You need to temporarily shore a 3.6 m (12 ft) span where you've cut a large opening in a load-bearing wall. The floor system above consists of 38 mm x 235 mm (2x10) joists at 400 mm (16 in) centres over the opening. What is the MINIMUM recommended number of temporary shoring posts needed for practical and safe support across this span, considering a common shoring beam arrangement?

Question: You need to temporarily shore a 3.6 m (12 ft) span where you've cut a large opening in a load-bearing wall. The floor system above consists of 38 mm x 235 mm (2x10) joists at 400 mm (16 in) centres over the opening. What is the MINIMUM recommended number of temporary shoring posts needed for practical and safe support across this span, considering a common shoring beam arrangement?

Answer options:

• 2 posts
• 3 posts ✅ 4 posts
• 5 posts

Correct answer: 4 posts

Explanation: For a 3.6 m span, to effectively support the load, shoring posts should typically not exceed 1.2 m (4 ft) spacing, often closer. Therefore, with a common shoring beam running under the joists, a minimum of 4 posts (one at each end and two intermediate) would be required to divide the span into roughly three equal sections (e.g., ~1.2m spacing) providing adequate and stable support for the overhead structure as per good carpentry practice.