Which component provides horizontal support over openings such as doors and windows?

• A. Blocking
• B. Header
• C. Cripple
• D. Stud

Answer: (B)

The horizontal support that spans a door or window opening is the header. It acts as a bridge across the opening, carrying the loads from the structure above and transferring them to the vertical studs on each side (king and jack studs). Headers are typically built from two or more pieces of lumber or engineered wood to provide the necessary strength for the span and load.

Blocking, by contrast, are short pieces used to stiffen the wall or provide nailing surfaces, not to span openings. Cripple studs are vertical members above the header that continue to the top plate, not horizontal spanning members. A stud is a vertical framing member supporting loads from above, not the horizontal bridge over an opening.