H-beams, also known as wide flange beams, feature three main dimensional components that define their structural properties:
Flange width (typically ranging from 100mm to 400mm in standard sizes)
Web height (commonly from 100mm to 1000mm)
Thickness of web and flanges (varying from 6mm to 40mm)
The most common European standard HEB beams follow EN 10025 specifications with serial sizes from HEB 100 to HEB 1000. For instance:
• HEB 200 measures 200mm in height, 200mm in flange width, with 9mm web and 15mm flange thickness
• HEB 400 measures 400mm tall, 300mm wide, with 13.5mm web and 24mm flanges
These dimensions create an optimal strength-to-weight ratio, with the wider flanges providing superior load distribution compared to I-beams. The standardized sizing allows for easy structural calculations and compatibility across construction projects throughout Europe and other metric-system countries.
