A loose steel lintel is a steel member, usually an angle or a pair of angles, that spans a masonry opening and simply rests on the wall at each end, without being bolted or welded to the building's frame. The mason sets it on the jambs as the wall goes up, and the masonry above bears on it. The term matters on drawings and in quotes because loose lintels are supplied as separate pieces, often by a different trade from the structural steel, and they are listed on a lintel schedule rather than shown member by member.
Loose lintels vs other ways to support masonry
"Lintel" is used loosely on site, so it helps to separate the main types of steel that carry masonry over an opening or along a wall:
| Type | How it is supported | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Loose lintel | Rests on the masonry or concrete at each side of the opening | Door and window openings in brick veneer, block and solid masonry walls |
| Hung (suspended) lintel | Hung from the structure above with hangers or welded to a beam | Openings too wide for end bearing, or where jambs cannot take the load |
| Shelf angle (relieving angle) | Bolted or welded to the slab edge or frame along the wall | Carries brick veneer floor by floor on taller buildings |
| Beam lintel | A W-beam or HSS with a plate to carry the veneer, supported on posts or walls | Wide openings such as garage doors and patio walls |
The Ontario Building Code uses the term directly: in the 2024 OBC, Table 9.20.5.2.-A is titled "Loose Steel Lintels for Masonry", and it sets the angle sizes for openings in solid masonry walls. A separate table covers angle lintels carrying masonry veneer. We walk through both in steel lintel sizes under the Ontario Building Code.
Typical loose lintel details
Loose lintels are simple pieces, but the detail has to suit the wall. The common arrangements are:
Single angle under brick veneer
This is the most common loose lintel in Ontario houses. One angle sits in the veneer, with the vertical leg up behind the brick and the horizontal leg carrying the bottom course. The wood or steel framing behind the veneer has its own header. The angle size comes from the veneer span table or from design.
Double angles in block and solid masonry walls
A wider wall needs more than one angle. In a block wall or a solid masonry wall, two angles are often set back to back or one on each face of the wall, sometimes with a plate or spacer between them. For the code tables, Ontario's notes call for the interior and exterior angles in certain wall thicknesses to be bolted together when the clear span is over 1,800 mm. Block walls have their own concerns, covered in steel lintels for concrete block walls.
Angle with a plate
Where the bottom of the masonry needs a wider seat, or where a soffit plate is wanted for appearance, a plate is welded to the angle's horizontal leg. This turns a single angle into a small built-up section and is a shop-welded item.
Lintels in cavity walls
In a cavity wall the outer wythe sits on the lintel, and flashing runs over the lintel and out through the face so water in the cavity drains out above the opening. The lintel, flashing, weep holes and end dams are all part of the same detail, even though different trades install them.
Bearing, length and finish
A loose lintel is only as good as what it sits on. Three points come up on every job:
- Bearing. Under Sentence 9.20.5.2.(3.1) of the 2024 OBC, steel lintels covered by the tables need at least 150 mm of even, level bearing at each end, on masonry, concrete or steel. Engineered lintels may call for more, and wide spans or concentrated loads may need solid units, grouted cells or a bearing plate under the end. The full topic is covered in steel lintel bearing length.
- Length. Lintel length is the clear opening plus bearing at both ends. On a lintel schedule this is usually shown as the overall length, or as the opening width with a standard bearing note, so read the notes before ordering.
- Corrosion protection. The OBC requires steel angle lintels supporting masonry to be prime painted or otherwise protected from corrosion. Exterior and cavity wall lintels are commonly specified hot-dip galvanized.
Reading a steel lintel schedule
On commercial and multi-unit drawings, loose lintels are rarely drawn one by one. Instead, each opening is tagged with a lintel mark, and a lintel schedule on the architectural or structural drawings lists what each mark means. A typical schedule has columns like these:
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Mark | L1, L2, L3 and so on, matching the tags on plans or elevations |
| Opening width | Clear span the lintel covers, or a maximum span for that mark |
| Wall type | Veneer, block, cavity wall or solid masonry, often by wall tag |
| Member | Angle size (long leg first), double angles, angle with plate, or a beam section |
| Bearing | Minimum bearing each end, or a reference to a general note |
| Finish | Primed or hot-dip galvanized |
| Remarks | Bolting of double angles, welded plates, hung lintel details, special cases |
When you take off loose lintels from a schedule, count every opening by mark from the plans and elevations, add bearing to get lengths, and note any marks that need fabrication (welded plates, bolted pairs, holes for hangers). Openings that aren't tagged are a common source of extras, so raise them as questions at bid time.
Who supplies and sets loose lintels
Loose lintels sit between trades, which is why the scope must be clear:
- The miscellaneous metals fabricator usually supplies them, cut to length, with any welding, punching, bolting and finish.
- The mason usually sets them as the wall goes up, levels them on the bearing and builds over them.
- The structural steel package may include lintels that connect to the frame, such as hung lintels and shelf angles, while loose lintels stay in misc metals.
Specifications differ, so read the masonry, structural steel and metal fabrications sections together and confirm in writing who carries the loose lintels. Our guide to miscellaneous metal fabrication lists other scope gaps to settle before work starts.
Delivery timing matters too. Lintels are needed when the masonry reaches the head of each opening, which can be early in the masonry schedule on a block building. Agree on release and delivery dates with the mason so the wall doesn't stop for steel.
Loose lintels for houses and renovations
On a house, the same idea applies at a smaller scale: an angle over a window or door in the brick, sitting on the brick at each side. Replacing a rusted lintel, enlarging an opening or cutting a new one in an existing masonry wall is structural work. It needs temporary support of the masonry above, often a permit, and a designer or engineer where the opening is new or larger. We explain how those jobs run in installing a steel lintel in an existing brick wall.
Ordering loose lintels from Procut
We supply angle lintels for masonry openings, cut to length and punched or welded as needed, along with plates and other miscellaneous steel. Shop drawings are prepared in house, welding is CWB certified, and we deliver across the GTA and Ontario. Send a lintel schedule, or a list of openings with spans, wall types and finish, and we will price the package. We can prime or galvanize lintels to suit the job; ask us about lead times for your job.
Request a quote for your lintels, or see our steel products and services.
Frequently asked questions
What is a loose steel lintel?
A loose lintel is a steel lintel, usually an angle or a pair of angles, that simply rests on the masonry at each side of an opening and is not bolted or welded to the building's structure. The mason sets it as the wall goes up. The Ontario Building Code's table for steel lintels in masonry walls is titled 'Loose Steel Lintels for Masonry'.
What is the difference between a loose lintel and a shelf angle?
A loose lintel spans one opening and bears on the masonry at its ends. A shelf angle (or relieving angle) is fastened to the building's structure, such as a slab edge or steel beam, and carries the masonry above it along the wall, whether there is an opening or not.
How much bearing does a loose steel lintel need?
Under the 2024 Ontario Building Code, steel angle lintels covered by its tables need at least 150 mm of even, level bearing at each end, on masonry, concrete or steel. Engineered lintels follow the bearing shown on the drawings.
Who supplies and installs loose lintels?
On commercial jobs they are usually supplied by the miscellaneous metals fabricator and set by the mason, but some specifications put them in the masonry or structural steel package. Confirm which trade carries them before pricing.
