End Bearing of a Lintel

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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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