C-Channel vs Unistrut: Structural Channel vs Strut
C-channel vs Unistrut: how hot-rolled structural channel differs from slotted strut channel in strength, connections and uses, and when to use each one.
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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.
C-Channel Weight per Metre: Chart and Formula
C-channel weight per metre and per foot for every standard Canadian size, the formula behind it, and how to work out the weight of a channel order.
Can a Steel Beam Span 30, 40 or 50 Feet?
Yes, steel beams can span 30, 40 or 50 feet. What the Ontario span tables allow, why long spans get deep and heavy fast, and the options engineers use instead.
Can an I-Beam Be Used as a Column?
Yes, I-shaped W-sections are standard steel columns, but not every beam section makes a good one. How beam and column shapes differ, and when HSS is better.
Can Fiberglass Rebar Be Used in Footings and Foundations?
Can fiberglass (GFRP) rebar go in footings, foundation walls and retaining walls in Ontario? What the code allows, when it makes sense and what to order.
Can HSS Be Used as a Beam? Sizes and Limitations
Yes, HSS can work as a beam. Where a hollow structural section beats a W-beam, common rectangular HSS beam sizes in Canada, and the limits on connections and spans.
Can Rebar Be Bent or Cut on Site? Field vs Shop Bending
Can rebar be bent or cut on site? What is practical for 10M, 15M and larger bars, the right tools, limits on embedded and coated bar, and when to use the shop.
Can Rebar Be Welded? Weldable Rebar Grades in Canada
Which rebar is weldable in Canada: what the W in 400W and 500W means, why CSA W186 governs rebar welding, when tack welding is allowed and why most bar is tied.
Can Steel Beams Be Reused? Buying Used and Offcuts
When a used steel beam can go back into a building in Ontario, what an engineer needs to accept it, where offcuts make sense and what decides a beam's scrap value.
Can You Bend or Cut Epoxy-Coated Rebar?
Bending and cutting epoxy-coated rebar: A775 vs A934 bar, larger bend diameters, why field bending is avoided, no torch cutting, and how cut ends are patched.
Can You Cut or Weld an Existing Steel Beam?
Can an existing steel beam be cut or welded? What cutting does to its strength, weldability of older steel, shoring and CWB rules in Canada.
Can You Remove a Lally Column to Open a Basement?
Whether you can remove or move a lally column, what happens to the beam above when you do, and what the Ontario code asks of the posts and footings left behind.
Can You Use Angle Iron as a Lintel?
Most brick lintels in Ontario are steel angles. What makes angle iron acceptable as a lintel under the code, the smallest sizes allowed, and when it isn't enough.
Can You Weld Rebar? Coated Bars, Welding Details and CSA W186
Whether galvanized and epoxy-coated rebar can be welded, what a rebar welding detail must show, coating removal and repair, fumes, and why couplers often win.
Canadian Steel Beam Sizes: Metric W-Shape Chart
Common Canadian wide-flange (W) beam sizes from W150 to W610 with depth, flange width, thicknesses, kg/m and the imperial equivalent for each size.
Canadian Structural Steel Codes: CSA S16 and the Building Code
How Canada's structural steel codes fit together: the NBC and Ontario Building Code, CSA S16, material, welding and cold-formed standards, and which edition applies.
Canadian vs US Rebar Sizes: Metric to Imperial Conversion
Convert Canadian metric rebar (10M to 55M) to US bar sizes (#3 to #18): diameters, areas and weights, nearest equivalents, and how to substitute bars safely.
Choosing a Rebar Fabricator in Ontario: What to Ask
Who makes rebar in Canada, how fabricators differ from mills and supply yards, and the questions to ask an Ontario rebar fabrication shop before you award the job.