A framing plan is a structural drawing that shows how part of a building is framed — the load-carrying members beneath a floor or within a roof, seen from above. Where an architectural plan shows the space, a framing plan shows the structure: the joists, rafters, beams, bearing walls, columns, and openings that move loads safely down to the ground. This guide is the complete overview — what a framing plan is, the main types, what it contains, and how to draft one.
A floor framing plan: joists spanning onto two bearing walls
What a framing plan shows
Whatever part of the building it covers, a framing plan communicates the same essentials:
- Primary members — the repetitive structural members spanning a space (joists in a floor, rafters or trusses in a roof), with their direction and on-centre spacing.
- Beams and headers — larger members that gather loads and carry them to supports.
- Bearing walls and columns — what the members rest on, and where loads come down.
- Openings — stairs, chases, skylights, and other interruptions that need framing around them.
- Annotations — member callouts, dimensions, spans, and a title block.
To decode the marks themselves, see the reference on framing plan symbols.
The main types of framing plan
A building usually has more than one framing plan — typically one per level plus the roof:
| Type | Covers | Primary members |
|---|---|---|
| Floor framing plan | A floor structure | Joists, beams |
| Roof framing plan | The roof structure | Rafters or trusses, ridge, beams |
| Second-floor / upper-floor plan | An upper level | Joists, beams (loads stack) |
The two you will meet most often are the floor framing plan and the roof framing plan. Each is drawn separately, and on a multi-storey building they must coordinate so loads from above land on structure below — see second floor framing plans.
Who makes a framing plan, and when
A framing plan evolves in stages:
- Preliminary layout — early in design, a designer or drafter sketches how the structure could be framed. This is the coordination-and-feasibility stage, and it is exactly what Framing Plan is built for.
- Engineering review — a qualified engineer checks spans, sizes members, and confirms the structure for the loads and local code.
- Construction documents — the reviewed, detailed plan the crew builds from.
How to make a framing plan
At the preliminary stage the workflow is short and repeatable:
- Set the footprint.
- Choose the span direction of the joists or rafters (run them the efficient way).
- Set the on-centre spacing. (See floor joist spacing.)
- Confirm the bearing walls. (See load-bearing walls.)
- Add openings, a grid and columns, and annotations.
- Export to PDF, PNG, or DXF. (See file formats compared.)
The full step-by-step is in how to draft a preliminary framing plan.
Framing plan vs. floor plan
It is worth repeating because the mix-up is so common: the floor plan is architectural (rooms, walls, doors); the framing plan is structural (joists, rafters, beams, bearing). Same building, different question — one is about space, the other about support. The full comparison is in floor framing plan vs. floor plan.
Keep it preliminary
A framing plan you draft yourself is a preliminary layout aid — invaluable for exploring and communicating structural intent, but not a substitute for qualified engineering. Spans, member sizes, and code compliance must be confirmed by a licensed engineer for your project.
Make one now
Draft a preliminary framing plan in your browser — footprint, joists, beams, bearing walls, openings — and export it for review. Open the framing studio to start, free and no install. From here, dive into the floor framing plan guide or the roof framing plan guide.