Articles on how steel framing is sized, named, priced and ordered. Every figure comes from the AISC Shapes Database v16.0, a published standard or a manufacturer specification sheet, and each article says when the numbers were checked.
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Diamond Plate Thickness, Sizes and How to Order It
Read the article: Diamond Plate Thickness, Sizes and How to Order ItHow steel diamond plate is measured and sold, what ASTM A786 covers, common thicknesses, steel versus aluminum tread plate, and what to specify when ordering.
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Moment Connection vs Shear Connection: What Actually Changes
Read the article: Moment Connection vs Shear Connection: What Actually ChangesHow a moment connection transfers bending into a column, why it needs continuity plates, the main connection types, and what Northridge changed about welding.
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Weathering Steel (Cor-Ten): Where It Works and Where It Fails
Read the article: Weathering Steel (Cor-Ten): Where It Works and Where It FailsHow weathering steel forms its protective patina, the exposures FHWA says to avoid, the detailing rules that come with it, and how it compares to galvanizing.
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Castellated Beams: How Cutting a Web Makes a Deeper Beam
Read the article: Castellated Beams: How Cutting a Web Makes a Deeper BeamHow castellated and cellular beams are cut and rewelded to gain depth without weight, what governs their design, and when they are worth the fabrication cost.
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Bar Joists Explained: How Open Web Steel Joists Work
Read the article: Bar Joists Explained: How Open Web Steel Joists WorkWhat a bar joist is, how open web steel joists carry load, how to read a designation like 18K4, joist vs steel beam, and OSHA bridging rules for erection.
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Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings: How the Frame Works and What to Check
Read the article: Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings: How the Frame Works and What to CheckHow a pre-engineered metal building works: tapered rigid frames, purlins and girts, frame types, how it compares with conventional steel and what to check.
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Anchor Bolts: Types, Grades and How Columns Are Anchored to Concrete
Read the article: Anchor Bolts: Types, Grades and How Columns Are Anchored to ConcreteCast-in vs post-installed anchor bolts, ASTM F1554 grades 36, 55 and 105, how a steel column is set on its anchors, OSHA’s four-rod rule and common mistakes.
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Rebar Sizes Chart: #3 to #18 Diameter, Area and Weight
Read the article: Rebar Sizes Chart: #3 to #18 Diameter, Area and WeightRebar size chart for #3 to #18 with diameter, area and weight, why #9 breaks the eighths rule, how the weights are derived and what the grades actually mean.
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Steel Gauge Thickness Chart: What the Gauge Number Means
Read the article: Steel Gauge Thickness Chart: What the Gauge Number MeansSteel gauge thickness chart from 7 to 28 gauge in inches and mm, why the numbers run backwards, and the one division that gives you every thickness in it.
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Gusset Plates: What They Do and How They Fail
Read the article: Gusset Plates: What They Do and How They FailA gusset plate joins members at a truss node and is a structural member itself. What it carries, the five ways it can fail, and why it has to be…
Reference information only, not engineering advice. Disclaimer.