Trimmer stud

A trimmer stud is the shortened vertical stud that supports each end of a lintel over a door or window opening, carrying the lintel load down to the bottom plate. It runs from the bottom plate up to the underside of the lintel, not full height, which is what distinguishes it from the studs around it.

How it sits at an opening. At a typical opening:

• A full-height common stud runs plate to plate alongside the opening.
• The trimmer stud is fixed against that full-height stud and stops at the underside of the lintel, forming the seat the lintel bears on.

So the lintel sits on the trimmer studs, and the trimmer studs are fixed back to the full-height common studs beside them. Both ends of the lintel are supported this way.

Sizing. The trimmer stud’s size comes from the AS 1684 span tables, based on the lintel load it carries, the wall load width, and the timber stress grade. A wider opening with a heavier lintel may need a thicker or doubled trimmer.

Why it matters. The trimmer stud is part of the load path from the lintel to the floor. At the frame inspection, the certifier checks that lintels are supported by correctly sized trimmer studs at each end and that the trimmers are properly fixed to the full-height studs alongside. A lintel that bears on an undersized or poorly fixed trimmer is a defect, regardless of how the opening looks.

Also known as: jack stud, trimming stud.

Related

• Common stud
• Lintel
• Bottom plate
• AS 1684
• Frame inspection checklist

See also

• Span tables
• Stress grade
• Timber framing basics

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Last updated: 2026-05-25. Verified: 2026-05-25. Quarterly review for currency.