Free lintel calculator to SANS 10164 and SANS 10100
Works out the load on a lintel over a wall opening with the SANS 10400-K load triangle, then designs a reinforced masonry or RC lintel, or gives the design load and end bearing of a precast lintel. Free, no install, with a calc sheet and a bending schedule.
No install, no card. No account needed for the result; a free account opens 3 designs a month with every check, the calc sheet and the bending schedule.
What the calculator checks.
Every check is shown with its clause and a pass or fail; the full calc sheet shows the working.
- The load: the masonry inside the 60° load triangle on 1.1 × the clear span when the masonry above and beside the opening is enough for arching (SANS 10400-K Annex B.3), otherwise the full height of masonry
- Slab, roof and point loads spread at 45°: in full inside the triangle, 50 % in the interaction zone, none above it
- Load combinations 1.2G + 1.6Q and 1.35G + 1.0Q, and the service load (SANS 10160-1)
- Reinforced masonry lintel or bond beam: bending, shear, links, span/depth and deflection, anchorage, cover (SANS 10164-2)
- Cast-in-situ RC lintel: bars and links laid out and checked by the STATIX beam engine (SANS 10100-1)
- Precast prestressed lintel: the design load for the manufacturer’s table, the minimum bearing (SANS 10400-K 4.2.9.3.5) and the end bearing on the masonry (SANS 10164-1 cl. 5.4.3)
Codes: SANS 10400-K Annex B (load triangle), SANS 10160-1 (load combinations), SANS 10164-2 (reinforced masonry), SANS 10100-1 (reinforced concrete), SANS 10164-1 cl. 5.4.3 (bearing)
A tool to check a design, not a design approval. Check the results and have the design signed by a registered professional engineer.
Short answers.
About this free calculator.
Is the lintel calculator free?
Yes. The design, every check and the result are free to use, signed in or not.
Do I need an account?
No account is needed to design: the checks and the result show on the page, with a summary calc sheet. A free STATIX account opens 3 designs a month: every check, the calc sheet and the bending schedule of one calculator for 24 hours. No card is asked for.
Which load does the lintel carry?
When the masonry above is high enough and continuous beside the opening, the lintel carries the masonry inside a 60 degree triangle on 1.1 times the clear span, the loads inside the triangle and half of those in the interaction zone, spread at 45 degrees (SANS 10400-K Annex B). Otherwise it carries the full height of masonry and every load above it.
Does it design precast prestressed lintels?
No. For a precast lintel it gives the design load and checks the end bearing; check the unit against the manufacturer’s load table for the design load shown.
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