Beam Calculator

AISC 360 uses 29 000 ksi (200 GPa) for structural steel. Sawn lumber and engineered wood values come from the AWC NDS Supplement for the species and grade.
From the shape tables for the section you are checking.
Optional. Supplying it gives the bending stress at the maximum moment.
Optional. Supplying it gives the section modulus that stress would require at the computed moment.
Maximum deflection
0.2069 in
Beam Deflection Calculator
Reaction at each support
5,000.0 lbf
Reaction at each support
22.2411 kN
Maximum shear
5,000.0 lbf
Maximum bending moment
25,000.0 lbft
Maximum bending moment
33.8954 kNm
Maximum deflection
5.255 mm
Span / deflection ratio (L/x)
1,160.0
Total load carried
10,000.0 lbf
Worked out from AISC Steel Construction Manual, Table 3-23: Shears, Moments and Deflections and 2 other sources.
Elastic, small-deflection, prismatic-beam results for the single load case chosen. Real beams carry combinations of dead, live, snow and wind load, and their capacity is governed by more than bending.
This tool evaluates published elastic formulas for the beam and load you describe. It is NOT a beam design and does not replace a licensed engineer’s design and check. It does not apply load factors or load combinations, does not check shear, bearing, lateral-torsional buckling, web crippling, local buckling, connections, deflection limits, fire or serviceability, and takes no account of material grade, defects or duration of load. Do not size a beam, joist, header or lintel from this output.

How this is worked out

5 steps
  1. Case: Simply supported, uniform load, span 20 ft.
  2. Reaction = 5000 lb (22.241 kN); maximum shear the same.
  3. Maximum moment = 25000 lb-ft (33.895 kN m).
  4. Maximum deflection = 0.2069 in (5.255 mm), i.e. L/1160.
  5. No section modulus given, so the bending stress is not reported.

Results are general information, not financial, tax, legal, medical or engineering advice.