American Steel Channels (C-Shapes) – Imperial Units
Dimensions and structural properties of American Standard Steel Channels (C-Shapes) in Imperial units
C-Shape Steel Channel Dimensions and Properties Chart
| Designation | Depth (in) | Flange Width (in) | Web Thickness (in) | Weight (lb/ft) | Area (in²) | Ix (in⁴) | Sx (in³) | rx (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C3 × 4.1 | 3.00 | 1.41 | 0.17 | 4.10 | 1.20 | 1.63 | 1.09 | 1.16 |
| C4 × 5.4 | 4.00 | 1.58 | 0.17 | 5.40 | 1.59 | 4.12 | 2.06 | 1.61 |
| C6 × 8.2 | 6.00 | 1.92 | 0.20 | 8.20 | 2.41 | 14.3 | 4.77 | 2.44 |
| C8 × 11.5 | 8.00 | 2.28 | 0.27 | 11.50 | 3.38 | 38.6 | 9.64 | 3.38 |
| C10 × 15.3 | 10.00 | 2.68 | 0.31 | 15.30 | 4.50 | 78.6 | 15.7 | 4.19 |
| C12 × 20.7 | 12.00 | 3.00 | 0.34 | 20.70 | 6.09 | 168 | 28.0 | 5.26 |
| C15 × 33.9 | 15.00 | 3.56 | 0.49 | 33.90 | 9.96 | 497 | 66.4 | 7.05 |
| C18 × 45.3 | 18.00 | 4.94 | 0.68 | 45.30 | 13.3 | 972 | 108 | 8.55 |
| C24 × 62.0 | 24.00 | 6.56 | 0.75 | 62.00 | 18.2 | 2300 | 192 | 11.2 |
About American Standard Steel Channels (C-Shapes)
American Standard Steel Channels (C-Shapes) are widely used structural steel sections throughout the construction, manufacturing, and infrastructure industries. With their characteristic tapered flanges and open cross-section, C-shapes offer excellent strength-to-weight efficiency and are ideal for floor joists, framing members, lintels, trusses, and support systems.
This reference chart provides comprehensive dimensions and section properties of American Standard C-shapes in Imperial units. The dataset includes key geometric and mechanical parameters such as depth (d), flange width (bf), web thickness (tw), weight per foot, cross-sectional area (A), moment of inertia (Ix), section modulus (Sx), and radius of gyration (rx). These properties are essential for structural design, load analysis, stiffness evaluation, and deflection calculations.
Key C-Shape Property Definitions
- Designation – AISC standard format representing nominal depth (in) × weight per foot (lb/ft) of the channel section.
- Depth (d) – Overall vertical height of the channel; critical for determining flexural rigidity and beam stiffness.
- Flange Width (bf) – Distance across the outer edges of the flanges; influences torsional resistance and lateral stability.
- Web Thickness (tw) – Thickness of the vertical web; governs the section’s shear capacity and web buckling strength.
- Weight (lb/ft) – Linear mass of the channel; used in material takeoff and dead-load assessment.
- Area (A) – Cross-sectional area of the channel (in²); used to determine axial load capacity and stress distribution.
- Moment of Inertia (Ix) – Resistance of the section to bending about its strong axis; defines overall stiffness.
- Section Modulus (Sx) – Ratio of moment of inertia to neutral axis distance; determines bending stress under applied moments.
- Radius of Gyration (rx) – Describes area distribution about the centroid; important for column and member stability analysis.
Applications and Design Use
C-shapes are commonly used as purlins, girts, truss members, stair stringers, framing components, and bridge elements. Their geometry allows for efficient load distribution while maintaining light weight and ease of fabrication. Structural engineers use these section properties to perform bending, shear, and buckling analyses in compliance with the AISC Steel Construction Manual and related design codes.
Using this reference chart, engineers, fabricators, and designers can quickly compare C-shape sizes, evaluate mechanical performance, and select optimal channel sections for safe, economical, and code-compliant structural steel design.