Patent ID: 7877961

Claim:
A lower chord bearing joist comprising: a lower elongate chord member being cold-formed from a unitary piece of sheet steel and including a lower chord surface integrally formed with at least one lower chord extension so as to produce a rigid member, the lower chord surface being folded over the at least one lower chord extension to reduce a width to thickness ratio of the rigid member and so that a top surface of the lower chord surface contacts a bottom surface of the at least one lower chord extension, and an integral web receiving portion substantially orthogonal to the lower chord surface and having two integral web receiving tabs, a pair of integral inner flange portions, each inner flange portion extending substantially perpendicularly from one of the web receiving tabs so as to be in a spaced relationship to the rigid member along a length of the lower chord member, and, wherein the lower chord surface, the at least one lower chord extension, the two web receiving tabs, and the pair of inner flange portions are a unitary structure made from sheet steel; an upper elongate chord member, wherein the lower chord member is generally the same length as the upper chord member; and a generally planar steel web attached to the web receiving portion of the lower chord member between the two web receiving tabs and attached to the upper chord member.