What Is a Lintel vs. Header?
A lintel is the structural member spanning an opening in masonry or concrete construction (typically steel angle, precast concrete, or reinforced masonry); a header is the equivalent member in wood framing (built-up lumber, LVL, or engineered beams over doors and windows). Same job — carrying the wall above the opening — different materials, different detailing, and the terms are not interchangeable on drawings.
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Lintels in masonry
Steel angle lintels (the familiar L-shaped steel over brick windows) carry the masonry triangle above the opening, sized for the arching action of the brickwork. Precast concrete and reinforced bond-beam lintels serve larger openings. Critical details: minimum bearing length on each side (typically 8 inches), flashing and weeps above the lintel (masonry's drainage plane cannot be blocked by the steel), and corrosion protection — a rusting lintel expands and cracks the brickwork above it.
Headers in wood framing
Headers are sized from span tables or engineered for the loads: the floors and roof bearing on the wall above the opening. Built-up 2x lumber with plywood spacers for standard openings; LVL or PSL for wide openings and heavy loads. The header bears on jack studs (and king studs alongside), which carry the load to the floor below — the full load path (header → jacks → floor → foundation) must be continuous. Cripple studs above fill to the top plate.
What fails
Lintel failures: undersized angles that deflect and crack brickwork, missing flashing that saturates the wall, corroded steel. Header failures: undersized members that sag (sticking doors and windows are the symptom), missing jack studs, and headers spliced mid-span. On inspections, the plan checker verifies sizes against the tables or calculations — 'it looks big enough' is not a structural argument.
The bottom line
Lintels span masonry openings (steel angle, precast); headers span wood openings (built-up lumber, LVL). Detail bearing, flashing for lintels, and the full jack-stud load path for headers.
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