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The Basics of Structural Steel

June 06, 2017

Structural steel is one type of steel product that is often used in construction projects. Structural steel is used to make steel shapes by forming a specific design using specific mechanical principles and chemical components. The structure needs to comply with specific regulations to be accepted for use by the public.

There are basic shapes of structural steel materials in use today. Among them include:

  1. I-beam: This structural steel material can support joists and other overhead structures in a building. It is essentially two parallel flanges supported by a vertical flange.
  2. Z-shape: This structural steel material has two flanges parallel to one another and one flange connecting one edge to the edge across it on the other flange.
  3. HSS-shape: This is structural steel material is known as Hollow Structural Section. These steel products come either as a square, rectangle, pipe or elliptical.
  4. Angle shape: This structural steel material is shaped like the letter L.
  5. C-beam: This structural steel material is also called the structural channel beam or C cross section beam.
  6. Tee-beam: This structural steel material is in a T-shape.
  7. Bar: This structural steel material can be flat and long with ridges to become anchors for materials attached to it. Smaller examples of this are rebars and dowels.
  8. Sheet: This structural steel material are flat pieces that can be rolled due to its inherent thinness. A plate on the other hand is a sheet that is at least a quarter of an inch thick.

Any number of combinations of these basic shapes form the backbone of construction projects. These structural steel materials are built with concrete and other materials to form structures. When put together, these structural steel materials make aesthetic edifices that form the modern landscape. Scarboro Steel is your one-stop shop for structural steel - contact us today to learn more about how we can help you!