Why are the brackets hot-dip galvanized instead of painted?

Parapet bracing lives above the roofline, outdoors, and is usually never seen again once the roof is closed in. Hot-dip galvanizing per ASTM A123 protects the steel for decades with no maintenance; paint would need a primer, a topcoat and eventual recoating in a place nobody can reach. Because galvanizing removes the option of field welding or cutting, every hole and length is finished in our shop before the steel goes to the kettle.

Galvanized T-brackets numbered and laid out on a roof deck before installation

TB-1 brackets numbered for their trusses, laid out on the roof deck.

— Parapet bracing · hot-dip galvanized · made in Senoia, GA

Parapet support brackets & kickers.

Q: What is a parapet brace or kicker?

A parapet brace, or kicker, is a diagonal steel member that ties a parapet wall back to the roof structure so wind cannot push the wall over. On a wood-framed building the parapet studs run past the roof with nothing behind them; the kicker triangulates that free-standing wall against a roof truss. Each brace uses one galvanized angle and two T-brackets: one lagged into blocking in the parapet, one lagged into blocking at a truss panel point.

Q: How far apart are parapet braces spaced?

Spacing is set by the engineer of record. On the pre-engineered wood truss buildings we brace, the typical call is one kicker at every truss, 24 inches on center maximum, along every run of parapet that stands more than a few feet above the roof deck. Short parapets that sit on an integral truss parapet usually need no brace at all.

The galvanized T-brackets and angle kickers that brace a wood-framed parapet back to its roof trusses. Fabricated, drilled and galvanized in our shop, so nothing has to be cut in the field twenty feet up.

Kicker cut length in Delivery Installation Have our crew install it (Georgia)

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FinishHot-dip galvanized, ASTM A123
Lead time2–3 weeks, typical
PickupFree · Senoia, GA
DeliveryOwn truck, Atlanta metro · LTL nationwide

What it is.

A short answer for the estimator, the framer, and the engineer who has to approve it.

A parapet brace is a diagonal steel kicker that ties a free-standing parapet wall back to the roof structure so wind cannot fold the wall over. On a wood-framed building the parapet is just the exterior studs running past the roof with nothing behind them. Where that wall stands more than a few feet above the deck, the engineer calls for a kicker at every truss, usually 24 inches on center, and a pair of steel brackets to connect it.

Our kit is that connection. Each TB-1 T-bracket is two pieces of 1/4-inch plate welded into a T: a 6 × 10 inch stem with a single 5/8-inch hole for the pin bolt, and a 6 × 4-1/2 inch base with four holes for 3/8-inch lag screws into solid blocking. The base spans a three-ply sandwich of stud, truss member and stud, so each lag lands in the outer plies. One bolt through the stem makes a pin, which is why the same bracket suits any kicker angle. The kicker is L3×3×1/4 angle, cut to your work-point length, drilled both ends, and hot-dip galvanized with the brackets.

We built this kit for a wood-framed daycare prototype in Acworth, Georgia, where fifty-nine of them were the only structural steel on the job. Every one of the 540 fasteners landed in lumber, not steel. That is the condition the kit is designed for.

Specifications.

Dimensions your engineer can check against the detail. We furnish this as a stamped-ready submittal drawing with every order.

Mark TB-1 — Iron Canvas standard T-bracket, and the mating kicker.

Bracket	Mark TB-1 · two pieces of 1/4" plate welded into a T
Stem plate	6" wide × 10" tall · (1) Ø5/8" hole, 1" from top, centered · for 1/2" pin bolt
Base plate	6" wide × 4-1/2" deep · (4) Ø1/2" holes · for 3/8" × 4-1/2" lag screws into solid blocking
Weld	1/4" fillet both sides, continuous, E70XX · welded before galvanizing
Kicker	L3×3×1/4 angle · Ø5/8" hole each end · cut to your length, up to 10'-0" (≈ 5.1 lb/ft galvanized)
Material	ASTM A36 plate and angle
Finish	Hot-dip galvanized per ASTM A123, no shop prime · holes reamed clear of zinc
Hardware	Bracket pair: (8) 3/8" × 4-1/2" HDG hex lag screws + (8) HDG washers · Kicker: (2) 1/2" HDG bolt sets with washers
Weight	≈ 6.2 lb per bracket · ≈ 55 lb per complete assembly at 8'-6"
Fits	Wood-framed parapets braced to pre-engineered wood trusses, brackets lagged to 2× blocking at panel points · spacing and count per your engineer of record
Made in	Senoia, Georgia · AISC-certified shop

How it goes in.

The sequence we use on our own installs. Galvanizing removes the field-fix option, so the shop commits and the roof just receives.

Engineer approves

Send our submittal drawing to your engineer of record with the truss shop drawings. They confirm bracket location, count and work points; we cut to the approved lengths.

Framer blocks

Solid 2× blocking behind each upper bracket in the parapet, and blocking each side of the top chord at the truss panel point for the lower bracket. Nothing hangs until the blocking is in.

Brackets lag on

Layout with a line laser, then four 3/8" lags per bracket through the pre-drilled base. Upper base vertical against the parapet, lower base flat on the deck.

Kickers pin in

Each kicker drops between its two brackets and takes one 1/2" bolt at each end. The pinned connection self-aligns to the slope. Hang one, check it, then run the rest.

Questions we get asked.

From framers, estimators and engineers. If yours isn't here, it goes in the form below.

What is a parapet brace or kicker?

A diagonal steel member that ties a parapet wall back to the roof structure so wind cannot push the wall over. On a wood-framed building the parapet studs run past the roof with nothing behind them; the kicker triangulates that free-standing wall against a roof truss. Each brace uses one galvanized angle and two T-brackets, one lagged into blocking in the parapet and one lagged into blocking at a truss panel point.

How far apart are parapet braces spaced?

The engineer of record sets it. On the pre-engineered wood truss buildings we brace, the typical call is one kicker at every truss, 24 inches on center maximum, along every run of parapet standing more than a few feet above the deck. Short parapets that sit on an integral truss parapet usually need no brace at all, so a building often braces only about half its perimeter.

Do I need an engineer to use these brackets?

Yes. The bracket and kicker are a standard fabrication, but brace count, spacing, work points and blocking are structural decisions that belong to your project's engineer of record. We supply a dimensioned submittal drawing for their approval and fabricate to the approved drawing. We do not design the bracing.

Why hot-dip galvanized instead of painted?

Parapet bracing lives above the roofline, outdoors, and is usually never seen again once the roof is closed in. Galvanizing per ASTM A123 protects the steel for decades with no maintenance. Paint would need primer, topcoat and eventual recoating where nobody can reach. Because galvanizing removes field welding and cutting as options, every hole and length is finished in our shop before the steel goes to the kettle. More on finishes in the Journal →

What do I need to give you to cut the kickers?

The work-point-to-work-point length of each brace, or the vertical rise and horizontal run between the upper bracket bolt and the lower bracket bolt. We cut and drill to that length. If your parapet has more than one height, give us the count at each length; a typical job has two or three.

What is the lead time, and do you ship or install?

Typical lead time is two to three weeks, most of it the galvanizing run. Pickup at our shop in Senoia, Georgia is free. We deliver on our own truck within the Atlanta metro and can arrange LTL freight anywhere in the United States; kickers ship as long bundles, so freight is quoted per order. Our own crews install parapet bracing on Georgia jobs, with our own telehandler.

— Quote · installed pricing · bulk orders

Tell us about the parapet.

A count and a rough length is enough to start. We reply the same business day with pricing, lead time and, for Georgia jobs, an installed number.

Got it.

Your request is in the shop's inbox. We'll reply the same business day with pricing and lead time. If it's urgent, call (404) 680-5396.