Lintel
A lintel is the structural member spanning over a door or window opening in a wall frame, transferring load around the opening to the studs on each side.
Ask Chalkline about this →A lintel is the horizontal structural member that spans across the top of a door or window opening in a wall frame. Its job is to transfer the load from above (roof, floor, or wall loads) around the opening and down into the trimmer studs and full studs on each side.
In residential timber framing, lintel sizes are determined from the AS 1684 span tables based on the load width above the opening, the opening width, the wind classification, and the timber stress grade. The wider the opening and the greater the load above, the larger the lintel required.
Lintels in external walls carry greater loads than internal walls due to wind pressure and roof or floor loads. In cyclone-prone areas (AS 1684.3), lintel connections also need to be designed for uplift forces, not just gravity loads.
Common lintel options in residential framing include multiple pieces of 90 mm or 120 mm framing timber nailed together, engineered LVL lintels (sized from the manufacturer’s tables, not AS 1684), and steel flitch beams. LVL lintels are common over wide garage door openings where timber sizes become impractical.
Also known as: Header (US term, rarely used in AU).
Category: Structural / Framing.
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Last updated: 2026-05-08. Verified: 2026-05-08.