Apex -   See Peak.

Bearing -   A structural support usually a wall that occurs at the bottom chord or between the end points of a floor or roof truss.

Bottom Chord -   A horizontal or inclined member establishes the lower edge of a truss.

Butt Cut -   A slight vertical cut at the outside edge of a truss bottom chord to ensure a uniform span and tight cuts.

Camber -   An upward vertical displacement built into a truss bottom chord to compensate for deflection due to the dead load.

Cantilever -   Extension of the bottom chord beyond its support exclusive of overhang.

Clear Span -   Horizontal distance between interior edges of support.

Concentrated Load -   The superimposed load centered at a given point.

Dead Load -   Any permanent load such as the weight of roofing, flooring, sheathing, insulation or ceiling material, as well as of the truss itself.

Deflection -   Downward vertical movement of a truss (when, in place, due to dead and live loads).

Design Loads -   The live and dead loads which a truss is engineered to support.

Engineer Certified Drawings -   A truss design where loading, sizes and grades of material are called out and detailed and a certified engineer’s seal is affixed to that drawing.

Girder Truss -   Usually a multiple-ply truss designed to carry over an opening.

Heel -   The point on a truss at which the top and bottom chords meet.

Heel Cut -   See Butt Cut

Joint -   See Panel Point

Lateral Brace -   A member placed and connected at right chord or web member of a truss.

Live Load -   Any loading which is not of a permanent nature, ie. snow, wind.

Overall Rise -   Vertical distance from the bottom most part of the chord to uppermost point on the peak.

Overhang -    The extension of the top chord of a truss beyond the heel measured horizontally.

Panel Points -   The point where a web or webs intersect at a chord.

Peak -   The point on a truss where the sloped top chords meet.

Pitch -   Inches of vertical rise for each 12 inches of horizontal run.

Plumb Cut -   Top Chord end cut to provide for vertical (plumb) installation to fascia.

Plumb Rise -   Vertical overall measurements at the end of a truss where the top and bottom chords meet.

Purlin -   A horizontal member attached to and placed perpendicular to the truss top chord to support the roofing.

Reaction -   Forces acting on a truss, through its support that are equal but opposite to the sum of the dead and live loads.

Ridge -   Line formed by truss apexes.

Rise -   Vertical distance from bottom most part of the bottom inside of the peak.

Shop Drawings -   Detailed drawings of a truss showing critical dimensions such as a span, overhang, slope, etc.

Slope -   See Pitch

Spacing -   The centerline distance between trusses – ie. 24″ O.C./48″ O.C. (on center)

Span -   Horizontal distance between outside edges of the supports.

Splice Points -   Top and bottom chord splice. The point at which chord members are joined together to form a single member it may occur at a panel point or between panel points.

Top Chord -   An inclined or horizontal member that establishes the upper edge of a truss.

Truss -   A pre-built component that functions as a structural member. A truss employs one or more triangle in its construction.

Webs -   Members that join the top and bottom chords to form triangular patterns that give the truss strength.