What Is Structural Load Transfer Shoring?
Definition: Structural load transfer shoring is temporary, engineered shoring installed beneath or around an existing structure to take over the loads carried by a structural member — such as a column, load-bearing wall, beam, or foundation — so that member can be removed, cut, repaired, or replaced. The shoring transfers those loads through temporary supports and down to a suitable bearing surface until a permanent structural solution is in place and can accept the load again.
Unlike shoring for new concrete, which supports formwork and wet concrete during a pour, load transfer shoring supports a structure that is already carrying dead loads, live loads, and often occupants. The work typically involves installing shoring towers or posts, transfer beams, and hydraulic jacks, then preloading the shoring so it picks up the load before the existing member is cut. That controlled load transfer limits deflection and cracking in the structure above.
Load transfer shoring is common in renovation, adaptive reuse, and retrofit projects — removing columns to open up floor space, creating new openings in load-bearing walls, replacing deteriorated beams or foundations, and adding new structural elements beneath existing buildings. Every installation is unique and must be designed by a qualified structural engineer. Through Scaffold Exchange, you can find vendors and engineers across the U.S. who design, supply, and install structural load transfer shoring in your area.
Key Components of a Load Transfer Shoring System
Every load transfer installation is engineered for its specific condition, but most systems share the same core component categories.
Shoring Towers & Posts
High-capacity shoring towers, frames, or heavy-duty posts that carry the transferred load down to the floor, slab, or foundation below.
Transfer & Needle Beams
Steel beams that span beneath or pass through the structure to pick up loads from the member being removed and distribute them to the shoring supports.
Hydraulic Jacks
Jacks used to preload the shoring so it actively picks up the structure's load before the existing member is cut, minimizing settlement and deflection.
Load Cells & Survey Monitoring
Load cells, gauges, and survey points that measure jack loads and track movement of the structure throughout the load transfer process.
Spreader Beams & Footings
Spreader beams, cribbing, and temporary footings that distribute concentrated shoring loads into slabs or soil that can safely carry them.
Common Applications & Job Site Uses
Structural load transfer shoring is used on renovation, retrofit, and repair projects throughout the United States wherever an existing load path must be temporarily rerouted.
Removing columns to create open floor space
Cutting new openings in load-bearing walls
Replacing deteriorated beams, girders, or columns
Foundation repair and underpinning
Adaptive reuse and building conversions
Seismic and structural retrofits
Parking structure and post-tensioned slab repair
Adding new floors, equipment, or loads to existing structures
How Load Transfer Shoring Compares to Other Shoring Equipment
Load transfer shoring supports existing structures rather than new concrete. Here is how it compares to other shoring equipment and which jobs each suits best.
Reshoring and specialty shoring
- Reshores for slabs during curing
- Timber, raking, and flying shores
- High-capacity and custom-engineered supports
- Best for unique or project-specific needs
Adjustable single-post shores
- Telescoping steel or aluminum posts
- Used for light propping of existing floors
- Fast to set and adjust individually
- Best for typical floor heights and lighter loads
Temporary support for existing structures
- Reroutes loads around removed members
- Preloaded with hydraulic jacks
- Engineered for each condition
- Best for renovation and structural modifications
Heavy-duty steel shoring frames
- Welded frames stacked into towers
- High vertical load capacity per leg
- Often used within load transfer designs
- Best for heavy slabs and high shoring heights
Purpose-built shoring towers
- Interchangeable posts, ledgers, and jacks
- Adapts to varying heights and layouts
- Primarily supports new slab formwork
- Best for complex or tall slab shoring
Find Load Transfer Shoring Vendors Near You
Use the Scaffold Exchange map to search by location, filter by equipment type, and connect directly with local companies that engineer, supply, and install structural load transfer shoring.
OSHA Compliance & Safety Standards
When load transfer work involves removing or cutting structural members, it falls under OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart T, Demolition. Standard 29 CFR 1926.850 requires an engineering survey by a competent person before work begins to determine the condition of the framing, floors, and walls and the possibility of unplanned collapse, and requires walls and floors in damaged structures to be shored or braced. Where concrete construction is involved, the shoring requirements of 29 CFR 1926 Subpart Q also apply.
- Engineering survey of the existing structure before work begins
- Shoring designed by a qualified structural engineer
- Shoring preloaded before any structural member is cut
- Bearing capacity of slabs and soil below verified
- Structure monitored for movement throughout the work
- Shoring removed only after permanent members accept the load
1926.850
Demolition — Preparatory Operations — U.S. Construction Regulations
OSHA Interpretations & Rulings →