Shear Wall

Segmented or perforated method per SDPWS 4.3.

Design diagram — updates live with your inputs

Wall Geometry & Openings

Total wall length (ft)i End to end

Wall height h (ft)i

Openings (WxH@X) (ft)i Comma-separated WxH@X; X = left edge position in ft. Used by both methods: perforated Co, and segmented 'auto' pier derivation

Full-height segments (ft)i Comma-separated lengths, or 'auto' to derive the rigid piers from the opening layout (segmented method)

Loads

Story shear V (lb)i Total in-plane shear

Seismic (vs wind)i Yes

Sheathing & Nailing

Sheathingi

Panel nominal thickness (in)i

Nail sizei

Edge nail spacing (in)i

Framingi

Deflection & Anchorage

Chord (end post) area (in^2)i End-post cross-section for the deflection bending term; 16.5 = 2-2x6

Anchorage slip Δa (in)i Hold-down elongation at the design load (catalog deflection)

NDS 2018 / SDPWS 2015

Validation, assumptions & limitations Download validation report (PDF) ↗

This calculator is verified by 4 independent tests comparing its output against closed-form statics, NDS/SDPWS design-standard values and published worked examples. Full case-by-case results are in the PDF report.

Assumptions

Segmented method; full-height segments resist the story shear.
Seismic ASD (nominal/2.0); DF-L/SP framing (no SG reduction).
Overturning T=v·h excludes resisting dead load (conservative).

Limitations

Unit-shear nominal is a SDPWS Table 4.3A lookup — method verification.
Rigidity/deflection uses representative apparent stiffness Ga (method verification, not an independent stiffness derivation).

Results are for preliminary design and must be confirmed by a licensed engineer against the current adopted code and project-specific conditions.