Structural steel

Structural steel is steel produced in specified grades and shapes for load-bearing components in buildings and infrastructure. Its strength, ductility, and standardized profiles support engineered structural systems.

Structural steel grade: A classification specifying structural steel’s mechanical properties and, in some standards, chemical composition. Grade limits such as yield strength govern a member’s design resistance.
Steel frame: A structural system in which steel beams and columns carry building loads through connected members. It is a common building-scale arrangement of structural steel.
Steel bridge: A bridge whose primary load-carrying structure is made of steel members or plates. Steel’s strength and fabrication flexibility suit long-span bridge systems.
Reinforced concrete: Concrete containing embedded steel reinforcement that carries tensile forces the concrete handles poorly. It competes with steel framing while combining two materials with contrasting mechanical behavior.
Yield strength: The stress at which a material begins to deform plastically rather than returning fully to its original shape. Structural steel grades are commonly distinguished by minimum yield strength.
Beam: A structural member designed primarily to resist loads transverse to its length through bending and shear. Steel beams carry floor and roof loads toward columns or walls.
Steel moment frame: A frame designed to resist lateral forces through bending in beams, columns, and their rigid connections. Moment frames use connected structural steel to resist wind and earthquake forces.
Mass timber: Engineered wood products assembled into large structural elements such as panels, beams, and columns. Mass timber offers a building-frame alternative with different weight, fire, and carbon trade-offs.
Elastic modulus: A measure of a material’s stiffness, defined as the ratio of stress to elastic strain. Steel’s stiffness helps determine structural deflection and buckling behavior.
Column: A structural member designed primarily to carry compressive axial loads. Steel columns transfer loads from beams and floors to foundations.

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