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Category: steel sections
Reference Dataset
Structural Steel I-Beam Wide-Flange Shapes (W-shapes) Table
Cross-sectional properties for standard AISC wide flange steel shapes including depth, area, and moments of inertia.
Overview & Scope
Wide flange W-shapes represent standard I-beam steel sections. Moments of inertia (Ix, Iy) dictate cross-section stiffness limits under transverse bending loads.
Technical Sizing Values
The table below specifies nominal dimensions, cross-sectional areas, and moments of inertia for standard W-shapes.
| Designation (W-shape) | Nominal Weight (lb/ft) | Nominal Weight (kg/m) | Area A (in²) | Area A (cm²) | Depth d (in) | Depth d (mm) | Moment of Inertia Ix (in⁴) | Moment of Inertia Ix (cm⁴) | Moment of Inertia Iy (in⁴) | Moment of Inertia Iy (cm⁴) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W8x10 | 10 | 14.9 | 2.96 | 19.1 | 7.89 | 200 | 30.8 | 1280 | 2.09 | 87 |
| W10x12 | 12 | 17.9 | 3.54 | 22.8 | 9.87 | 251 | 53.8 | 2240 | 2.18 | 90.7 |
| W12x16 | 16 | 23.8 | 4.71 | 30.4 | 11.99 | 305 | 103 | 4290 | 2.78 | 116 |
| W14x22 | 22 | 32.7 | 6.49 | 41.9 | 13.74 | 349 | 199 | 8280 | 7 | 291 |
Engineering Notes & Best Practices
- •Moment of inertia Ix represents structural resistance to bending about the major axis.
- •Moment of inertia Iy represents structural resistance to bending about the minor axis.
- •Flange buckling checks are required when beams are subjected to high compression loads.
Dataset Citations & References
AISC Steel Construction Manual
Public domain source and standard catalog reference parameters.