Differences Between Universal Beam and H-shaped Steel

1. Difference in properties: The cross section of universal beam is I-shaped steel. H-shaped steel is a kind of economical section with better area distribution and has more reasonable strength to weight ratio. It gets its name because its cross section looks like the letter “H”.

2. Difference in roles: Universal beams are widely used in construction structure, bridges, vehicles, supports and machines. H-shaped steel has an abundant series of dimensions and complete models, which are convenient for design and selection.

3. Difference in characteristics: The inner side of H-shaped steel’s outer sides has no slope, it is straight. This makes the weld splicing of H-shaped steel easier to operate than universal beam, has better mechanical properties per unit weight, and can save a lot of material and construction time. The universal beam is good under direct pressure and tensile resistance, but the section size of the wing plate could be too narrow to resist torsion.