Bracket (architecture)

Colourful dougong bracket supporting a structure at Sagami-ji, Japan

Bracket for a shelf or hanging items.

See also: Corbel

A bracket is an architectural element and structural member. They can be made of wood, stone, or metal — that projects from a wall to support or carry weight.

Uses

Brackets can support: a balcony, statue, the spring of an arch, a beam or pergola, a window box, a shelf. A bracket is also defined as a decorative or weight-bearing structural element, two sides of which form a right angle with one side against a wall and the other under a projecting surface, such as an eave or a bay window.

Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely ornamental and serve no supporting purpose. Among these types of brackets is the corbel.

In adjustable shelving systems, the bracket may be in two parts, with the load-bearing horizontal support fitting into a wall-mounted slotted vertical metal strip.

Brackets also are an element in the systems used to mount modern facade cladding systems onto the outside of contemporary buildings, as well as interior panels.

See also

• Dougong
• Corbel