In Ontario you can buy a steel beam from a steel service centre (a steel yard) as raw stock, or from a fabricator that supplies it cut to length, drilled, fitted with plates and delivered to site, with installation if you want it. For a house or renovation, the fabricated route is usually simpler because the beam arrives ready to set on its posts. Either way, the beam size and connection details have to come from a designer or engineer first. Here's how to decide where to buy, and how to make sure the beam that shows up actually fits.
Steel yard or fabricator?
Both are legitimate places to buy a beam. They suit different buyers.
| Steel service centre (yard) | Fabricator | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | Raw beam from stock, sometimes cut to length | Beam cut, drilled, coped, plated and finished to your details |
| Connections | You or your contractor make them | Made in the shop, matched to drawings |
| Drawings | Not involved | Can prepare shop drawings |
| Delivery | Often available, may be dock pickup | Delivered to site, sometimes in phases |
| Installation | No | Often available |
| Best for | Shops and trades with their own fabrication equipment | Contractors, builders and homeowners who want a ready-to-install beam |
A raw beam is only part of the job. Bearing plates, holes for bolts to posts or columns, and any connection to existing framing all have to be made somewhere. Doing that work in a shop with proper equipment and certified welders is faster and more accurate than doing it in a basement with a drill and a grinder.
If you're searching for a steel beam nearby, distance to the supplier matters less than you might expect. What matters is whether they can supply the size and grade on your drawings, make the connections, and get the beam to your site when the crew and temporary supports are ready. A supplier a little further away who delivers a finished, ready-to-set beam often saves more time than a nearby yard where you collect raw stock and still need the fabrication done.
What "cut, drilled, delivered" involves
When a fabricator supplies a beam ready to install, the work usually includes:
- Cutting to exact length, so the beam sits on its bearings without trimming on site.
- Drilling or punching holes for bolted connections to posts, columns or wood framing, at the positions on the drawing.
- Plates welded on, such as bearing plates, end plates or cap plates, and base and cap plates on matching posts.
- Copes, where a beam has to fit around or into other members.
- Finish, usually shop primer for interior beams.
- Marking, so each piece goes in the right place.
- Delivery, loaded and strapped for the trip, timed for when the site is ready.
The beam is only one part of a beam installation. Posts, footings under those posts and temporary support of the structure during the work are all part of the design. Our guide to the cost of installing a basement steel beam explains the full scope of a typical house job.
Before you order: size, permit and access
Get the size from a designer or engineer
A beam is sized for the loads it carries and the span between supports. For houses, that may come from the designer working within Part 9 of the Ontario Building Code, or from an engineer. Our article on steel beam span tables for Ontario homes explains what those tables cover and when you need an engineer instead. Don't buy a beam based on a neighbour's job or a guess. An undersized beam is a safety problem, and an oversized one wastes money and headroom.
Check permit requirements
Installing a structural beam or removing a load-bearing wall generally requires a building permit in Ontario. Your designer or engineer prepares the drawings, the municipality reviews them, and inspections happen during the work. Confirm with your local building department.
Plan the access
This is the step people skip. Before the beam is cut, measure the route from the truck to the final position:
- Basement windows, doors and stairwells, including turns
- Driveway and laneway access for the delivery truck
- Overhead wires and trees if a boom truck will unload
- Where the beam can be set down safely on arrival
A one-piece beam that can't get through the opening has to be spliced, and a splice must be designed by the engineer, so access needs to be raised before fabrication, not on delivery day.
Think about weight and handling
Beams are heavy. A metric W-shape's name includes its mass per metre (a W200x27 is about 27 kg per metre), so you can estimate the weight of the whole beam before it arrives. Plan for enough people or equipment to move it safely.
Common beam-ordering mistakes
Most problems with a delivered beam trace back to one of these:
- Measuring the opening, not the bearing. The beam length has to include bearing at each end on its posts, walls or columns, as shown on the design. Ordering to the clear span makes a beam that is too short.
- Forgetting the posts. A beam needs supports, and those posts need plates, footings and connections that match the beam.
- Assuming the existing structure is square. Old houses settle. Have the actual bearing heights and positions checked before the posts are cut.
- Ordering before the design is approved. If the building department asks for changes, a beam that has already been cut may not be usable.
- Ignoring the route in. A beam that can't reach its position has to be cut and spliced, which needs the engineer's design.
- Not planning the unload. Someone has to receive the beam, and there must be a safe place to put it down.
Questions to ask when you call a supplier
- Do you supply the beam cut to length, or fabricated with holes and plates?
- Can you make the matching posts with base and cap plates?
- Do you prepare shop drawings, or work from my designer's details?
- Is your welding CWB certified?
- Do you deliver to my area, and how is the beam unloaded?
- Do you install, or should I arrange an installer?
- What do you need from me to quote?
What to send for a quote
The best thing to send is the permit drawings or the engineer's details. If you only have part of the information, send what you have:
- Beam size and grade, length and quantity
- Post sizes, heights and plate details
- Connection details to existing framing or masonry
- Finish
- Site address and access notes (photos of the basement entry help)
- Whether you need supply only, delivery, or supply and installation
For an explanation of how beam pricing is built up, see steel beam prices in Canada.
Buying a beam from Procut
Procut Steel fabricates wide-flange beams, steel posts and lintels at our shop at 7 Erin Park Dr in Erin, Ontario. Beams are cut, fitted, welded and marked to your drawings, with CWB certified shop welding and in-house shop drawings. We deliver across the GTA and Ontario and install, from basement beams and posts on residential builds to larger commercial projects.
Send your drawings or beam details for a free quote, or see our steel beams and posts.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a single steel beam in Ontario?
Yes. Steel service centres sell individual beams from stock, and fabricators supply single beams cut, drilled and fitted with plates for residential and renovation work. The beam size should come from your designer or engineer.
Do I need a permit to install a steel beam in my house?
In Ontario, structural work such as removing a load-bearing wall or installing a new beam generally needs a building permit and drawings from a qualified designer or engineer. Check with your municipality's building department before you start.
What if the beam is too long to get into my basement?
Long beams can sometimes be supplied in sections and spliced in place, but the splice location and connection must be designed by the engineer. Tell your supplier about access limits before the beam is cut.
Are I-beams and W-beams the same thing?
People use I-beam loosely for any beam with that profile. Most structural beams used today are wide-flange W-shapes, which have wider, parallel flanges than the older tapered-flange S-shape (standard I-beam).
