Crunching numbers to design for wall bracing just got easier, with an online Wall Bracing Calculator from APA – The Engineered Wood Association.  APA recently updated the online calculator to include a new option that verifies wall bracing requirements for the 2015 version of the International Residential Code (IRC). The newly updated calculator now addresses wall bracing requirements of the 2009, 2012, and 2015 IRC so that users can choose the correct version of the IRC for their jurisdiction.

"The Wall Bracing Calculator greatly simplifies the design process for builders, designers and code officials,” said Jared Hensley, PE, Engineered Wood Specialist for APA. The calculator streamlines calculations to verify compliance with a complex section of the code, generating a visual report that’s a convenient way to show wall bracing compliance. “The project report generated by the calculator gives visual confirmation that IRC wall bracing requirements have been met; this makes the review and approval processes much more efficient,” added Hensley.

The Wall Bracing Calculator features a simple four-step process that allows builders to enter their project parameters, add wall line details from existing plans, and then follow system prompts to identify appropriate segments of each braced wall line. Once the wall line information and wall line segment details have been entered, the user can review and verify the information,  then generate a report to submit to the local code jurisdiction’s plan check department. This report makes it easy for code officials to see all qualified wall bracing in a clear visual format.

The Wall Bracing Calculator is a free tool that can be accessed at www.apawood.org/calculator.