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A wide flange beam is a true staple of the structural steel construction industry. It is typically used for heavy loads and high shear tension construction applications, for example in bridges, commercial and large residential buildings foundations, as temporary retaining walls to keep the earth back during the construction projects. Rip the benefits of a wide flange beam’s strength, order some for your upcoming construction project, with Structural Beam!
The power of the wide flange
A wide flange steel beam is the strongest of all hot-rolled shapes there is, and it’s for a reason. The wider flanges distribute the weight that beam is to bear, over a larger area. The beam’s wide flange, combined with the thick web, maxes up the load-bearing capacity and resistance to shearing and bending.
The clever design of the W-beam, with flanges thicker than the web, allows keeping the benefit of extra-structural stability, without compromising too much on the strength-to-weight ratio, so the full benefit of the amazing mechanical properties of structural steel can be realized.
The specification covers the depth of the beam and the lbs/ft (pounds per foot) or the weight of one foot of beam this deep. The standard designation is W, which stands for low alloy steel wide flange beams.
It is followed by the depth of the beam in inches, which is measured from the outer side of one flange to the outer side of the other flange. The number is followed by another number, which stands for the lbs/ft ratio.
All together it looks like W 12×53, a wide-flange metal beam with a depth of 12 inches, that weighs in at 53 pounds per foot. A mighty specimen, I must add.
If you are looking to buy wide flange beams for your project in Chicago IL, Structural Beam has them on sale, order your W-beams or call us today for a free quote!
American wide flange beams: sizes and grades
Extreme spans
The great thing about the wide flange beams is that, unlike other structural shapes, that are limited in length according to the hot-rolling equipment limitations, W-beams are free from such. The manufacturing process for the W-beams is different because they are welded from 3 parts, and so can be built up to any size and nearly any length, so extreme spans like 330 feet become possible!
Depth range
Wide flange beam dimensions, thus, can be widely adjusted to the demands of the building construction industry. By increasing the width of the flanges, the cross-sectional area of the beam increases, and by increasing the web thickness, the strength of the beam and its load-bearing ability increase even more. The depth of the beams varies greatly, from 4 to 44 inches, which makes W-beam the most versatile of all low alloy shapes, used in residential and commercial construction.
What is a wide flange steel beam?
A wide flange steel beam is a type of structural metal beam, with a cross-section shaped like capital H. It’s called wide-flange, because the flanges, two parallel horizontal parts, are wider than those of an I-beam, or S-beam.
What are wide flange beams used for?
Wide flange beams are used for structural members like columns, main beams, and joist girders, basement support columns, etc., in all applications, that require extra load-bearing ability and shear and bending resistance.
What is the difference between a standard S beam and a wide flange beam?
Standard S-beam flanges are narrower and thinner than those of a wide-flange beam. Standard S-beam is produced from hot-rolling of a single piece of structural steel, but W-beam is built up from 3 bevels, welded together. The connections between the web and flanges of the S-beam have a radius, and the flanges of the S-beam are tapered. The flanges of the W-beam are straight and of even thickness from the web to the edge.
