Spannweiten

Spannweiten is the plural form; the singular is Spannweite. It denotes the distance between two endpoints or the extent of something across a space. In English, the closest equivalents are wingspan (for animals’ outstretched wings) and span (for structures such as bridges). The plural Spannweiten is used when referring to multiple spans or wingspans.

In biology and ornithology, spannweite refers to an animal’s wingspan, the tips of its wings measured end to end when fully extended, a common size metric for birds, bats, and other flying creatures. In aviation and aeronautics, spannweite denotes the wingspan of an aircraft, a key parameter influencing lift, stability, hangar clearance, and runway spacing. Aircraft spans vary from small light aircraft of about 7–8 meters to large airliners approaching 80 meters.

In civil engineering and architecture, spannweite describes the distance between two supports in a bridge, roof, or similar structure. This span controls bending moments, material choice, and aerodynamic or wind load considerations. Modern bridges and roofs can have single spans from tens of meters to over a thousand metres in long-span constructions.

Etymology: Spannweite combines Spann (tension, span) and Weite (width, extent). The term is widely used in German technical language and is cognate with the English “span” in similar contexts.

See also: Wingspan; Span (bridge); Span (architecture).