How to Measure for U-Shaped Beams

A U-shaped beam is sized by four numbers: the width of its face (the bottom you see from the floor), the height of each side, and its length. Get those four right and your beams will fit the room the way you pictured them. Type your sizes into the builder below to see your beam take shape, then open the full builder for your price.

What you need

• A tape measure, or a laser measure for long rooms
• A ladder and a helper for ceiling runs
• Painter's tape to mark where each beam will go
• A sketch of the ceiling to write your numbers on

A. Face / bottom width

The face is the board you look up at. Measure the outside width you want the beam to be from side to side. Most ceiling beams fall between 6 and 10 inches wide, and our most popular sizes are 6x6, 7x7, 8x8 and 9x9. A wider face reads heavier and suits taller ceilings; a narrower one keeps a lower room feeling open.

Tip: cut a strip of cardboard to the width you are considering and tape it to the ceiling. Look at it from where you usually sit before you decide.

B and C. Side heights

The sides hang down from the face. Measure how far down you want the beam to drop from the ceiling. For a standard beam both sides are the same height.

• Uneven ceiling or a beam against a wall: the left and right sides can be different heights.
• L-shaped beam: set one side to 0. You get a face and a single side, which works for wrapping the edge of a soffit or a beam tight to a wall.

Ceilings are rarely perfectly level. Measure the drop at both ends of each run and use the larger number so the beam covers any gap.

D. Length

Measure the full run from wall to wall, or between the points where the beam will stop, at the height the beam will sit. Measure each beam separately, even in rooms that look square. The builder takes lengths up to 40 feet; for longer runs, contact us and we will plan the joints with you.

Board thickness

Every beam is built from real wood boards. The builder starts at 3/4 inch boards and goes up to 2 inches. Thicker boards make a heavier, more solid-looking edge where the face meets the sides.

How many beams?

Mark each beam's path on the ceiling with painter's tape and step back before you order. Beams of the same size can be one line in the builder with a quantity; any beam with a different length or size gets its own line.

Wood and finish

You can build beams in white oak, red oak, hickory, maple, pine or poplar, unfinished or stained. See U-shaped wood beams for how the beams are built and installed.

Ready to price your beams?

Open the beam builder, enter your sizes, and you will see the price of each beam right away. Send it to us and we will check your sizes and email your quote.