Welcome to the new CWC Digital Resource Hub (BETA)

en-ca

WoodWorks®

Sizer

$210 /yearly subscription (USD)
A 10-day trial period activates upon installation

With WoodWorks® Sizer, size beams, joists, columns, wall studs and panels constructed from lumber, timber, glulam, structural composite lumber, I-joists and CLT.
  • Specify dead, live, snow, wind, seismic and other load types distributed as point, line, area, triangular, and trapezoidal loads for up to 100 loads per member
  • Analyzes all load combinations as per IBC and ASCE 7, including partial loading, and concentrated live loads
  • Designs for all critical load combinations for shear, bending, deflection, and bearing at supports
  • Optimizes structural member size using material database and generates a material list for design
  • Includes editable database to add or modify custom wood materials
  • Designs light-frame floor systems using Sizer in Autodesk Revit® through MWF Pro Wood extension.


Design Structures (Concept Mode)


Design Structural Members (Beam & Column Mode)

Software Edition

Image for illustrative purposes only. This is a digital product. No physical item will be provided.

WoodWorks®

Shearwalls

WoodWorks® Shearwalls, design light wood frame structures up to 6 storeys. At the push of a button, wind and seismic loads are generated, forces are distributed, and shearwalls are designed.

$250 /yearly subscription (USD)
A 10-day trial period activates upon installation

Software Edition

Image for illustrative purposes only. This is a digital product. No physical item will be provided.

WoodWorks®

Connections

With WoodWorks® Connections, you can design connections consisting of nails, lag screws, wood screws, bolts, shear plates, heavy steel plates, and more. The results are displayed as fully dimensioned CAD quality drawings.

$60 /yearly subscription (USD)
A 10-day trial period activates upon installation

Software Edition

Image for illustrative purposes only. This is a digital product. No physical item will be provided.

Why professionals use it?

WoodWorks Software® is developed by Canadian Wood Council staff with expert knowledge and experiences with building codes and wood design standards.

Use a single license across multiple users without additional fees. Each license purchased grants one simultaneous use of the software.

Get expert assistance at no cost whenever you need it. Our dedicated support team is ready to help you maximize the value of your WoodWorks® license.

Add and design proprietary wood products (e.g., structural composite lumber, I-joists with ease).

Integrate your designs with industry-leading tools like Revit® (through MWF Pro Wood) and CadWork® for faster workflows and project efficiency.

Explore New Possibilities

There’s a New Way to Design Wood Buildings

Always Compliant with Canada and US Regulations

Built to align with Canada’s CSA O86 and NBC, as well as US codes and standards including IBC, ASCE-7, NDS, and SDPWS. Your projects meet safety and quality standards.

Access free technical support and resources to navigate wood design through WoodWorks Software® with ease and efficiency.

Access cutting-edge tools, resources, and expert guidance to navigate every stage of planning, design, and execution with ease and efficiency.

Easy to Use and Flexible Subscription Options

Enjoy user-friendly features and flexible subscription options designed to fit the needs of your project and your budget.

WoodWorks Sizer | US Edition

Documentation

WoodWorks Sizer System Requirements

*Currently not compatible with tablets and touch screen laptops.

System Requirements Minimum Recommended Notes
Processor Speed
1 GHz
2 GHz
Single core; or equivalent performance in multiple core processors
RAM
1 GB
4 GB
Screen Resolution (px)
1024×768
1440×900
Wide screen, adjust for other aspect ratios. Does not support screen resolutions with a width greater than 2800 pixels. Cannot be reliably used on 4K systems
Free Hard Drive Space
80 MB
150 MB
Minimum is for download and installation; recommended includes 100 typical project files.

Required Operating Systems

Microsoft Windows Home, Pro, Enterprise and Education/SE editions

Microsoft Windows Home, Pro, Enterprise and Education/SE editions

Software Versions & Building Codes

Canadian Versions

Version 2020 (v.11) – Released December 2020: Conforms to the CSA O86-19 and the NBC 2015

Update 5: Released Sept 2024: Conforms to the CSA O86-19, NBC 2015, NBC 2020 (Sizer)

Update 4: Released Dec 2023: Conforms to the CSA O86-19 and the NBC 2015

Update 3: Released June 2022: Conforms to the CSA O86-19 and the NBC 2015

Update 2: Released April 2021: Conforms to the CSA O86-19 and the NBC 2015

Update 1: Released March 2021: Conforms to the CSA O86-19 and the NBC 2015

Version 10 – Released Feb 2018: Conforms to the CSA O86-14 (Updates 1 and 2) and the NBC 2015

Version 9 – Released Sep 2014: Conforms to the CSA O86-09/CSA O86-14 and NBC 2010

Version History

US Versions

Version 2023 (v.13) – Released Dec 2022: Conforms to NDS 2018, IBC 2021, ASCE 7-16 and SDPWS 2021

Version 2019 (v.12) – Released Dec 2019: Conforms to NDS 2018, IBC 2018, ASCE 7-16 and SDPWS 2015 

Update 4: Released October 2021: Conforms to NDS 2018, IBC 2018, ASCE 7-16 and SDPWS 2015

Update 3: Released September 2021: Conforms to NDS 2018, IBC 2018, ASCE 7-16 and SDPWS 2015

Update 2: Released June 2021: Conforms to NDS 2018, IBC 2018, ASCE 7-16 and SDPWS 2015

Update 1: Released May 2020: Conforms to NDS 2018, IBC 2018, ASCE 7-16 and SDPWS 2015

Version 11 – Released Nov 2016: Conforms to NDS 2015, IBC 2015, ASCE 7-10 and SDPWS 2015

Version History

WoodWorks Sizer System Requirements

*Currently not compatible with tablets and touch screen laptops.

System Requirements Minimum Recommended Notes
Processor Speed
1 GHz
2 GHz
Single core; or equivalent performance in multiple core processors
RAM
1 GB
4 GB
Screen Resolution (px)
1024×768
1440×900
Wide screen, adjust for other aspect ratios. Does not support screen resolutions with a width greater than 2800 pixels. Cannot be reliably used on 4K systems
Free Hard Drive Space
80 MB
150 MB
Minimum is for download and installation; recommended includes 100 typical project files.

Required Operating Systems

Microsoft Windows Home, Pro, Enterprise and Education/SE editions

Microsoft Windows Home, Pro, Enterprise and Education/SE editions

Frequently Asked Questions

WoodWorks Sizer FAQ

Are live and snow loads input as factored loads?

All loads which are input into Sizer are unfactored. Once the design has been run, Sizer automatically factors the loads based on the appropriate load cases for the applicable code and standards the software conforms to.

Can I import a CAD drawing into Sizer’s Concept Mode?

At this time it is not possible to import a CAD drawing into concept mode. To create a model of a structure, it is recommended to either generate a grid based on the specified snap increment (Settings, View tab), or to place gridlines manually by clicking on the blank concept mode screen. When a specific gridline is clicked on, it is possible to remove the gridline by clicking the delete key or the gridlines name and location can be modified in the data bar.

Can Sizer be utilized to calculate the shear and moment at different points in a member?

The Point of Interest button located on the toolbar is used to investigate the shear and moment at any point along the length of a beam or column. A point of interest is generated by specifying a “Location from Left” to perform the analysis, and clicking “Add” to add this to your list. Several points of interest can be specified. After performing a design, the results for the points of interest will be shown in the Diagrams window and in the Analysis results output.

Designers may require shear or moment forces at specific points of interest. For example, for many types of connections, designers are required to check the shear capacity of the member at the connection location. WoodWorks® Connections provides the effective shear capacity of a wood member at a connection location. Using the Point of Interest function, a designer could determine the corresponding design shear force. This is also very useful to determine what the shear and bending is at a notch or hole.

WoodWorks Sizer is capable of interfacing with cadwork® and Revit®. Third party interface programs are capable of automatically sizing beams either by opening Sizer and running the design, or by running Sizer in the background. The resulting beam size is automatically brought in to the cadwork® or Revit® model. The cadwork® link is imbedded directly in the program. The Revit® link is done by a third party program created by Structsoft solutions. Please see the following link for more information on 3rd party interface with Sizer.

How can I design Structural Composite Lumber (SCL) such as PSL, LVL, or LSL using Sizer?

A growing amount of manufacturers of SCL products are sharing the cost to include some of their SCL products in Sizer. A list of participating manufacturers is included on our website under the Proprietary Products section.
The manufacturer’s participation options are to:

a) Provide a database to designers that can be added to the software database
b) Work with the software developer through the CWC to include some or all of their solid rectangular (not engineered I-joists) products in the generic version of Sizer
c) Work with the software developer through the CWC to develop a fully customized version of Sizer that can include all products including I-joists.

If the manufacturer you typically specify products from is not already included in the software, it is recommended that you contact them and ask them if they have an updated material database for you or would be willing to create one for you. You can request that they contact us should they wish to have their database included with the installation of the software.

You can create your own custom SCL database using the databases editor:
If you have a SCL custom database file and would like to implement it into the software, you are going to need to place the file in the following two locations on your computer. Make sure you do this in both locations or else it will not work.

For USA Design Office 11:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Woodworks\CWC\USA\11
C:\ProgramData\WoodWorks\CWC\USA\11

For Canadian Design Office 10:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Woodworks\CWC\Canada\10
C:\ProgramData\WoodWorks\CWC\Canada\10

Once the file has been placed in the above locations, it will be necessary to open the database editor and ensure that the database is set to “use”. The next time you open Sizer, the database will be available for selection.

How do I enter an actual size of a member that is the same as one of the existing nominal sizes?

For the US edition of the software, it may be that the actual size you wish to enter is the same as a nominal size in the Sizer database.

Example: if you wish to enter the full 2″ width of undressed lumber, rather than the 1.5” planed width. Sizer will in this case select the nominal size when you type in the number “2”. However, if you type in 2.001, Sizer will interpret this as an actual size, and even though it rounds the number and shows it as “2” the nomenclature for the width and depth input will display “in” rather than “nom in” and treat it as an actual size. When following this method, it is necessary to input the exact depth as well, if the depth is left as unknown, then the design results will revert back to nominal dimensions.

For the Canadian edition of the software, it is possible to input the exact dimensions of a member by specifying the material as “Rough Lumber”. Using the “Rough Lumber” material allows the user to input specific member dimensions.

Sizer crashes whenever I click on Loads input View.

This is a known issue with Sizer and is due to some background programming in Microsoft Windows. To resolve the issue, enable the “Show loads view in a pop-up Window” feature in the Settings, Preferences tab.

Looking for WoodWorks Sizer Support?

Let us Know How We Can Help You

Our technical team is available to support you throughout your WoodWorks Software® journey during regular office hours. 

Other Products

Take a moment to explore our other software products, designed to assist you in designing your next project.

WoodWorks® Sizer

With WoodWorks® Sizer, size beams, joists…

$210 /yearly 10-day trial period available.

WoodWorks® Shearwalls

With WoodWorks® Sizer, size beams, joists…

$250 /yearly 10-day trial period available.

WoodWorks® Connections

With WoodWorks® Sizer, size beams, joists…

$60 /yearly 10-day trial period available.