# Bearing wall load takedown, explained

> A bearing wall carries floor load as a line reaction per metre, not a point load. Here is how to take a wall down, what feeds its line load, and how it reaches the footing.

**Category:** Load paths  
**Author:** Elena Marchetti (Structural engineer · Founder)  
**Published:** 2026-05-16

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A bearing wall is a support spread along a line, so its load is measured per metre, not per point. To take a [load-bearing wall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Load-bearing_wall) down, find its tributary width, multiply by the floor pressure for a line load in kN per metre, add the wall self weight, accumulate down the building, then factor. The logic is the same as a column takedown, but the load and the footing are linear. StructLoads models walls as line supports that carry this distributed load.

## A wall carries a line load

Where a column draws a tributary area and carries a point [load](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_load) in kN, a bearing wall draws a tributary width and carries a line load in kN per metre. The width is the strip of floor nearest the wall, half the spacing to the parallel support on each side, the same idea as a beam's tributary width. The load is then a uniform line load running along the wall, in line with basic [structural principles](https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Structural_principles).

## What feeds the wall line load

Three contributions make up the line load per metre.

| Contribution | How to find it |
| --- | --- |
| Floor load | Tributary width times floor pressure |
| Wall self weight | Height times thickness times unit weight |
| Load from above | Line reaction of the wall or floor above |

For a wall with a 2.5 metre tributary width under 5 kN per square metre, the floor gives 12.5 kN per metre. A 3 metre high, 200 mm concrete wall adds about 3 times 0.2 times 25, which is 15 kN per metre of self weight. Add any wall above, and the total line load is the sum. Industry design guidance works in exactly these per-length terms: the worked example in [CMHA's TEK 14-05A on loadbearing concrete masonry wall design](https://www.masonryandhardscapes.org/resource/tek-14-05a/) states the wall's dead and live loads per foot of wall before checking the section.

## Taking it down the building

A multi-storey bearing wall accumulates like a column, but in kN per metre. At each floor, add that level's tributary line load and the wall self weight to the line reaction coming from above. By the foundation, the wall carries the full line load of every storey it supports. The top-down accumulation is the same as in [how to do a structural load takedown](/blogs/how-to-do-a-structural-load-takedown); only the units differ.

## From wall to strip footing

A wall delivers its line load to a strip footing that runs beneath it, rather than a pad footing under a point. You size the strip footing width by dividing the service line load by the allowable soil bearing pressure: a 60 kN per metre service line load on soil allowed 150 kPa needs a strip 60 divided by 150, which is 0.4 metres wide, plus practical minimums. The strength design of the strip uses the factored line load. The contrast with a column footing is in [how to calculate footing loads](/blogs/how-to-calculate-footing-loads).

## Walls and beams both collect strips

A bearing wall and a beam both collect a tributary strip and carry a line load, so the load collection is identical; the difference is what they do with it. A beam spans to end supports and produces point reactions, while a wall carries the line load straight down to a strip footing. The shared first step is the tributary strip in [tributary width for a beam](/blogs/tributary-width-for-a-beam).

## When a wall is more than a line support

The uniform line model assumes a continuous wall carrying spread load. It breaks where the wall has large openings, turning it into piers and lintels, where a beam or column lands on it as a concentrated load, or where it doubles as a shear wall resisting lateral loads. Those local effects need more than a uniform takedown and a qualified engineer's attention.

## Key takeaways: bearing wall takedown

A bearing wall carries a line load in kN per metre: tributary width times floor pressure, plus self weight, plus load from above, accumulated down and factored. It lands on a strip footing rather than a pad. The takedown logic matches a column; only the units and the footing are linear. StructLoads carries the wall line load as a preliminary figure a qualified engineer confirms.

## Quick answers

### How do you do a load takedown for a bearing wall?
Find the wall's tributary width and multiply by the floor pressure to get a line load in kN per metre. Add the wall's own self weight per metre. Accumulate the line loads down the building level by level, then apply a load combination. The result is a factored line reaction per metre for the wall and its strip footing.

### What is the difference between a wall and a column in a takedown?
A column is a point support and carries a point load in kN; a bearing wall is a line support and carries a line load in kN per metre. The wall draws a tributary width rather than a tributary area, and it delivers its load to a strip footing rather than a pad. Otherwise the takedown logic, accumulate and factor, is the same.

### What feeds a bearing wall's line load?
Three things: the floor it supports, through its tributary width times the floor pressure; the wall's own self weight per metre, from its height, thickness and material; and any load from walls or floors above, carried down. For an upper-storey wall, add the line reaction from the wall above to its own floor load and self weight.

### When is a wall not a simple line support?
A wall is not a simple line support when it has large openings that turn it into piers and lintels, when it carries concentrated loads such as a beam or column landing on it, or when it acts as a shear wall resisting lateral loads. Those need more than a uniform line takedown, and a qualified engineer handles the local effects.