Twist in Steel Beam Acceptable?

[CA_Tallguy]

Hey guys -- I just bough a 20ft W8x10 beam and I'm not experienced in buying this size metal. When I got it home, I noticed that it has a pretty good twist in one end. Enough that you don't have to look hard to see it. I don't know if it was naive of me to expect that steel would be a lot more straight than lumber but I did --- so did not even think to "crown" it at the yard. There is also a bit of sweep (I think that is what you'd call it) but that doesn't bother me as much as the twist.

Please let me know how much variance in these things is acceptable. I'm trying to decide if and how much I should push to have the steel supply swap it for something better.

 

[rustyjames]

If you paid for a new beam from a supplier then you should get what you paid for, a straight beam. If you bought it from a scrap yard that's another story. If it's usable I would ask for a discount, if not I'd try to exchange it.

 

[finn]

If it is a manufactured produce (which it certainly is), it will have a blueprint which will specify the maximum allowable twist.

The trick is: How do you get ahold of that spec?

 

[readhead]

We receive twisted beams often. But you need to understand that in the erecting process most or all of the twist will be gone once it is bolted into the frame.

The AISC manual gives specifications for allowable deformation.

Steel is pretty easy to move around. That is only 4" wide with 3/16" flanges and web. What are you doing with the beam?

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... A beam that size, I would fully expect to be delivered straight, 'n true,....

If shoppin' in a scrapyard, the mistake is on you for not lookin', 'n pickin' the straightest there,...

 

[readhead]

Sometimes we need a beam that will be exposed and we will specify that it needs to be straight. We rarely see a straight beam. So for all you expert beam buyers if you got straight ones you got lucky.

 

[CA_Tallguy]

Not from a scrapyard -- this is from a big texas steel and pipe supply. I went and slapped a digital angle finder on it and best I can tell, it is about 8 degrees of twist, all in about 5 feet to one end of the 20 footer.

This is going to be exposed and will be holding up the front floor edge of a mezzanine in living space in my new man cave. I figure that I could probably make due with it if I had to but if this is something that it is reasonable to reject and if I could expect that the next one pulled off the pile would be closer to true then it is probably worth going back for another. I certainly don't want to sit there digging through the pile of beams as if I was going through a stack of lumber at home depot -- just trying to understand if it is reasonable to expect something better.

Even if I had to pay for another as it was only $110.... that's not much money vs who knows what complications I might face in using it. But again, I don't want to go back for another if I should expect some variance to this degree on another one.

Also -- that this is a TWIST is what bothers me. It also has a bit of a sweep from end to end and I am OK with that.

 

[readhead]

I suspect you got a culled beam. That is out of tolerance. The tip off is that you got it for $0.55 a pound. That is pretty cheap. I think you should go back and explain that you need a straight beam for the condition you have. Hopefully they will help you out.

 

[PugetDude]

The beam was probably writhing in agony when it heard you were going to put it in your "man cave" .

 

[GTO]

The beam probably was writhing in agony when it heard you were going to put it in your "man cave" .

 

[sbosecker]

I suspect you got a culled beam. That is out of tolerance. The tip off is that you got it for $0.55 a pound. That is pretty cheap. I think you should go back and explain that you need a straight beam for the condition you have. Hopefully they will help you out.

I was quoted $511 for a 30-foot W18x35 a month ago. That's less than about 49 cents a pound.

While I didn't ask, the assumption was that this was normal - not culled - beam.

This is from a supplier in Newnan, GA.

Best regards,

Scott

 

[readhead]

Well now I know we pay a premium for where we work. It also explains why guys coming from down south can beat us up on pricing. The least we are paying from any of our suppliers is .63. However most of our steel travels to a few yards before it gets to us. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[CA_Tallguy]

Yeah I feel confident my pricing was their normal pricing for walk in customers without accounts. Pretty sure it would be less in volume and/or for account holders. This place supplies a lot of the oil industry around here.

Called this morning and they said will swap no problem

 

[readhead]

Sounds like it will work out.

 

[CA_Tallguy]

Here's the bad beam right before I swapped it at the yard. New beam looks 1000 times better.

The worst part is actually closest to the camera.

 

[rburke65]

Wow.....that's really twisted. Very surprised at that twist!

 

[ADSR]

Here's the bad beam right before I swapped it at the yard. New beam looks 1000 times better.

The worst part is actually closest to the camera.

wow! That's horrible!