Attic Wieght Limit
The dead load on the bottom chord of a truss varies with the weight of materials attached to it such as drywall on the ceiling.
Attic wieght limit. If the attic has the potential to become a regular living space talk with a contractor about adding a fixed stairway. Make sure items are spaced so that the weight is evenly distributed over the chords. A typical load is 5 and 10 pounds per square foot. So if your ceiling is unfinished you have some excess carrying capacity up there.
Access to attic storage. Increasing the total weight on the floor to 4 480 pounds however results in a live load of 40 psf which is beyond the floor s load capacity. You ve added about 300 lbs already when you put 6 sheets of plywood up there. All weight hanging from the truss has to be added to the existing dead load.
Your allowed weight and span for a 2 x8 x12 2btr hem fir based on the info you have provided is 20 psf of dead load and 30 psf of live load with minimum bearing length of 0 68. Of stuff on it. If the total weight exceeds the load limit of the truss then the truss is compromised. Observing the weight rating.
Most trusses are designed for only 10 lbs psf live load for storage unless they are attic trusses like drooplug mentioned. As larry said don t overdo it. This is because the ladder is simply not strong enough to support any more weight and you are putting unreasonable pressure on the attic access ladders every time you break the weight limit. Modern standards call for around 12 to 16 inches of insulation in the attic and your long term utility bills would probably appreciate it.
To simplify you can place 20 pounds of dead load per square foot on your subfloor as long it s supported mid span. If you care about this you will need to add a second layer of floor joists over the originals perpendicular is best to limit thermal bridging insulate then lay floor over that. Is a safe estimate. Scrap of plywood over the chords and set about 40 lbs.
It is vital to observe the weight rating and make sure that you comply with it at all times.