When to use: Design a wood structural panel shear wall resisting lateral force. Enter the applied lateral shear V at the top of the wall, the wall length b, and height h. The tool computes the unit shear v, overturning moment, boundary chord / hold-down force, and checks the panel against the selected APA/SDPWS nailing schedule and the h:b ≤ 3.5:1 aspect-ratio limit for blocked shear walls.
Design wood structural panel shear walls for lateral force resistance per AWC SDPWS-2021. Compute unit shear demand, overturning moment, chord and hold-down tension force, and check the applied demand against the selected APA nailing schedule capacity and the h:b ≤ 3.5:1 aspect ratio limit.
Enter the lateral shear V at the top of the wall, wall length b, and wall height h. The tool computes unit shear v = V/b (plf), overturning moment M = V·h, and the chord/hold-down tension force T = V·h/b that must be resisted by boundary members and anchor bolts. The selected APA nailing schedule provides the allowable unit shear (plf) for comparison.
Unit shear: v = V/b (plf). Overturning moment: M = V·h. Chord tension: T = M/b = V·h/b. DCR = v/v_allowable. Aspect ratio: h/b ≤ 3.5:1 for fully blocked wood structural panel shear walls (AWC SDPWS-2021 §4.3.4). Allowable unit shear values depend on panel thickness, species group, and nail size/spacing from APA E30 tables.
Use for wood-frame residential and light commercial construction where wood structural panels (OSB or plywood) resist wind or seismic lateral loads. Multiple shear walls in parallel share the story shear in proportion to their rigidity or length (for flexible diaphragms). Verify that hold-down forces can be transferred to the foundation.
Unit shear v (plf — pounds per linear foot) is the lateral load V divided by the wall length b. This is the shear flow that the sheathing panel and nailing must resist. Allowable unit shear values from AWC SDPWS or APA E30 tables define the capacity for a specific panel-nail combination.
A hold-down (tie-down) is a metal connector anchored to the boundary (chord) post and bolted to the foundation or framing below. It resists the tension force T = V·h/b generated by overturning. Hold-downs are sized from the chord tension computed here; they must also be checked for anchor bolt pull-out into concrete.
AWC SDPWS-2021 limits h:b to 3.5:1 for fully blocked panels. For h:b between 2:1 and 3.5:1, a shear capacity adjustment factor Bs = 2b/h is applied, reducing the tabulated allowable shear. Unblocked walls have stricter limits. Walls with h:b > 3.5:1 are not permitted as shear walls.
A shear wall resists lateral load through in-plane shear in the panel, transferring forces via nails to boundary chords and sill plates. A moment frame relies on bending stiffness of columns and beams to resist lateral drift through moment resistance at joints. Shear walls are generally stiffer and more economical for wood construction.