A Comprehensive Comparison of H-beam Steel and I-steel

It is reasonable to mix the H-beam Steel and I-steel when a lot of those profiles pile up together. But if you come close and contrast them carefully, you’ll find that they are totally different. This article will discuss this issue from the following three aspects to help you have a clear picture of these two profiles.

1、Appearance

You can have a clear view of the differences between the appearance of H-beam steel and that of I-steel from the side of cross section. On the one hand, it is obvious H-beam steel is shorter and wider than I-steel, we can see that with naked eyes. On the other hand, these two profiles has  difform flanges. The flanges of H-beam steel have uniform thickness, while that of I-beam are thin on the outside and thick on the inside, which looks like a slope.

2、Properties and Functions

The I-beam has small side length and high height, which means it can only undertake the  unidirectional force. H-beam steel has a deep thick groove, which is able to withstand the force in both directions and has good torsional performance. H-beam steel is an economical profile, and the advantages of its section shape can help the profile to become more efficient. You can also use high-strength bolts to connect H-beam steel with other profiles. It also has a better mechanical properties per unit weight and a wider applied range. The cross section size of I-beam is relatively high and narrow, which means they generally can only be applied directly to the parts with bending in its web plane or to form lattice-type force-bearing parts. But I-steel is not useless, its flange thickens from the outside to the inside, which is is in line with the actual force condition. It structure decides that the normal use will never cause the local buckling. 

Anyway, as a result of those different properties, I-steel can only be used for transoms, but H-beam can also be used for structural bearing columns.

3、Production Craftsmanship

As far as the mode of production is concerned, the H-beam steel and I-steel has only little difference. Both of them are made of raw steel ingot. The main technique is heating and rolling. But there are huge differences in the cutting and reproduction process of these two profiles. The rolling technique and equipment of H-beam steel are more complex than that of I-steel. Ordinary I-steel can be rolled by a single set of horizontal rolling machines. But you need to add another set of vertical rolling machines for rolling the H-beam steel as it has the wide flange with no inclination.

 

HCADTO Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. the Stainless Steel Division of ADTO GROUP, specializes in manufacturing stainless steel angle bar, flat bar, round bar, square bar, hexagonal bar and channel bar in various grades and sizes. Our years of production experience and manufacturing facilities will ensure the good quality and competitive duration of our products.