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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between skewed and sloped?
Skew is the angle in plan; slope is the angle in elevation.
Skew means the joist meets the header at other than a right angle looking down.
Slope means the joist rises or falls relative to the support looking from the side.
They are different angles and different parts.
Confusing them is the commonest ordering error in this range.
A joint can require both at once, which is a different part again.
Where does each occur?
Skew appears on bay windows, angled walls, hipped roofs and non-rectangular plans.
Slope appears with rafters, pitched work and framing beside stairs.
Both together occur on hip and valley framing.
Standard hangers assume ninety degrees in both planes.
Anything else needs the geometry built into the hanger.
Identifying which plane the angle is in comes before choosing a size.
Can I bend a standard hanger to fit?
No - it voids the rating and work-hardens the steel at the bend.
The connection then has no published capacity at all.
Work-hardened galvanised steel can crack at the fold.
Some hangers permit limited field adjustment within stated limits.
Those limits are narrow and explicitly published.
Outside them, a purpose-made skewed or sloped hanger is the only correct answer.
Does capacity change with the angle?
Yes, and it generally reduces as the angle increases.
Bearing and fastener geometry both become less efficient.
That reduction is published rather than left to judgement.
A skewed hanger should never be specified at a standard hanger's figure.
Steeper angles can reduce capacity substantially.
The manufacturer's table for the specific angle is what applies.
Are these stock items?
Common angles are stocked; anything else is made to order.
Standard increments cover the most frequent situations.
Custom angles carry a longer lead time.
That makes accurate measurement before ordering important.
A custom hanger cannot be adjusted on site if the angle is wrong.
Measuring what was actually built beats scaling from a drawing.
How is the angle measured?
From the built condition rather than from the drawing.
Framing as built frequently differs from framing as drawn.
Plan angle and elevation angle are measured separately.
An angle finder or bevel gauge is used against the actual members.
The direction of skew - left or right - also has to be stated.
Manufacturers define how they express handing, and conventions differ between them.
Do the fastener rules still apply?
Fully - the schedule carries the rating here as it does throughout the range.
Every specified hole must take the specified fastener.
Angled flanges can make some holes awkward to reach.
Awkward access is not a reason to leave a hole empty.
Nail guns may not reach every position on a skewed hanger.
Planning the fixing sequence before the joist is dropped in makes it achievable.