End Bearing of a Lintel

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Hey @coachadamcoers

I’m wondering how to calculate the end bearing length of a lintel. If given the information a 48" opening, F=525PSI P = 6500 and a lintel height of 8" and depth of the lintel of 10"
Could I just say that 1.25 x the opening length (48") = 60" so the end bearing would be 6" on each side given 60"-48" = 12"

or would I need to calculate the triangular load on the lintel using the equation for it and then using the F=P/A to solve for the area? and find the total length of the lintel that way?

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This is a good question.

According to the National Concrete Masonry Association, the end bearing of the a lintel can be calculated simply by dividing the length of your bearing unit (Brick/CMU) in half. with a minimum length of 4".

So for example, say you are putting designing a lintel for a CMU wall. CMU is typically 16" long, so 16"/2 would = 8" minimum bearing at each side of your lintel.

if you have a brick wall that you are designing a lintel for you would use a similar calc. Since brick is commonly 8" long it would be 8"/2 or 4" (hence the 4" minimum).

Hope this helps!

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