Types of Wall Studs

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The studs in the wall are the two-by-four framing members that form the structure of the wall and, for that matter, the entire house. Some wall studs perform specific functions, such as framing doorways and windows, and they have special names that relate to those functions. If you also consider the floor and ceiling, you'll find framing members with specific names, but instead of being two-by-fours, these are usually two-by-six or two-by-eight lumber.


Types of Wall Studs
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How Framers Construct a Wall

Inside a house, all you can see is the drywall, which is the preferred wall covering material in North America. In some older houses and in houses in other parts of the world, the walls may be covered with plaster. Either way, the wall studs form the underlying structure, and construction begins with fastening them together. That's the job of the framer.


It's possible to frame a wall in place, and that's how many walls are built. Some framers prefer to build walls on the ground and hoist them into place. Either way, the bulk of the wall is constructed with two-by-fours spaced 16 inches apart and connected to the top plate and the sole plate of the wall. The plates aren't technically types of studs, but they are obviously part of the wall, and they are constructed with the same material as studs.

Types of Studs Used for Doors and Windows

An important part of wall framing is creating the rough openings for doors and windows. These openings may be slightly modified during installation of the doors and windows, but ideally, they are constructed by the framer to the proper dimensions so that little modification is needed.


  • King studs

    The studs that determine the width of the rough opening are the king studs. They extend from the sole plate to the top plate and must be spaced to allow for the jack studs.

  • Jack studs

    The framer attaches the jack studs on the sides of the king studs that face the opening. They are also known as trimmer studs or simply trimmers, and their function is to support the top of the door or window opening, which is known as the header.

  • Headers

    Headers aren't always constructed with two-by-fours, but they may be. The header extends across the width of the door and window opening and is supported by the jack studs.


  • Cripple studs – The header must support the weight of the building above it, and to allow it to do this, the framer must nail short lengths of two-by-four material at 16-inch spacing between the header and the top plate of the wall. These are cripple studs or simply cripples.
  • Saddle or sill

    The saddle stud is the horizontal stud that forms the bottom of a window opening.

Names of Other Framing Members in a Typical House

Even though they aren't studs and aren't usually constructed with two-by-four material, several other framing members are just as important, so they also have special names.


  • Joists – The joists form the frame of every floor in a house. They run between the walls and support the subfloor, which is usually made of plywood or oriented strand board. People usually refer to the framing that supports the ceiling as joists, and that's usually because the ceiling of one room is the floor of another.
  • Rafters – The rafters form the roof of the house. They support the roof decking to which is attached the roof covering. If the roof is triangular, the rafters extend past the joists that form the attic floor and are attached to them. Rather than constructing joists and rafters separately, framers often install premade triangular roof sections known as trusses.




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