Welcome

Our mission is to maintain the Metal Plate Connected Wood Truss Industry on a sound engineering basis.

The Truss Plate Institute (TPI ®) opened in 1961 to address the emerging market for metal plate connected wood trusses. We continue to serve that market and are fulfilling our mission "....to maintain the truss industry on a sound engineering basis..." through our ongoing development of TPI ® guidelines and standards and other activities. Metal plate connected wood trusses provide safe, efficient and reliable engineered structural components which provide viable engineered building solutions necessary for today’s building industry. TPI ® is and will continue to provide services, products, guidelines, and standards to support and advance the industry. Visit other areas of our website to learn more about TPI ®.

History

Prior to founding of the Truss Plate Institute in 1960, plate manufacturers had to work with Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the many various local code jurisdictions in having their products and designs recognized. From 1950 through 1959, a plethora of truss design methodologies and testing procedures existed for plate connectors, nailed plywood or nail-glued plywood, bolts, split rings, and so on. Generally, joint design criteria relied either on wood-to-steel-to-wood or wood-to-wood bearing for transmitting stresses. Additionally, numerous plate manufacturers' proprietary design methodologies were the norm. The confusion this created with model codes, local code jurisdictions and FHA raised persistent questions regarding structural adequacy.