What is the wood component used to span a door or window opening?

• A. Header.
• B. Sill.
• C. Lintel.
• D. Blocking.

Answer: (A)

A header is the wood member that spans above a door or window opening. Its job is to act like a beam, carrying the weight from the wall or roof above and transferring that load to the side studs, so the opening remains supported and the wall doesn’t sag. The header sits over the rough opening and is supported at its ends by jack studs (and sometimes cripple studs) to transfer the load down to the foundation. The sill runs along the bottom of the opening and is not the component that spans the top. Blocking refers to filler pieces placed between studs to stiffen the wall or back up fixtures, not to spanning an opening. In masonry work, a lintel is the spanning member, but in wood-frame construction the standard term for this top-spanning member is header.