The CivilWeb LVL Column Design Spreadsheet makes laminated veneer lumber column sizing 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 LVL Column 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%.
LVL column design has become increasingly popular in modern construction, thanks to the strength, consistency, and reliability of laminated veneer lumber (LVL), which keeps improving in quality and cost all the time. Whether you’re working on residential, commercial, or industrial projects, LVL columns provide excellent load-carrying capacity with the added benefit of engineered uniformity.
What is an LVL Column?
Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) is an engineered wood product made by bonding thin layers of timber veneers together with adhesives under heat and pressure.
An LVL column is a vertical structural element designed to resist axial loads (compression) and sometimes bending. Compared to solid sawn timber, LVL offers:
- ✅ Higher strength and stiffness
- ✅ Consistent quality (fewer natural defects)
- ✅ Availability in long lengths and large sections
- ✅ Excellent performance under heavy loads
Methods for LVL Column Design
✔️ Manufacturer’s Design Tables
- Quick reference for standard LVL products.
- Great for simple checks, but limited for non-standard conditions or cross checking other LVL types.
✔️ Manual Calculations
- Using design codes such as BS EN 1995-1-1 or BS268-2.
- Accurate but time-consuming and prone to calculation mistakes.
- Requires a great deal of experience to complete efficiently.
✔️ Design Spreadsheets & Software
- Automate axial, bending and shear checks.
- Provide instant pass/fail results.
- Allow rapid adjustments for load cases, column sizes, and material strengths.
Benefits of Using an LVL Column Design Spreadsheet
A LVL Column Design Spreadsheet can dramatically speed up the process by:
- Checking axial load capacity, bending and shear resistances automatically
- Allowing quick comparisons of column sizes and loads
- Reducing errors in manual calculations
- Providing professional, printable results for engineers, architects, and builders
This makes it ideal for:
- Structural engineers designing multi-storey timber frames
- Architects verifying feasibility in early design stages
- Builders checking LVL columns on site
Students learning about engineered timber design
How to use the LVL Column Design Spreadsheet
Designing an LVL column using the LVL Column Design Spreadsheet requires careful consideration of:
- Applied Loads
- Axial compression, or sometimes tension, from floors, roofs, or other structural elements.
- Additional bending moments due to eccentric loading or lateral forces.
- Shear forces from horizontal loading.
- Material Properties
- The spreadsheet is automatically populated with design parameters from top manufacturers such as Kerto, Stora Enso and Steico as well as general design standards. LVL manufacturers can supply characteristic strengths and other design parameters as required and the spreadsheet allows the user to enter any design parameters to suit any LVL timber types.
- These values for LVL timbers are typically higher and more reliable than solid timber grades.
- Column Dimensions
- Finally the user inputs the required column dimensions including column breadth, depth and effective length.
The CivilWeb LVL Column Design Spreadsheet then undertakes all the necessary calculations demanded by BS EN 1995-1-1 or BS268-2 instantly. These include checks on compression or tension resistances, shear resistance, bending resistance and combined bending and compression/tension.
The calculations results are presented using a simple to understand utilisation value, including a green or red result summary. There is no chance of any confusion.
In addition to the presented calculations, the spreadsheet instantly completes similar calculations for dozens of alternative column depths. This data is presented in our unique optimisation tool, a graph showing exactly what LVL column depth will satisfy the design conditions. This allows the user to instantly opimise the LVL column design, without having to re-run the whole calculation set over and over again.
LVL column design is essential for modern timber construction. With their superior strength, reliability, and availability, LVL columns are a go-to choice for many structural applications.
While manual calculations and tables are still useful, a design spreadsheet saves time, improves accuracy, and provides professional results — making it the best solution for engineers and builders.
👉 Ready to simplify your workflow? Try our LVL Column Design Spreadsheet today for only £19.99 and cut calculation time dramatically.
