Steel Beams Cut to Size

Steel is rolled in long standard lengths. Almost nobody needs one of those, so we supply beams cut to the lengths on your drawing.

Get this priced with your steel

Send us your engineer’s drawings and we’ll price the steel and the processing together — one order, one delivery, one point of contact.

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Why cutting to size matters

Structural sections come out of the mill long. A domestic opening rarely needs anything close to that, so at some point between the rolling mill and the wall somebody has to cut the steel, and the only real question is whether that happens beforehand under controlled conditions or on site with a disc cutter in a room that has just been cleared.

The case for doing it beforehand is mostly practical. Cutting steel in an occupied house means noise, sparks and dust in a room somebody has just cleared out, and it leaves you with an offcut to dispose of afterwards. Then there is getting the thing in. On a terraced street, where the beam comes through the front door and down the hall, an over-long section is considerably more awkward to manoeuvre than one already at its finished length.

Getting the length right

The length on the drawing is normally the clear span plus whatever bearing the engineer has specified at each end. Get it short and the beam will not have enough bearing on the padstone. Get it long and it will not drop into the pockets you have cut for it.

If the drawings show bearing dimensions, send them and we will work from those. If you are measuring on site instead, measure the opening and tell us what bearing the calculations call for at each end. Adding an allowance yourself and hoping is how beams end up wrong.

What we need from you

A cutting list is enough if you already have sizes and lengths. Otherwise send the engineer’s drawings or calculations, and we will read the schedule off them, work out quantities and come back with a price for the steel cut and ready to install.

Mention any holes, cleats or finishes at the same time. It all goes on one order.

Check the length against the calculations, not the opening. The cut length has to include the bearing at each end specified by your structural engineer. Ordering to the clear opening width instead is one of the more common and more expensive mistakes made on domestic steelwork.

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Common questions

Can you cut to any length?

Beams are cut to the lengths you specify. Send the cutting list or the drawings and we will confirm what is possible for the sizes involved when we quote.

Do I pay for the full length or just what I need?

You are quoted for the steel you have ordered, cut to your lengths. Send us the list and we will price it.

Can you cut beams that also need drilling?

Yes. Cutting, drilling, welded connections and finishes are all arranged on the same order so the beam arrives ready to install.

Does cutting affect the beam structurally?

Cutting a beam square to length does not change its section properties. Cutting into the web or flanges is a different matter and must follow your engineer’s details — see our drilling and notching page.

Ready for a price?

Send your drawings or a cutting list and we’ll come back with quantities and a price, steel and processing together. Large and small orders both welcome.

Get a free quote

We supply structural steel across London, the South and the Midlands, delivered direct to site. Information on this page is general guidance; specifications for your project must come from your structural engineer.