steel beams

Building skeleton parts

Steel beams are structural supports made from steel, used in construction to bear loads in buildings, bridges, and other structures.

They come in various cross-sectional shapes—I-beams, H-beams, box beams—each suited to different engineering requirements.

The steel beams arrived on-site yesterday.

The phrase gained notoriety through 9/11 conspiracy theories questioning whether jet fuel could melt them.

Opposites
material composition

steel beamstimber beams

Structural wooden supports

wooden posts · wood beams · wooden beams · lumber · log construction

structural role

steel beamsdrywall

Gypsum-core building panels

glass panels · insulation · cladding · sheathing · curtain walls

structural strength/permanence

steel beamscardboard

Rigid paper for containers

paper walls · tent poles · straw · rope

Family

beam, steel

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G