What is a floor joist?
Floor joists are used to support a floor that spans over an open area, like over a basement, crawl space or lower floor level or between shed floor beams. It is like a mini bridge that is only supported at each end. When many joists are installed next to each other and a sub-floor sheeting like plywood or Oriented Strand Board, (OSB), is nailed on top they create a large floor area called a “floor system”.
They are used mostly for residential and light commercial construction like small offices. They are fairly inexpensive, between $1.00 to $2.00 per lineal foot, for the benefit they provide. This article answers the questions of What Are Floor Joists and What Is A Floor Joist by by describing their uses, how they are made and the types of applications they are used for.