Pinned Base — A column base that is designed to resist horizontal and vertical movement, but not rotation.
Pitch — See "Roof Slope."
Pop Rivet — A small-headed pin with an expandable shank for joining light-gauge metal. Typically used to attach flashing, guttering, etc.
Portal Frame — A rigid frame structure designed so that it offers rigidity and stability in its plane. It is normally used to resist longitudinal loads where rod bracing is not permitted.
Purlin — A horizontal structural member attached to the main frames that support roof panels.
Primary Structural Members — The main load-carrying members of a structural system, including the columns, endwall posts, roof beams, or other main support members.
Rafter — A primary beam supporting the roof system. The term roof beam is more often used in place of rafter.
Rake — The intersection of the plane of the roof and the plane of the gable.
Rake Trim — A flashing designed to close the opening between the roof and endwall panels.
Ridge — Highest point on the roof of the building, which describes a horizontal line running the length of the building.
Ridge Cap — A transition of the roofing materials along the ridge of the roof.
Ridge Vent — A vent that allows for air movement in and out of the building through the ridge.
Rigid Frame — A structural frame consisting of members joined together with rigid (or moment) connections so as to render the frame stable with respect to imposed loads, without the need for bracing in its plane.
Roll-Up Door — A door that opens by traveling vertically.
Roof Slope — The angle that a roof surface makes with the horizontal. Usually expressed in units of vertical rise to 12 units of horizontal run. Ex. ½:12 (one-half inch rise in every 12 horizontal inches).
Roof Live Load — Gravity load applied to the roof of a structure, which tends to vary in magnitude over time, such as snow load.
Roof Snow Load — The live load induced by the weight of snow on the roof of the structure.
Secondary Structurals/Members — Load-carrying members that transfer loads to the primary structurals/members. Purlins, girts, and bracing are examples of secondary structurals.
Seismic Load — Lateral load induced in any direction by an earthquake. Wind load and seismic load are never assumed to occur at the same time.
Side Wall — An exterior wall that is perpendicular to the frames of a building system.
Single Slope — A sloping roof with one surface. The slope is from one wall to the opposite wall of a rectangular building.
Snow Load — A load imposed on buildings or other structures due to snowfall.
Soffit — A panel that covers the underside of an overhang or fascia.
Transverse — The direction perpendicular to the ridge.
Tributary Area — The area that contributes load to a specific structural component.
Trim — The light-gauge metal used in the finishing of a building, especially around openings and at intersections of surfaces. Often referred to as flashings.
Width — The dimension of the building measured parallel to the main framing from sidewall to sidewall.
Wind Load — The load on a structure caused by the wind blowing from any direction (usually horizontal).
Wind Posts — Vertical members supporting a wall system, designed to withstand horizontal wind load by utilizing a fixed base.
"X" Bracing — Brace cables, to carry tension only, placed in a bay in the form of an "X" between two frames of a building to receive loads applied from the side or weak direction of a frame, such as the wind load on the endwall of a building.
"Z" Section — A member cold-formed from sheet steel in the shape of a block "Z."