Is 2×6 House stronger than 2×4?
Is 2x6 House stronger than 2x4? The total bearing area of three 2x4s is 15 3/4 square inches; two 2x6s have a bearing area of 16 square inches. In bending, however, such as from a wind load, a 2x6 wall is considerably stronger. Should exterior walls be 2x4 or 2x6? Modern conventional home building normally makes use of 2x4 lumber (top line above, second from left) in constructing exterior walls. But 2x6 framing, which is a little more than 1.5 times wider, is a common upgrade and is required by some local building codes. Can load bearing walls be 2x4?...