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The specified compressive strength of the masonry assembly.
From the unit strength method or a prism test — see the Masonry Prism Height-to-Thickness Ratio Calculator.
The wall's net cross-sectional area resisting shear, taken over the length of wall you are checking — a one-foot or one-metre strip, or the whole section.
For fully grouted masonry this is close to the gross area; for partially grouted or hollow masonry it's reduced to just the grouted/solid portions.
Allowable shear capacity
7.75 kips
This covers the masonry's own (unreinforced) shear contribution only — reinforced masonry can add a shear steel contribution (Fvs) on top of this, and this simplified check doesn't include the M/(Vd) ratio adjustment some codes apply.
- Allowable shear stress (Fv)
- 77.46 psi
- Equivalent in lbs
- 7,745.97 lb
They open the calculator with your figures already in it
Masonry Wall In-Plane Shear Capacity Calculator: 7.75 kips — shown in imperial, US market. The link sets both, so the result they see is the one on your screen.
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How this was calculated
Formula source(s)
- Allowable masonry shear stress: Fv = min(2 x sqrt(f'm), 200 psi); shear capacity V = Fv x net shear area (Anv)
Inputs used
- Masonry Compressive Strength (f'm)
- 1500 psi
- Net Shear Area (Anv)
- 100 in²
Intermediate steps
- Allowable shear stress (Fv)
- 77.46 psi
- Equivalent in lbs
- 7,745.97 lb
Confidence note: This covers the masonry's own (unreinforced) shear contribution only — reinforced masonry can add a shear steel contribution (Fvs) on top of this, and this simplified check doesn't include the M/(Vd) ratio adjustment some codes apply.
What this calculation does not cover
- This is a single stress check, not a shear wall design. It sizes no reinforcement, checks no overturning, sliding, base anchorage or connection to the diaphragm above, and applies no load combinations — a wall resisting real wind or seismic demand needs a design by a structural engineer, not one allowable stress figure.
- Only the masonry's own contribution is calculated. Horizontal bond-beam bars or joint reinforcement do not raise this number, so a reinforced wall's real capacity is higher than what you see here — and taking credit for that steel means a code check against your governing standard, not this formula.
- The formula takes no account of the wall's proportions or the load standing on it. No shear-span (M/Vd) or height-to-length adjustment is applied and no credit is taken for axial compression clamping the section; mortar type, bond pattern and grouting reach the answer only through the f'm and Anv figures you type in.
- Net shear area is a number you supply, not one this works out. Nothing here derives Anv from wall length, thickness, face-shell dimensions, grout spacing or openings. Enter a partially grouted wall's gross area instead of its grouted area and the capacity comes out high by whatever share of the cores are hollow.
- None of this describes an existing wall's condition. A specified f'm is a property of new work built to specification; cracked, bulged or previously overloaded masonry, eroded lime mortar, freeze-thaw or salt damage and unknown historic units have no input here and need survey and testing.
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This result is a specification — 7.75 kips — not a quantity. Put the thing it sizes into your project: how many, what you call it, and your supplier’s price.
Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Presented in US customary units and US trade terminology. Where a formula follows a published standard, that standard and its edition are cited beside it on this page; where none governs, the page says so. Local amendments override model codes — verify against the code in force where you build.
Sources checked 2026-09-06 · in the site-wide review of 2026-09-06 · v1.1.1
Regulatory standards & verification citations1
- Allowable masonry shear stress: Fv = min(2 x sqrt(f'm), 200 psi); shear capacity V = Fv x net shear area (Anv)
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