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Load-Bearing Wall Removal Beam Guide
Find out whether taking out a load-bearing wall can stay inside the Ontario Building Code beam tables, when an engineer is needed, and what size ranges the tables publish. It is not a design.
Load-Bearing Wall Removal Beam Guide
Result
We remove load-bearing walls and install the beams, posts and temporary support that go with them, to your engineer's drawings.
Get a quote for wall removalPreliminary planning only. This tool does not replace the drawings. The designer or engineer of record and the building permit set govern every size, span and detail.
We remove load-bearing walls and install the beams, posts and temporary support that go with them, to your engineer's drawings. Load-bearing wall removal, Structural beam installation. Request a free quote.
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Where the numbers come from
- Lumber beams. Tables 9.23.4.2.-H, -I and -J, Maximum Spans for Built-up Floor Beams Supporting Not More than One, Two or Three Floors, and Table 9.23.4.2.-L, Maximum Spans for Built-up Ridge Beams and Lintels Supporting the Roof and Ceiling Only (spans may be increased 5 percent for supported lengths of 4.3 m or less, 10 percent for 3.7 m or less and 25 percent for 2.4 m or less). (source)
- Glulam. Table 9.23.4.2.-K, Maximum Spans for Glue-Laminated Floor Beams, 20f-E grade, 1 to 3 storeys supported. (source)
- Steel. Table 9.23.4.3. (floors) and Tables 9.23.4.3.-A to -J (a roof and one floor, brick veneer or siding, 1.0 to 3.0 kPa roof snow load). (source)
- Loads and limits. Note A-9.23.4.2.: the tables are for uniform loads only; concentrated loads are designed under Subsection 4.3.1. Article 9.23.14.11.: wood roof trusses are designed in accordance with good engineering practice such as TPIC 2019. (source)
- Snow loads. SB-1 Table 2 (Ss and Sr) with Article 9.4.2.2., S = 0.55 Ss + Sr, not less than 1 kPa. (source)
- Permit. Building Code Act, 1992, section 1(1) (definition of construct) and section 8(1) (permit). (source)
Worked example
Top-floor wall in Toronto carrying the roof and ceiling only, a 10 ft (3.05 m) opening, supported roof length 12 ft (3.66 m). Toronto's specified snow load works out to 1.0 kPa, so the 1.0 kPa column of Table 9.23.4.2.-L applies, with the 10 percent increase for a supported length of 3.7 m or less. The smallest listed Spruce-Pine-Fir beam is 3 - 38 x 184 mm, good to 3.17 m. The tool prints that as a published option and still says to confirm with an engineer. Add a post landing on the beam and the tool stops printing sizes and flags an engineer.
Which table the tool reads
| What sits on the wall | Published table used |
|---|---|
| Roof and ceiling only | Table 9.23.4.2.-L |
| One floor and the roof | Tables 9.23.4.3.-A to -J (steel) |
| Floors, no roof load | Tables 9.23.4.2.-H to -K and 9.23.4.3. (floors) |
| Two floors and the roof, or three floors | None: engineer |
The titles of the wood floor beam tables name floors only. For a roof and a floor together the code prints steel tables, so the tool shows steel for that case and sends everything else to an engineer.
Last checked 2026-11-09 against the 2024 Ontario Building Code (O. Reg. 163/24) compendium and SB-1 as published on ontario.ca.
This tool is for preliminary planning. The designer or engineer of record and the building permit set govern.
Frequently asked questions
Does this tool size my beam?
No. It never gives a beam to build. It tells you whether your case sits inside the published Part 9 tables, flags the cases that need an engineer, and shows the size ranges those tables print. The beam for your wall is chosen by an engineer or the designer of record.
When is an engineer needed?
The tool flags an engineer when a point load lands on the beam (the tables are for uniform loads), when roof trusses bear on the wall, when two floors plus the roof or three floors sit above the opening, when the supported lengths or the opening go past the table limits, when the snow load is above 3.0 kPa, or when no table beam spans the opening.
Why is LVL not listed?
Engineered lumber such as LVL, LSL and PSL is not in the code span tables. Its sizes come from the manufacturer's published tables and an engineer's calculation, so this tool does not print an LVL size. The code tables list built-up sawn lumber, glued-laminated timber and steel.
Do I need a permit to remove a load-bearing wall?
Construction under the Building Code Act, 1992 includes the material alteration of a building (section 1(1)), and section 8(1) requires a permit to construct. Your municipal building department decides what drawings it wants for a wall removal.
What is supported length?
For floors it is half the sum of the joist spans on both sides of the beam. For a roof it is half the sum of the rafter, joist or truss spans on both sides, plus any overhang for a lintel. Use the cautious end if you are unsure.
Is this a quote?
No. It is a planning tool. Contact us with your plans and we will arrange a free site visit.
For how a removal is planned and staged, read Load-Bearing Wall Removal Guide.
Related: Load bearing wall removal, Structural beam installation, Lintel and Header Size Lookup.
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We remove load-bearing walls and install the beams, posts and temporary support that go with them, to your engineer's drawings.
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