Beam calculator
Calculate deflection, moment, and shear for simply supported beams
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Live calculator
The Beam Calculator provides quick structural analysis for simply supported beams under various loading conditions. Engineers and architects can instantly determine deflection, bending moment, and shear forces without complex spreadsheets.
Input your beam span, loading configuration, and material properties to get immediate results. The calculator handles point loads, distributed loads, and combined loading scenarios with clear visualizations of moment and shear diagrams.
Ideal for preliminary design checks, feasibility studies, and educational purposes. For final engineering of record, always verify with a licensed structural engineer.
Features
Everything you need
- Simply supported beam analysis
- Point load and distributed load support
- Maximum deflection calculations
- Bending moment diagrams
- Shear force diagrams
- Multiple material presets (steel, wood, concrete)
- Section property inputs
How it works
Simple workflow
- 1Enter the beam span length
- 2Select or input material properties (E, I)
- 3Add point loads or distributed loads
- 4View deflection, moment, and shear results
- 5Check against allowable deflection limits
Use cases
Built for real-world scenarios
Preliminary sizing
Quickly check if a beam size is in the right ballpark before detailed engineering analysis.
Educational reference
Understand beam behavior and verify hand calculations for structural concepts.
Renovation assessments
Evaluate existing beam capacity when adding new loads or removing supports.
Specification review
Verify consultant calculations during design review and coordination.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Beam deflection is the vertical displacement of a beam under load. Excessive deflection can cause serviceability issues like cracked finishes, bouncy floors, or ponding. Typical limits are L/240 to L/360 of the span length.
For a simply supported beam with uniform load, maximum moment occurs at midspan: M = wL²/8, where w is load per unit length and L is span. For a center point load P, M = PL/4.
Moment of inertia is a geometric property that measures a beam's resistance to bending. Larger I values mean less deflection. It depends on the cross-section shape—deeper beams have higher I values.
Span length has the greatest impact—deflection increases with the fourth power of span. Doubling the span increases deflection 16 times. Material stiffness (E) and section depth (I) also significantly affect deflection.
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We're always looking to improve our calculators. If you have ideas for new features, improvements, or found something that could work better, we'd love to hear from you.
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