Beam Dimensions - A Free Resource for Engineers

If you have been using SkyCiv for a while you would have undoubtedly come across and used the SkyCiv Section Builder. It is also likely that you have come across our section library as you have loaded section shapes into our Beam, S3D, or design modules. This library runs off a database of thousands of shapes that have been collated, maintained, and processed by SkyCiv Engineers to include sections from all around the world.

Having built this database got us thinking about what else could we use it for. Powered by the SkyCiv database, Beam Dimensions (beamdimensions.com) is an easy-to-navigate, one-stop resource for engineers, students, hobbyists, or anyone else that needs section properties and dimensions. The best part?

It is completely free to use!  

 

The beam dimensions site contains information about section dimensions and properties. Section dimensions are detailed in a simple table, with a corresponding visual aid to help you to match up each dimension value. Furthermore section property information, vital for the design of each section are available including key values such as area, torsion constant, second moment of area, centroid values, warping constants, and plastic modulus values. The manufacture type and design standard for each section is also included where available.

Take for example this W30x90 beam section page from the AISC W Shapes Library.

W30x90 Section Sizes and Properties

What libraries does the site cover?

With over 12,000 shapes the Beam Dimensions site covers the majority of standard section sizes. This includes libraries such as:

  • American AISC, ASIS, and NDS ® Libraries
  • Australian Steel, Aluminum, and Wood Libraries
  • Canadian CISC and CSSBI Libraries
  • British Steel and Cold-Formed Libraries
  • European Steel Libraries 
  • Indian Steel Libraries

Should the library or shape you require not exist on the beam dimensions site then you should be sure to check out the SkyCiv Section Builder where you can model and analyze the section to get the properties you need.

What is the Catch?

There is none! SkyCiv remains committed to supporting and educating engineers around the world. It is part of our mission to serve the needs of engineers around the world and save engineers time. It is also a reflection of our commitment to improving education in engineering by making sure that student engineers everywhere have access to the resources they need.

By making beam dimensions freely available we hope that we can give back to the engineering community and that it becomes a useful tool for you and your colleagues. If you do find it useful then all we ask is that you share it with others that might find it useful.

Jake Roeleven Product Developer
Jake Roeleven
Product Developer
BEng (Software)
LinkedIn