Miscellaneous Steel Detailing: Stairs, Rails and Ladders
How miscellaneous steel detailing works: what misc steel drawings show for stairs, rails, ladders, lintels and embeds, and how it differs from structural detailing.
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Steel & Rebar Guides
Straight answers on rebar, structural steel, beams, lintels and fabrication, from the team that cuts, bends and welds it every day.
Monolithic Slab Rebar: Thickened Edge Layout
How rebar is laid out in a monolithic slab with a thickened edge: edge bars, corner bars, slab-to-edge ties, interior thickenings, and Ontario code limits.
Ontario Building Code Guard and Handrail Rules for Steel Railings
Ontario Building Code guard and handrail rules for steel railings: when a guard is required, railing heights in mm and inches, openings, climbing and loads.
Ontario Building Code Rules for Steel Stairs
Ontario Building Code rules for steel stairs: riser height, tread run, stair width, headroom, landings and loads from the 2024 OBC, plus how steel stairs are built.
Opening the Wall Between Kitchen and Living Room
What it takes to remove a load-bearing wall between kitchen and living room: services in the wall, flush vs dropped steel beams, posts and permits.
Parts of a Steel Beam: Flange, Web and Depth Explained
The anatomy of a steel I-beam: flanges, web, depth, flange width, thicknesses, fillets and axes, what each part does, and the dimension names used in Canada.
Permits for Load-Bearing Wall Removal in the GTA
Do you need a permit to remove a load-bearing wall in Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Markham or Vaughan? What the law and each city say, and what to submit.
Prefabricated Rebar Cages for Footings and Piers
What goes into rebar cages for pad footings, piers and columns, when to prefabricate instead of tying in the hole, and what to send to order the parts.
Reading Slab Reinforcement Details and Drawings
How to read slab reinforcement drawings: callouts like 15M @ 300 TEW, bar layers, top bars over supports, slab-on-grade details, openings and spacing.
Rebar Area and Spacing Table for Metric Bars
Steel area per metre width for 10M to 35M rebar at spacings from 100 to 500 mm, how to read it, equivalent bar and spacing swaps, and a worked slab example.
Rebar Area Chart: Cross-Sectional Area by Bar Size
Cross-sectional area of Canadian rebar from 10M to 55M in mm² and in², the area of 1 to 10 bars, and how to use bar area to check a beam, column or substitution.
Rebar Bending Chart: Minimum Bend Diameters for 10M to 55M
Minimum bend diameters and bend radius for Canadian 10M to 55M rebar by grade, plus stirrup, epoxy and galvanized values and how the CRSI chart differs.
Rebar Bending Shape Codes: RSIC Standard Bar Bends Explained
How Canadian rebar bend types work: RSIC types 1 to 26, S stirrups, T ties, spirals and type X, the letters on a bar list, and how they differ from CRSI codes.
Rebar Calculator: How to Estimate Rebar for Your Project
Estimate rebar by hand: count bars from spacing, add laps and hooks, convert to kg with metric bar weights. Worked examples for a slab, a footing and a beam.
Rebar Chair Height for 4 and 6 Inch Slabs
What height rebar chairs to use in a 4 inch or 6 inch concrete slab: the formula, worked heights for 10M and 15M grids, and picking chairs for slabs on grade.
Rebar Chair Spacing and Placement
How far apart rebar chairs should be, how many chairs per square metre or square foot, a spacing chart, a worked count for a slab, and how to place chairs.
Rebar Chairs: Should Rebar Be Off the Ground?
Why rebar must be held off the ground on chairs or blocks, what happens when it is not, whether chairs stay in the concrete or weaken it, and what to use on soil.
Rebar Code Requirements in Ontario: CSA A23 and OBC
Which codes govern rebar in Ontario: the 2024 OBC, CSA A23.1, A23.3 and G30.18, what Part 9 actually requires for houses, and where to find the real numbers.