Universal Columns (UC) 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 metre in kilograms. It is therefore easy to work out what is the total weight of a UC by simply multiplying its weight per metre by the total length in metres. 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 height is limited (which is quite often the case in residential projects).
| Type | Weight [kg/m] | Height [mm] | Width [mm] | Web thickness [mm] | Flange thickness [mm] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 152 UC 23 | 23 | 152.6 | 152.2 | 5.8 | 6.8 |
| 152 UC 30 | 30 | 157.6 | 152.9 | 6.5 | 9.4 |
| 152 UC 37 | 37 | 161.8 | 154.4 | 8.0 | 11.5 |
| 203 UC 46 | 46 | 203.2 | 203.6 | 7.2 | 11.0 |
| 203 UC 52 | 52 | 206.2 | 204.3 | 7.9 | 12.5 |
| 203 UC 60 | 60 | 209.6 | 205.8 | 9.4 | 14.2 |
| 203 UC 71 | 71 | 215.8 | 206.4 | 10.0 | 17.3 |
| 203 UC 86 | 86 | 222.2 | 209.1 | 12.7 | 20.5 |
| 254 UC 73 | 73 | 254.1 | 254.6 | 8.6 | 14.2 |
| 254 UC 89 | 89 | 260.3 | 256.3 | 10.3 | 17.3 |
| 254 UC 107 | 107 | 266.7 | 258.8 | 12.8 | 20.5 |
| 254 UC 132 | 132 | 276.3 | 261.3 | 15.3 | 25.3 |
| 254 UC 167 | 167 | 289.1 | 265.2 | 19.2 | 31.7 |
| 305 UC 97 | 97 | 307.9 | 305.3 | 9.9 | 15.4 |
| 305 UC 118 | 118 | 314.5 | 307.4 | 12.0 | 18.7 |
| 305 UC 137 | 137 | 320.5 | 309.2 | 13.9 | 21.7 |
| 305 UC 158 | 158 | 327.1 | 311.2 | 15.8 | 25.0 |
| 305 UC 198 | 198 | 339.9 | 314.5 | 19.1 | 31.4 |
| 305 UC 240 | 240 | 352.5 | 318.4 | 23.0 | 37.7 |
| 305 UC 283 | 283 | 365.3 | 322.2 | 26.8 | 44.1 |
| 356 x 368 UC 129 | 129 | 355.6 | 368.6 | 10.4 | 17.5 |
| 356 x 368 UC 153 | 153 | 362.0 | 370.5 | 12.3 | 20.7 |
| 356 x 368 UC 177 | 177 | 368.2 | 372.6 | 14.4 | 23.8 |
| 356 x 368 UC 202 | 202 | 374.6 | 374.7 | 16.5 | 27.0 |
| 356 x 406 UC 235 | 235 | 381.0 | 394.8 | 18.4 | 30.2 |
| 356 x 406 UC 287 | 287 | 393.6 | 399.0 | 22.6 | 36.5 |
| 356 x 406 UC 340 | 340 | 406.4 | 403.0 | 26.6 | 42.9 |
| 356 x 406 UC 393 | 393 | 419.0 | 407.0 | 30.6 | 49.2 |
| 356 x 406 UC 467 | 467 | 436.6 | 412.2 | 35.8 | 58.0 |
| 356 x 406 UC 551 | 551 | 455.6 | 418.5 | 42.1 | 67.5 |
| 356 x 406 UC 634 | 634 | 474.6 | 424.0 | 47.6 | 77.0 |