Joist hanger
A joist hanger is a pressed-steel bracket that carries a floor or deck joist end at a bearer or ledger. Sizing, fixing rules, and face-fix vs top-flange.
Ask Chalkline about this →A joist hanger is a pressed galvanised-steel bracket that supports the end of a floor or deck joist where it meets a bearer, beam, or ledger. The joist drops into the U-shaped saddle and is fixed through the bracket into both the joist and the supporting member, so the hanger carries the joist’s end reaction (its share of the gravity load) into the support. It is the neat alternative to housing or skew-nailing a joist onto a bearer, and often the only practical way to hang a joist off the face of an LVL or steel beam.
How it is used
- Sized to the joist. Hangers come in stock depths to match the joist (90, 140, 240 mm and so on) and in light or heavy-duty load ratings. The hanger must suit both the joist size and the end reaction it carries.
- Face-fix vs top-flange. Face-fix hangers nail to the face of the bearer or ledger; top-flange (saddle) hangers hook over the top of the beam. Access and the supporting member decide which.
- Decks and exposed work. On a deck, durability matters: heavier galvanising or stainless steel to suit the corrosion environment, matched to the joist’s treatment and fixings.
Why fixing it right matters
A hanger is only rated if it is fixed the way the maker specifies. The usual failures:
- Wrong fasteners. Use the connector nails or screws the manufacturer nominates, not bullet-head nails or whatever is in the gun. The rating assumes the specified fixing.
- Holes left empty. Each nominated hole carries part of the load; skipping holes drops capacity below the rating.
- Joist not seated. The joist end must bear in the saddle, not hang on the nails alone.
It is a framing connector, but unlike a triple grip (which mainly resists tie-down uplift), a joist hanger’s job is to carry gravity load at a joist end.
Also known as: joist bracket, hanger, joist support bracket.
Category: Structure / connectors
Related
- Framing anchors and tie-down connectors, the wider connector family a hanger belongs to
- Residential decks, where joist hangers carry the deck frame off the bearer or ledger
- AS 1684, the residential timber-framing standard behind connector use
See also
- Coach screws, one fixing option into a bearer or ledger
- LVL beams, a common member to hang joists off
- Steel beams, where top-flange hangers hook over the top
Last updated: 2026-05-26. Verified: 2026-05-26. Quarterly review for currency.