Shop Drawings vs Construction Drawings vs As-Builts
How shop drawings differ from construction (design) drawings and as-builts, whether shop drawings are contract documents, and whether they ever supersede them.
Home / Blog
Steel & Rebar Guides
Straight answers on rebar, structural steel, beams, lintels and fabrication, from the team that cuts, bends and welds it every day.
Shop Drawings vs Fabrication Drawings for Steel
Are shop drawings and fabrication drawings the same? How the terms are used for structural steel, the full drawing set, and what each drawing is for.
Shop Drawings vs Submittals: What Contractors Need
Shop drawings are one kind of submittal. What else counts (product data, cut sheets, samples, certificates), steel and rebar packages, and review stamps.
Single vs Double Mat Rebar in Concrete Slabs
Single vs double mat rebar in concrete slabs: what each layout does, which slabs get a top and bottom mat, how mats are spaced and supported, and what to check.
Sizing an I-Beam for a Hoist, Gantry or Monorail
What decides the I-beam size for a hoist, monorail or gantry: capacity, impact, flange bending, trolley fit and supports, plus Ontario's permit and inspection rules.
Slab-on-Grade Rebar Requirements: What the Ontario Code Says
Does a slab on grade need rebar in Ontario? What OBC Section 9.16 requires for floors on ground, when a slab must be designed, and how slab rebar is laid out.
Smooth Dowels, Sleeves and Baskets for Slab Joints
How smooth dowels, dowel sleeves, expansion caps and dowel baskets work at slab and pavement joints, how they're installed and aligned, and what to order.
Stainless vs Mild Steel Railings: Which Grade Is Best?
Which steel is best for a railing: mild steel vs stainless grades 202, 304 and 316 compared for rust, salt, finish and fabrication, with picks for Ontario homes.
Standard Rebar Hooks: 90, 135 and 180 Degree Bends
The three standard rebar hooks under CSA A23.1, where 90°, 135° and 180° hooks are used, hook dimensions from 10M to 55M, and J, U and offset bends.
Standard Rebar Lengths in Canada: How Long Is a Bar?
How long rebar comes in Canada: 12 m mill lengths for 10M, 18 m for 15M and up, how cut lengths work, the practical maximum and how to handle runs longer than a bar.
Standard Steel Beam Lengths and Delivery Limits in Ontario
How long steel beams come, why stock lengths are imperial, how cut lengths and splices work, and the Ontario truck length limits that affect beam delivery.
Steel Angle Heel, Toe and Gauge Lines: Detailing Basics
Steel angle nomenclature explained: heel, toe, legs, fillet, how angles are written on drawings, gauge lines for bolt holes, and how to check them.
Steel Angle Lintel Design: A Worked Example
How a steel angle lintel for brick veneer is designed: arching loads, bending to CSA S16, the span/700 deflection limit and a 3 m worked example.
Steel Angle Prices in Canada: What Drives the Cost per Metre
How steel angle (angle iron) is priced in Canada: leg size, thickness, weight per metre, grade, stock lengths, cutting, holes, finish and delivery.
Steel Angle Sizes in Canada: Metric Chart
Standard steel angle sizes in Canada in mm: equal and unequal leg charts with imperial equivalents, available thicknesses, kg/m ranges, lengths and how to order.
Steel Angle vs Angle Iron: Terminology and Hot-Rolled vs Formed
Steel angle and angle iron are the same product. What angle iron is made of today, and how hot-rolled structural angle differs from cold-formed angle.
Steel Angle vs Bent Plate: Which to Specify?
Rolled steel angle vs bent plate: corner radius, leg sizes, lengths, design data and cost, when each one makes sense, and what to do if you need a sharp corner.
Steel Angle Weight per Metre: Chart and Formula
Steel angle weight in kg/m and lb/ft for equal and unequal leg angles, the formula to calculate any angle, and worked examples for lintels and frames.