Which statement best defines a lintel?

Which statement best defines a lintel?

• A. The horizontal member forming the bottom of a window opening.
• B. The vertical post that supports a lintel.
• C. The supporting structure over an exterior roof deck.
• D. The diagonal brace in a roof truss.

Answer: (C)

A lintel is the horizontal structural member that spans an opening in a wall and carries the load from above to the sides. It sits over doors and windows, not at the bottom—where the bottom piece is the sill. It isn’t a vertical post (that would be a jamb or column), and it isn’t the structure over a roof deck or a diagonal brace in a truss. So the essential idea is a horizontal beam that carries the load across an opening in a wall.

A lintel is the horizontal structural member that spans an opening in a wall and carries the load from above to the sides. It sits over doors and windows, not at the bottom—where the bottom piece is the sill. It isn’t a vertical post (that would be a jamb or column), and it isn’t the structure over a roof deck or a diagonal brace in a truss. So the essential idea is a horizontal beam that carries the load across an opening in a wall.