Overview

About the Calculator

The Masonry Shear Wall (LRFD) Calculator is a comprehensive design tool for structural engineers to efficiently size and verify reinforced concrete masonry shear walls. Aligned with the latest TMS 402/602-22 standards, this tool automates the most complex aspects of masonry design, specifically combined axial and flexural interaction, while accounting for slenderness effects. Whether you are designing a single-story warehouse or a multi-story commercial building, the calculator evaluates the wall's capacity against user-defined gravity and lateral loads. By integrating seismic design category (SDC) checks and grout configurations into a single workflow, it eliminates the need for manual interpolation and fragmented spreadsheets.

Flexible geometry for multi-story configurations

Easily define the foundational geometry of your shear wall, including story height, the number of stories, and the total wall length. The calculator supports multi-story configurations, allowing you to model realistic building conditions where loads can be applied at each level.

Input CMU properties to get section properties

Quickly define masonry properties by selecting the CMU size, density class, and grout configuration, either fully or partially grouted. The tool automatically determines critical section properties such as average area ($A_{avg}$), moment of inertia ($I_{avg}$), and radius of gyration ($r$), which are essential for slenderness and capacity calculations.

Calculate reinforcement and detailing limits

Define vertical bar size, spacing, and cover, along with optional horizontal reinforcement through bond beams. The tool calculates reinforcement ratios and performs automated spacing and detailing checks to ensure compliance with minimum and maximum limits based on the wall's seismic designation.

Easily input loads at each seismic level

Input dead, live, wind, and seismic loads at each story level, with the option to include the wall's self-weight automatically. The calculator determines the factored axial load ($P_u$), overturning moment ($M_u$), and in-plane shear ($V_u$) at the base of the wall by accumulating forces from the top down.

Moment-axial interaction diagram with slenderness effects

Eliminate manual interpolation with a dynamically generated interaction diagram that plots both nominal and design capacity curves. The diagram accounts for slenderness effects ($h/r$) and identifies the specific demand point ($P_u, M_u$) to report a clear utilization ratio.

Apply seismic design requirements automatically

Simplify seismic compliance by entering the design spectral response ($S_{DS}$) and selecting the seismic design category (SDC). The template automatically applies the appropriate detailing and reinforcement limits required for ordinary, intermediate, or spatial reinforced masonry shear walls.

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How It Works

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Save time with ready-to-use templates for wood, steel, and concrete

Calcs.com offers an extensive library of easy-to-use calculators for beams, columns, and footings, designed to make structural calculations simpler and faster.

Choose from a wide range of pre-configured beam and column options, complete with automatic member sizing, so you can quickly reach reliable designs and reduce rework.

Beams

Columns

Foundations

Walls

Loads

Dynamically track your load paths from roof to foundation

No need to copy and paste reactions between calculations! If the top calculator's reactions change, the loads being inherited onto the lower calculator will update automatically. This includes all loads such as dead, live, snow, seismic, and wind.

Submit professional reports for permit review

Calcs.com is not only easy to use, but also easy to check! All calculations follow an easy to understand traffic light check system, with multiple levels of detail available giving you the choice of printing every step of the calculation and all code and standard references, or simply a compact, one-page print out.

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Masonry Shear Wall Calculator to TMS 402-22