# WOOD express

> Timber Member Design and Verification to Eurocode 5 Standards

Canonical: https://www.ramcadds.com/products/wood-express
Source: RAM CADDSYS product catalog — https://www.ramcadds.com/products
Last verified: 2026-07-18
Categories: building-components

WOOD express is a timber structural component design software for designing wood members per Eurocode 5 with quick verification. It provides structural engineers with efficient tools for timber beam, column, and connection design with full code compliance and transparent calculation output.

WOOD express is a timber design program from RUNET Software (RUNET Norway AS) for verifying wood members to Eurocode 5 (EN 1995), supplied and supported in India by RAM CADDSYS. It dimensions solid timber, glulam and LVL beams, columns, floor members and connections, and sizes complete roofs from six ready-made truss models. EN 1991 snow and wind actions, ULS/SLS checks and EN 1995-1-2 fire design are built in.

WOOD express by Runet Software is a dedicated timber structural design tool for Eurocode 5 (EN 1995) compliance. It covers the design and verification of timber beams, columns, and connections for solid timber, glulam, and LVL members. WOOD express provides practical daily timber design tools with full calculation transparency, making it ideal for engineers who need quick, code-compliant verification of timber structural components.

## Key points

- WOOD express designs and verifies timber beams, columns, floor members, and connections to Eurocode 5 (EN 1995-1-1), covering solid timber, glulam, and LVL.
- Six ready-made roof and truss models — mono-pitch, coupled, close-coupled, trussed-rafter, attic, and carpentry-joint trusses — let a full roof be sized and verified from dimensions and loads alone.
- Truss analysis runs as 2D frame finite-element analysis with natural-frequency checks, feeding results directly into EN 1995 member and connection design.
- Nailed, bolted, and screwed timber joints, including metal-plate connections, are verified per EN 1995-1-1 §8.
- Structural fire design follows the EN 1995-1-2 reduced cross-section method, alongside normal-temperature ULS and SLS checks.
- Calculation reports cite EN 1995 clauses and modification factors (kmod, kdef) directly, with automatic truss and connection drawings exportable to DXF, PDF, and Word.
- Automates the repetitive everyday calculations for timber roofs, trusses, and members so a full roof or component can be designed and checked to Eurocode 5 in minutes rather than by hand.
- Built around ready-made roof models (mono-pitch, coupled, close-coupled, trussed-rafter, attic, and carpentry-joint trusses)—pick a model, enter dimensions and loads, and the design runs automatically.
- Generates a detailed calculation report with explicit EN 1995 clause references, modification factors (kmod, kdef), and utilization ratios suitable for submission and peer review.
- Produces truss drawings and connection details automatically, with export to DXF, PDF, and Word.
- Covers the full Eurocode load path in one tool—EN 1990 combinations, EN 1991 snow and wind actions, ULS and SLS timber checks, plus EN 1995-1-2 fire design.
- Combines truss analysis (2D frame finite-element analysis, including natural-frequency/dynamic checks) with code-based member and connection design in a single workflow.
- User-adjustable material tables, sections, and design-code parameters so the software can be tuned to a National Application Document / national annex.
- Lightweight Windows desktop tool (~22 MB) with context-sensitive help that guides the user through the relevant Eurocode 5 provisions.

## Why engineers pick it

- **Quick Timber Verification** — Rapid design checks for timber members without the overhead of full structural modeling.
- **Ready Roof & Truss Models** — Start from built-in roof models—mono-pitch, coupled, close-coupled, trussed-rafter, attic, and carpentry-joint trusses—then enter dimensions and loads.
- **Solid Timber & Glulam** — Design support for solid structural timber (strength classes per EN 338) and glued laminated timber (glulam).
- **Professional Output** — Structured calculation reports with EN 1995 clause references, modification factors (kmod, kdef), and utilization ratios, plus automatic truss drawings and connection details.

## Capabilities

- **Timber Roof & Truss Design** — Design complete timber roofs from ready models—mono-pitch, coupled, close-coupled, trussed-rafter, attic, and carpentry-joint trusses. Enter main dimensions, loads, and code parameters and the roof is dimensioned and verified automatically to Eurocode 5.
- **Truss Analysis (2D Frame FEA + Dynamics)** — Analyses truss structures as 2D frames using finite-element analysis and computes natural frequencies, then feeds the results straight into the EN 1995 member and connection verifications.
- **Timber Members & Floors** — Designs and verifies individual timber beams, columns, and single- or multi-span floor beams for bending, shear, bearing, deflection, axial compression, and buckling per EN 1995-1-1, with automatic splice design for long members.
- **Timber Connection Design** — Designs nailed, bolted, and screwed joints—including connections with metal plates—to Eurocode 5, covering fastener capacity and the associated detailing checks.
- **Eurocode Loading & Fire Design** — Builds EN 1990 load combinations and applies EN 1991 snow and wind actions; performs ULS and SLS checks per EN 1995-1-1 §6 and §7 and structural fire design per EN 1995-1-2 using the reduced cross-section method.
- **Automatic Reports & Drawings** — Outputs a detailed, clause-referenced calculation report plus automatically generated truss drawings and connection details.
- **Timber Beam Design** — Design and verification of timber beams for bending, shear, bearing, and deflection per EN 1995-1-1 with service class and load duration factor application.
- **Timber Column Design** — Timber column design for axial compression and buckling per EN 1995-1-1 including combined bending and compression interaction checks.
- **Glulam Member Design** — Glued laminated timber member design with appropriate strength classes, size effects, and curved/tapered member verification per Eurocode 5 provisions.
- **Timber Connection Design** — Dowel-type fastener connections (bolts, screws, nails, dowels) designed per EN 1995-1-1 with Johansen yield theory and spacing/edge distance checks.
- **Serviceability Checks** — Deflection and vibration checks for timber floors and beams per Eurocode 5 serviceability requirements including creep effects and kdef factors.

## Applications

- **Timber Roof Engineering** — Engineers and architects sizing and verifying pitched and trussed timber roofs quickly select a ready roof model, apply snow and wind loads, and obtain a code-compliant design.
- **Prefabricated / Trussed-Rafter Manufacturers** — Timber-frame and trussed-rafter fabricators use the automatic truss analysis, connection design, and DXF drawing export to produce verified shop details.
- **Everyday Member Checks** — Practising structural engineers run fast Eurocode 5 verifications of individual beams, columns, and floor joists—including deflection and serviceability.
- **Timber Connection Detailing** — Designers verify nailed, bolted, screwed, and metal-plate connections to EN 1995-1-1 and generate connection detail drawings for fabrication and on-site assembly.
- **Fire-Rated Timber Design** — Engineers use the EN 1995-1-2 reduced cross-section method to check timber members in the fire situation.

## In depth

### Why use dedicated software for everyday timber design instead of a general structural model?

Timber beam, column, and connection checks are routine, code-driven verification, and WOOD express is built for exactly that — pick a ready roof model or a single member, enter the loads, and the tool returns a Eurocode 5-compliant design and calculation report without building a full structural model.

Engineers checking a mono-pitch roof, a trussed-rafter layout, or an individual floor beam do not need a general-purpose finite-element package for a task that is fundamentally a code check. WOOD express covers that ground directly: choose one of six ready roof and truss models — mono-pitch, coupled, close-coupled, trussed-rafter, attic, or carpentry-joint — enter the geometry and EN 1991 snow and wind loads, and the tool sizes the members and produces a calculation report with explicit EN 1995-1-1 clause references, modification factors (kmod, kdef), and utilization ratios suitable for peer review.

The same workflow extends to individual members and connections. Timber beams, columns, and multi-span floor beams are checked for bending, shear, bearing, deflection, axial compression, and buckling, with automatic splice design for longer spans, while nailed, bolted, and screwed joints — including metal-plate connections — are verified per EN 1995-1-1 §8. Where a fire resistance period applies, the same member is re-checked using the EN 1995-1-2 reduced cross-section method alongside the normal-temperature design.

### How does WOOD express move from loads to a verified timber design?

The workflow starts with a ready roof model or an individual member, applies Eurocode loading and material data, and finishes with a code-compliant design, calculation report, and drawing — all inside one lightweight desktop tool.

For roof and truss work, the user picks a model, enters the main dimensions, and applies EN 1990 load combinations together with EN 1991 snow and wind actions. WOOD express then analyses the truss as a 2D frame using finite-element analysis, including natural-frequency checks, and carries the results straight into EN 1995-1-1 ultimate and serviceability limit-state verification for every member and connection in the layout.

Material tables for solid timber (EN 338 strength classes) and glulam (EN 1194), section sizes (EN 1313-1), and design-code parameters are all user-adjustable, so the same workflow can be tuned to a National Application Document or national annex. The output is a detailed, clause-referenced calculation report plus automatically generated truss drawings and connection details, with a CAD module for customization and export to DXF, PDF, and Word.

## Design codes

- **EN (Eurocode timber design)** — EN 1995-1-1:2008 (Eurocode 5, Part 1-1: general rules and rules for buildings) / EN 1995-1-2 (Eurocode 5, Part 1-2: structural fire design — reduced cross-section method)
- **EN (actions / loading on structures)** — EN 1990:2002 (Basis of structural design — load combinations) / EN 1991-1-3:2003 (Eurocode 1 — snow loads) / EN 1991-1-4:2005 (Eurocode 1 — wind loads)
- **EN (timber material strength classes)** — EN 338 (structural timber — strength classes) / EN 1194 (glued laminated timber — strength classes) / EN 1313-1 (round and sawn timber — permitted deviations and preferred sizes)

## Questions

### What is WOODexpress used for?

WOODexpress is a timber-structure design program for computing and dimensioning timber components — and especially timber roofs and trusses — to Eurocode 5 (EN 1995). It also designs individual beams, columns, floor beams, and connections, and produces calculation reports and drawings automatically.

### Which design codes does WOODexpress use?

The primary design standard is EN 1995-1-1:2008 (Eurocode 5), with EN 1995-1-2 for structural fire design. Load combinations follow EN 1990, snow loads follow EN 1991-1-3 and wind loads EN 1991-1-4. Timber strength classes follow EN 338, glulam EN 1194, and section sizes EN 1313-1.

### Does WOODexpress actually design to a code, or just analyse?

Both. It performs 2D frame finite-element analysis of trusses (including natural-frequency checks) and then carries out full code-based design and verification — ultimate and serviceability limit states — to Eurocode 5, with explicit clause references and utilization ratios in the report.

### What roof and truss types can it design?

It includes ready models for mono-pitch, coupled, close-coupled, trussed-rafter, and attic roofs, as well as carpentry-joint trusses. You choose a model, enter dimensions and loads, and the design and drawings are produced automatically.

### Does WOODexpress design timber connections?

Yes. It designs nailed, bolted, and screwed joints, including connections using metal plates, to Eurocode 5, and generates connection detail drawings.

### Does it handle glued laminated timber (glulam)?

Yes. WOODexpress supports glulam strength classes (the vendor cites EN 1194) alongside solid-timber strength classes per EN 338, and the material tables can be adjusted by the user.

### Can it perform fire design of timber members?

Yes. WOODexpress performs structural fire design to EN 1995-1-2 using the reduced cross-section method, so members can be checked for a required fire resistance period.

### What drawings and reports does WOODexpress produce?

It produces a detailed calculation report with Eurocode references and utilization ratios, plus automatically generated truss drawings and connection details. Outputs can be exported to DXF, PDF, and Word, and a CAD module allows customization of drawings.

### Can WOODexpress be adapted to a national annex?

Yes. The material properties, loads, timber sections, and design-code parameters can be adjusted by the user to match the requirements of the relevant National Application Document / national annex.

### What platform does WOODexpress run on?

WOODexpress is a Windows desktop application. It is a lightweight install (around 22 MB) and has historically run on common Windows versions (XP through Windows 10/11). Confirm exact current system requirements with RAM CADDSYS or Runet before purchase.

### Is WOODexpress available in India through RAM CADDSYS?

Yes. RAM CADDSYS is a distributor of Runet Software in India and lists Runet's tools on ramcadds.com. RAM CADDSYS can provide WOODexpress licensing, along with guidance and support, for structural engineering firms in India.

### Is a demo or trial of WOODexpress available?

Runet offers a demo of WOODexpress on its official website, and RAM CADDSYS can help arrange an evaluation and walk you through licensing for use in India.

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