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 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.
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.
Column Base Plate Design to CSA S16: A Worked Example
How a steel column base plate is sized in Canada: concrete bearing to CSA A23.3, the cantilever method for plate thickness, a worked HSS example and detailing tips.
Connecting Steel Columns to Brick and Block Walls
How steel columns connect to brick and concrete block walls: wall ties and anchors, columns in cavity walls, columns bearing on masonry and Ontario code rules.
Does Angle Iron, Channel or HSS Rust? Galvanized vs Painted Shapes
Does angle iron, C-channel or HSS rust? Where each steel shape corrodes first, galvanized vs painted finishes compared, and how to detail shapes to last outdoors.
Does Structural Steel Need Fireproofing in Ontario?
When the Ontario Building Code requires fire protection on structural steel, how steel behaves when heated, the exceptions, and the main fireproofing methods.
Does Structural Steel Need to Be Painted or Galvanized?
When structural steel needs primer, paint or galvanizing in Ontario: code minimums, interior vs exterior steel, and steel that should stay bare.
Embedding Steel Posts in Concrete vs Base Plates
Should a steel post be set in concrete or bolted down on a base plate? Strength, rust at the concrete line, code rules for house columns and how to protect posts.
Equal vs Unequal Leg Steel Angle: Sizes and Uses
Equal vs unequal leg steel angle: how each is sized and named, why long leg vertical matters, a same-weight comparison, and which jobs suit each angle.
Galvanized Steel Beams: When You Need Them and What Drives the Cost
When a steel beam or post needs galvanizing (decks, porches, carports, exterior lintels), what drives galvanized beam cost, and how to order it right.
Grouting Base Plates: Non-Shrink Grout and Thickness
What base plate grouting does, how columns are levelled before grouting, choosing non-shrink or epoxy grout, how thick the grout should be and how it is placed.
How Far Can a Steel Beam Span Without Support?
How far a steel beam can span without a post or bracing: what Ontario span tables allow, what limits a span, and why unbraced beams carry less.
How Much Have Steel Prices Increased in Canada? Tariffs and What They Mean (October 2026)
How much Canadian steel prices changed in 2025 and 2026 by Statistics Canada price indexes, the tariffs and quotas behind it, and tariff codes for plate and beams.
How Much Weight Can a Steel Beam Hold?
Why a steel beam has no single weight limit, how capacity is calculated to CSA S16, how span changes it, and a worked W-beam example with real section values.
How Much Weight Can C-Channel Hold? Load Tables Explained
C-channel load capacity explained: bending resistance for common Canadian channels, upright vs flat, why channels twist, and a worked channel design example.
How Much Weight Can Steel Angle Support?
What decides steel angle capacity in bending, tension and compression, why angle iron flexes and twists, and a stiffness chart by angle size and orientation.