Steel is one of the most incredible materials on the planet. It’s extremely strong, durable and, best of all, malleable. Though it’s relatively easy to create, steel can also be bent and formed into all manner of shapes. This makes steel one of the popular construction materials to work with because contractors can have their steel formed to meet nearly any needs.
If you want to build something spectacular, the odds are you need steel to make it happen. And if you want to make sure that steel is shaped correctly, you’ll need to work alongside a fabricator skilled with beam rolling in Phoenix, AZ, like Metal Pro Inc.
We can transform your regular steel beams into a variety of final products. All you have to do is make the call, and our team will get to work.
I-beams
When most people think about construction materials, they don’t have to go too far down the list before they get to steel I-beams, so named because they look like an uppercase “I.” On an I-beam, the vertical section of the beam (known as the web) that connects the two horizontal structures (called the flanges) tends to be thicker and stands much taller than the length of the individual flanges.
I-beams are the most easily identifiable beams in the industry. Here’s something most people don’t know: several types of steel beam that look like an uppercase “I” aren’t referred to as I-beams. In fact, on a modern construction site, I-beams aren’t used as frequently as other types of steel beams.
W-beams or H-beams
The most popular steel beam used in construction today is the W-beam. To the casual observer, the W-beam also looks like a traditional I-beam. The difference is subtle. A W-beam gets its name from its designation, not its shape—that is, the term “W-beam” is short for “wide flange beam.” So, whereas an I-beam’s web is thicker and taller than the flanges, the opposite is true in a W-beam.
W-beams are sometimes referred to as H-beams (because they look like an uppercase “H”). While they tend to weigh more than I-beams, W-beams’ thicker, wider flanges can support an incredible amount of weight before buckling.
Where traditional I-beams are put through a machine to be formed, W-beams are trickier to work with. They’re built up, which allows them greater length. That makes them more powerful but more challenging for beam rolling in Phoenix, AZ.
S-beams
The third common type of steel beam used in construction is the S-beam, or the standard American beam. The S-beam is the strongest beam. It’s used around the world to support massive structures that climb into the sky.
Like W-beams, S-beams require real skill to be formed properly.
Trust in the pros
If you need help with beam rolling in Phoenix, AZ, the team to trust is Metal Pro, Inc. Let us get to work for you with our wide range of machining and fabrication services. Contact us today to find out more about what we can do for you.