How Much do Roof Trusses Cost?
The most important part of a house is its roof. The roof trusses form the backbone of your house and support everything from gutters to shingles. They can be made out of timber or steel.
The king post truss is a type of timber frame often used in older buildings. It comes in a shape of a triangle and consists of three main components: the tie beam at the bottom, which connects with its vertical counterpart, known as the king post, through two middle pieces called struts.
There are many different types of roof trusses, but the most popular styles include queen posts and arch-braced ones. These two designs create a steep angled or pitched roof respectively, with hammer beams for extra strength in valley areas where it’s needed most.
Other common shapes created by these particular systems include scissor blades that help prevent leaks when there is heavy snowfall on top. Plus, they provide additional support against strong winds at higher elevations like mountain areas.
How much do roof trusses cost?
The price of a roof truss is influenced by factors such as design, lumber used, and size. Expect to pay somewhere between $40 and $160 per truss, without delivery and installation costs. If evaluated by length, the price per foot is somewhere between $5 to $8.
It can be hard to give an exact price because there are so many variables involved in building them that need consideration before you even start construction, including but not limited to length, roof pitch or slope angle, and type of materials.
You might also like our articles about the cost of standing seam metal roof, flat roof replacement, or roll roofing.
It is not uncommon for homebuilders to charge between $5.50 and $8 per square foot in today’s market. This includes the cost of labor, installation, as well as materials like lumber needed during roof trusses construction. As this job differs from building to building, you should consider getting some free quotes through an online search.
Timberlake Trussworks, LLC has created a cost guide that is very informative and easy to understand. According to their estimates, on average, the price tag for one truss can be somewhere between $85 and $107 depending on what you want to be done. Only for the materials needed for a simple house, without machinery for roof truss installation and labor, you may have to pay around $2,100.
In the table below, you’ll find some estimates for different types of trusses.
| Ruff Truss type | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| 30-foot span with a 4/12 roof pitch | $3.25 to $4.25 per foot |
| 26-foot span with a 4/12 roof pitch | $3 to $4 per foot |
| Drop top gable truss | $3.75 to $5 per foot |
| Standard gable end truss | $3.75 to $5 per foot |
| Scissor truss | $4 to $5.25 per foot |
Factors that influence the roof truss price
Amount
If you are looking for a way to save money on your next project, consider buying trusses in bulk. For example, it will cost less per 10 trusses than how much you would pay for only one.
Design Loads
The truss has the capacity to hold considerable weight, but there are cases when it needs to hold more than average. In this situation, the design has to be different. For instance, you may have to change the standard gable end truss to the scissor type. This would increase the costs by up to 25%.
Material
As mentioned above, you can choose between two types of materials: steel trusses or timber ones. The cheapest option will always be wood trusses.
Roof pitch
The costs will increase if the roof is steeper as there would be more boards necessary.
Spacing
The standard spacing for a roof is two feet, but in some situations, customers may ask for trusses every 16 inches in order to create their own more robust structure.
The span
The length at the bottom is known as the span, and the trusses are not all the same size. For example, if the span is 26 feet long, you would need 16-foot and 10-foot pieces of lumber to create the bottom cord, leaving no scrap behind. The price would get higher if the truss has to be customized and the scrap is left over.
Roof trusses details
Truss design is a common factor in new roof construction. There are many different truss types, but they all serve one purpose: to support weight and distribute it evenly across the span lengthwise without letting too much stress accumulate at any point along its height or width dimensions. A few examples include scissor-trussed roofs, raised heel, gambrel, girder, tri bearing, Polynesian, hip, bowstring, and mono.
The most common types of ceiling are studio vault, cathedral, barrel vault, inverted, flat, and tray.
The most common trusses are made of timber, but they can also be made of steel.
You can purchase trusses from major stores from all across the United States, like Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Lowe’s, or Menards.
What are the extra costs?
In the estimates presented above, the costs of delivery or any extra taxes are not included. Depending on the place you live, the taxes could increase the costs by 5% to 15%, while the delivery could be a few hundred dollars for 20 to 30 miles.
If you want to upgrade the grade of lumber, you have to pay more.
How can I save money?
You can save up to 15% if you purchase more than 10 to 15 trusses at once, so the more you buy, the more you save.
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Thanks for the info about roof trusses. I want to redesign my home’s roof. I’ll consider getting a timber roof truss.