H-beam vs I-beam – Difference Between H-beam and I-beam

H-beam and I-beam looks quite similar that makes it confusing to many who is not concered about the differences between h-beam and i beam. Lets discuss about these two structural members.

H-beam

H-beam is a structural beam made of rolled steel. It is incredibly strong. It gets its name because it looks like a capital H over its cross section. The H-beam has wider flanges than an I-beam, but the I-beam has tapered edges. The width is the flange, and the height is the Web. The difference between both H-beams and I-beams is the flange by web ratio. The H-beam tends to be heavier than the I-beam, and that is why some say that it is better than the I-beam, but that is subjective, as the H-beam is generally heavier.

H-beam
H beam

 

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I-beam

I-beam has tapered edges where an H-beam does not. It gets its name from the fact that it looks like a capital I when you see it from its cross section. With an I-beam, the height of the cross section is higher than the width of its flange. The I-beam is lighter than the H-beam, which means a H-beam is not always ideal.

i-beam
i-beam

The thickness of the center web is what is the most important, as that is what takes the force of the weight placed upon it, and that is why a lot of buildings require a H-beam over an I-beam. An I-beam is made by rolling or milling steel which means the I-beam is often limited by the capacity or size of the milling equipment. H-beams are built up; so they are able to be made at any size or width.

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Difference between I-beam and H-beam

It does seem that the H-beam is the better beam. But that is not always the case as it does depend on the use of the beam and the building/structure you are planning to put it into. Here is a closer h-beam vs i-beam comparison of the two beams.

H-beam

I-beam

  • An H-beam has a thicker center web, which means it is often stronger.
  • An I-beam often has a thinner center web, which means it is often not able to take as much force as a H-beam.
  • An H-beam may be built up, meaning it can be built up to any size or height.
  • An I-beam may only be built up as much as the manufacturers milling equipment allows.
  • The H-beam is often a lot heavier than the I-beam, which means it can take more force.
  • The I-beam is often lighter, but this is desirable in some buildings where weight and force on a wall may pose a structural issue.
  • The manufacture process means that H-beams can be used for spans up to 330 feet.
  • An I-beam may be used for spans of between 33 and 100 feet. Longer I-beams are not often an option as they are tough to manufacture.
  • The H-beam has a bevel where three pieces of metal come together and look like one piece of metal.
  • An I-beam is just one piece of metal throughout and is not made by welding or riveting sheets of metal together.
  • H-beams have top and bottom flanges that stick out further from the web than the flanges on I-beams.
  • I-beams have top and bottom flanges, and they are shorter and are not as wide as H-beams.

1 thought on “H-beam vs I-beam – Difference Between H-beam and I-beam”

  1. Heavier does not mean stronger. I find it crazy that inertia was not even mentioned once on this page. Any sophomore engineering student can tell you that a H beam will be stronger if you use it as an I beam. The inertia of an I is greater than the inertia of an H with the same dimensions.

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