Finding wall studs isn’t always simple. The process gets a lot easier if you know how wide wall studs are and how deep a stud partition wall is.
We’ll go through the many aspects of finding wall studs in your home in this article. Continue reading to learn how to determine the width of wall studs.
Table of Contents
How wide are wall studs typically?
Typical wall studs are four inches wide and two inches thick. The average space between wall studs is 16 to 24 inches. To find wall studs, just tap the wall with your palm or a hammer and listen for a shallow sound.
Studs are used as supporting frames for walls. They are set around the house at regular intervals to keep it upright. Most houses have two-by-four wall studs, which are about 4 inches wide and 2 inches thick.
In most cases, studs are spaced 16 to 24 inches apart. For instance, the space between two wall studs might be either 16 or 24 inches. The studs may be placed 12 or 18 inches apart if the house was built before WWII.
Dimensions and kinds of wall studs:
The size of the studs varies depending on the kind of frame you’re using. Wall studs are available in a wide range of sizes and forms. Let’s look at some of the most common kinds of wall studs:
king-sized studs:
King studs are found on both sides of a door or window. They are used to determine how large the rough holes should be. A king stud must be put vertically from the bottom plate to the top plate.
The width of a king stud matches the width of the other studs in the frame. Although king studs serve as the frame’s ending point, they will be installed in the same manner as regular studs.
Headers:
Headers are studs that run horizontally. They’re commonly made from massive logs measuring 2 by 10 to 12 inches in length.
The header should be 2 inches broad and 8 inches long if the gap width is between 4 and 5 feet. The header should be 2 inches wide and 12 inches long if the gap is larger.
If you’re unsure, a 2 by 12-inch heading is the best bet.
Trimmer studs:
Trimmer studs face the entryway and are joined to the king studs. These studs, which are connected to the king studs, support the windows and door gaps. It gives the current window or door frame more solidity.
Trimmer studs will be the same width as the ordinary studs next to them. As a consequence, the width of the king studs determines the majority of its width. Trimmer studs are also known as jack studs.
Cripple studs:
Cripple studs are installed between the top plate of the wall and the header studs. The distance between the studs should be 16 inches. They add to the stability of the building by providing additional support.
The cripple studs should be the same width as the king and header studs around them.
What are the dimensions of metal wall studs?
The bulk of metal wall studs is made of cold-formed steel. They’re typically 1 5/8 inch wide.
A metal wall stud measuring 1 5/8 inches by 4 inches may easily replace a 2 by 4-inch wood stud. A 1 5/8 by 6-inch metal wall stud may also be used to replace a 2 by 6-inch wooden stud.
What are the measurements of garage studs?
The dimension of the garage wall studs should be 2 by 4 inches. On average, they are two inches wide and four inches deep.
How far apart should studs be placed?
16 or 24 inches between wall studs are recommended. This is the distance between two wall studs’ centers.
If the distance between two studs is not 16 inches, they must be 24 inches apart.
How deep does a stud partition wall go?
The depth of a stud partition wall is determined by the size of the building space. The standard guideline is that wood stud partition walls should be around 5 inches thick.
A two-by-four wall stud should be 4 and a half inches thick on average.
How deep is a stud under the drywall?
Studs behind drywall normally measure two by four inches vertically. In the center, they’re normally 16 to 24 inches apart.
Note that standard 8-foot-long walls in your home are supported by 92-inch-long wall studs. The studs for a 9-foot wall are about 104 inches long.
How many studs will I need?
The number of studs needed is mostly influenced by the size of the room. The larger the room, the more studs you’ll need.
To figure out how many walls studs you’ll need, multiply the length of the wall by 0.75.
Three wall studs are required for each 90-degree corner in the room. In addition, four wall studs should be added to each 45-degree corner in the room.
You may use this simple method to find out how many walls studs you’ll need.
How can I figure out how big my studs are?
The size of your wall studs may be determined in a variety of ways. Check out this step-by-step guide to learn how to easily measure your wall stud size without any special tools:
Begin at the furthest corner of the house:
The bulk of the studs is 16–24 inches apart. Start measuring 16 inches from the corner of the room. You’ll almost probably find a stud at 24 inches if you can’t find one there.
Look for electric outlets:
Electric outlets and light switches are often placed near studs. They are sometimes placed on top of them.
As a consequence, check for electrical outlets and switches to begin counting wall studs.
Making use of a stud finder
You can easily determine the size of the wall studs after you’ve located them. For this, you’ll need a stud finder. It will automatically measure the width and height of the studs under your house’s walls.
Stud finders cost between $5 and $10. You may use either an electric or a magnetic stud finder.
How do you discover studs in a plaster wall without a stud finder?
Finding a stud beneath plaster walls might be challenging. Magnetic stud finders will not be of much use in this circumstance. You can still discover studs in plastic walls without a stud finder if you follow these steps:
Purchasing a magnet
Studs are fastened to the wall using nails. A magnet will help you discover the wall studs by picking up the nails that are connected to them.
Make sure you have a strong enough magnet in your hand to do the job. You’ll get the best results if you can hang the magnet from a piece of thread.
As you move the magnet back and forth, pay attention to how it moves. It will attract nails from behind the wall and help you find studs in a plaster wall.
Knocking it out:
A knock test may be performed to manually detect studs in a plaster wall if you don’t have a stud finder. Simply knock on the wall and listen to the sound pitch fluctuation it produces.
You’ll notice that the sound is stronger when there’s no stud underneath. The sound will be higher in pitch if there is a wall stud in the plaster wall.
Conclusion:
Wall studs are typically 2 inches thick and 4 inches wide. The usual stud spacing is 16 or 24 inches between them. Simply tapping studs beneath a wall with a hammer might uncover them. You might also use a magnetic stud finder to finish the job.