Types of Structural Steel Connections and Details
A map of structural steel connections: beam, column, base, bracing and embed details, the bolt grades and bolted joint types, and the welds used to make them.
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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.
Types of Structural Steel Shapes: W, HSS, Channel and Angle
The main structural steel shapes used in Canada: W, S and HP beams, channels, angles, tees, HSS, pipe, plate and bar, with metric names and typical uses.
UB, UC, RSJ and PFC: UK Beam Terms in Canadian Sizes
UK steel terms for Canadian trades: what RSJ, UB, UC and PFC mean, how UK sizes are named, and which Canadian W-shapes and channels come closest.
W-Beam Prices by Size: How W8x18, W10 and W12 Sections Compare
What sets the cost of W8x18, W8x31, W10x26, W10x33, W12x35 and W12x40 beams: weight, metric equivalents, stiffness per kilogram and what to send for a quote.
W-Beam Section Properties and Moment of Inertia
W-beam section properties explained: moment of inertia, section modulus, radius of gyration and torsion constant, with a metric CISC chart of common sizes.
W-Beam to HSS Column Connections
How W-beams connect to HSS columns: cap plates for beams on top, shear tabs and through-plates for side framing, moment connections and HSS-specific details.
W-Beam vs HSS: Choosing Sections for Beams and Columns
W-beam vs HSS compared on real Canadian section properties: bending, column buckling, twisting, connections and finish, plus common HSS column sizes like 102x102.
W8x18 (W200x27) Beam: Dimensions, Spans and Uses
W8x18 (W200x27) steel beam specs: full dimensions and section properties, Ontario Building Code spans by joist length, the W8 family compared, and common uses.
Welded Wire Mesh Sizes and Designations in Canada
Welded wire mesh sizes in Canada: common styles like 152x152 MW18.7, gauge to MW conversions, steel area and kg/m², and the sheet and roll sizes mesh comes in.
Welding HSS Tube: Fabrication Tips and CWB Requirements
Can you weld HSS steel? Yes. What makes tube welding different, joint details, thin walls, sealing and galvanizing, and the CWB and CSA W59 rules in Canada.
Welding Procedures (WPS and WPDS) on Canadian Steel Jobs
How structural welding procedures work in Canada: what a WPS and a WPDS are, how CWB reviews them, prequalified vs qualified procedures, and what to ask for.
What Are Steel Pan Stairs?
What steel pan stairs are, how stringers, pans and landings go together, how the pans get filled with concrete, and the details that make them go in smoothly.
What Does a Structural Steel Fabricator Do?
What a structural steel fabricator is and does on a project, from take-off and shop drawings to material, fabrication, quality control, delivery and erection.
What Does Rebar Do in Concrete?
Why concrete needs rebar: how steel carries the tension concrete cannot, how the two work together, and what rebar does in slabs, beams, columns and footings.
What Is a Bar Bending Schedule and How Do You Read One?
What a rebar bar bending schedule (BBS) is, how to read its columns, how it maps to a Canadian bar list, and where Excel sheets and calculators fit in.
What Is a Column Base Plate? Steel Base Plates Explained
What a column base plate is in a steel structure, how it spreads load and anchors the column, the parts and common types, and how base plates are sized and set.
What Is a Lally Column?
What a lally column is, what it's made of, whether it's hollow or concrete filled, what it does in a basement, and what Ontario calls it: telepost or steel column.
What Is a Steel Lintel and What Does It Do?
What a steel lintel is, what it does over a window or door, how the brick above loads it, where you will find one in an Ontario house and what keeps it working.