Universal columns

Universal columns are the most often used section for structural steel purposes. Due to their section shape, they are often called “I-sections” or “H-sections”. Unlike a universal beam, the UC’s width is roughly equal to its depth. For example, a 152 UC 23 is 152 mm wide and 152 mm deep. The last number (23 in this example) is the weight per meter in kilograms. It is therefore easy to work out what is the total weight of a UC by simply multiplying its weight per meter by the total length in meters.

You may find two numbers before the UC abbreviation, eg. 152 x 152 UC 23, however in most cases one of them is omitted as they are both the same. Universal columns are mainly used for columns, however, their small depth compared to universal beams make them ideal load-bearing members when the height is limited (which is quite often the case in residential projects).