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Frequently Asked Questions
How does a face-mount hanger carry the load?
The joist bears on the seat, and the seat's load goes into nails through the flanges.
Those fasteners work in shear against the header.
It fixes flat to the face of the supporting member.
Nothing is required above the header, which is its main advantage.
It is the default connection other hangers are compared against.
The path is bearing into shear rather than fastener withdrawal.
Does every nail hole have to be filled?
Yes - the published capacity assumes the specified fastener in every hole.
A half-nailed hanger has no rating anyone can quote.
It is by a wide margin the commonest defect found on inspection.
Some holes are marked for optional or seismic use and are identified as such.
Substituting screws for the tested nails invalidates the figure too.
The schedule is part of the product rather than guidance.
Why must the joist bear fully on the seat?
Because a joist short of the seat loads the fasteners instead of the bearing surface.
That is exactly the condition the hanger exists to prevent.
A gap at the seat is a defect rather than a tolerance.
A gap at the top of the joist is normal and acceptable.
The hanger must match the joist depth and width rather than merely accept it.
Oversized hangers packed out with offcuts are not an equivalent connection.
Does the header material matter?
A great deal - the nails have to be fully embedded in solid framing.
A hanger fixed into sheathing rather than framing achieves very little.
Short fasteners into engineered rim board are a frequent source of under-performance.
Manufacturers publish reduced values for some header materials.
Engineered timber products have their own fastener requirements.
Checking the table for the actual header material rather than the generic figure matters.
When would I use top-flange instead?
Where there is clearance above the header and speed matters.
A top-flange hanger hooks over the beam and puts load into its top.
That uses fewer fasteners and installs faster.
Face-mount is chosen when nothing may project above the header.
It also suits members of equal depth.
Where flooring or a further member sits directly on the beam, face-mount is the answer.
Can a hanger be modified to fit?
No - bending, cutting or drilling voids the rating entirely.
The steel is formed and holes placed as part of the tested product.
Field modification changes behaviour nobody has measured.
Where nothing standard fits, a skewed or custom hanger is ordered.
Some hangers permit limited adjustment, and those limits are stated explicitly.
Working outside them puts the connection outside any published capacity.
Are the load figures the same everywhere?
No - capacities and the approval marks behind them are published per market.
Test methods and safety factors differ between regimes.
A figure valid in one jurisdiction does not transfer to another.
The manufacturer's tables for the local market govern alongside the code.
On engineered structures the engineer's specification is what applies.
Substituting a visually similar hanger from another market is not a like-for-like change.