The CivilWeb Glulam Beam Design Spreadsheet makes glued laminated timber beam design quick, accurate, and code-compliant to BS EN 1995-1-1 or BS268-2 — so you can focus on engineering, not number crunching. Built for architects, engineers, and construction professionals, this tool eliminates repetitive calculations and reduces costly design errors.
The CivilWeb Glulam Beam Design Spreadsheet can be purchased lower down this page for only £19.99. Or why not buy our best value bundle? Our Full Timber Design Spreadsheet Suite can be purchased at the bottom of this page for only £49.99. This suite includes all 11 of our timber design spreadsheets and represents an incredible saving of more than 75%.
Glulam beam design has become a cornerstone of modern timber engineering. Glued Laminated Timber (Glulam) combines strength, sustainability, and flexibility, making it an ideal choice for long-span roofs, floors, and exposed structural elements.
What is a Glulam Beam?
Glulam (Glued Laminated Timber) is an engineered wood product made by bonding multiple layers of timber boards together with durable, moisture-resistant adhesives. The result is a structural element that is:
- ✅ Stronger than equivalent sawn timber sections
- ✅ Available in long spans and large depths
- ✅ Dimensionally stable with reduced warping and shrinkage
- ✅ Highly aesthetic, often left exposed in design
Glulam beams are used in:
- Roofs and floor systems
- Sports halls, auditoriums and other open space buildings
- Bridges and long-span structures
- Sustainable and eco-friendly projects
Methods for Glulam Beam Design
✔️ Manufacturer’s Tables
- Provide standard spans and loads for common beam sizes.
- Useful for quick checks, but limited for custom and unusual situations.
✔️ Manual Calculations
- Based on design standards like BS EN 1995-1-1 or BS268-2.
- Accurate but time-consuming and prone to calculation mistakes.
✔️ Spreadsheets & Software
- Automate checks for bending, shear, and deflection.
- Provide instant pass/fail results.
- Allow rapid iteration for different spans, loads, and beam sizes.
Why Use a Glulam Beam Design Spreadsheet?
A Glulam Beam Design Spreadsheet simplifies the process by:
- Checking all limit states automatically
- Saving hours compared to manual design
- Reducing the chance of human error
- Allowing quick comparison of alternative beam options
- Providing professional outputs for reports and site checks
This makes it perfect for:
- Structural engineers designing timber frames
- Architects during feasibility studies
- Builders & contractors verifying beam sizes on site
- Students learning timber design
How to use the Glulam Beam Design Spreadsheet
- Input Applied Loads
- Axial compression or tension loads from floors, roofs or other structural elements.
- Bending moments due to eccentric loading or lateral forces.
- Shear forces from horizontal loading.
- Material Properties
- The spreadsheet is capable of analysing glulam timber sections with any number of laminations in either horizontal or vertical orientations and strength classes. Design parameters are automatically calculated from these simple inputs.
- Beam Dimensions
- Finally the user inputs the required column dimensions including column breadth, depth and effective length. These can then easily be adjusted after the instant calculation results.
The CivilWeb Glulam Beam Design Spreadsheet automatically completes all the calculations required for design to the design standards BS EN 1995-1-1 or BS268-2. The results are presented in a clear and professional manner with full calculation readouts and simple green/red results shown in a simple optimisation score.
The spreadsheet also automatically completes the design calculations for other similar timber beam sections and presents these in a graph which the designer can use to optimize the glulam beam design at a glance, saving hours or iterative calculations.
Key Features
Why professionals use this tool:
- 📐 Automatic Beam Sizing – Quickly size glulam beams for different spans and loads.
- 📊 Load Capacity Checks – Includes bending, shear, compression/tension and deflection verifications.
- 📖 Code-Compliant – Built on BS EN 1995-1-1 or BS268-2 timber design standards.
- ✅ Pass/Fail Output – Immediate clarity on whether your design is safe.
- 🔄 Customisable – Adjust beam grades, safety factors, loads, and geometry.
- 🖥️ Engineer-Friendly Layout – Simple, clean layout and professional standard outputs.
Who Is It For?
This spreadsheet is ideal for:
- Structural Engineers designing timber structures
- Architects doing quick feasibility checks
- Builders & Contractors verifying site designs
- Students learning glulam and timber design
Why Use This Spreadsheet?
- Save hours compared to manual calculations
- Avoid costly mistakes in glulam beam design
- Produce professional results quickly
- Perfect for both preliminary sizing and final checks
Glulam beam design is vital for safe, efficient, and sustainable timber structures. With their high strength, long spans, and natural beauty, glulam beams are a preferred solution for many architects and engineers.
While span tables and manual calculations still have their uses, a design spreadsheet is the fastest, most accurate way to achieve professional results.
👉 Take the guesswork out of timber design — try our Glulam Beam Design Spreadsheet today and simplify your workflow.
