A More Efficient I-Beam

castellated I-beams—essentially, regular I-beams with much less material in the web. While such beams are listed as a standard shape by the British Steel Construction Institute, until recently they were not readily available in the U.S. Because they represent a more efficient use of material than conventional I-beams, castellated beams may be worth a closer look.

We know of only one company making castellated I-beams in the U.S.: Castelite Steel Products of Midlothian, Texas, a division of Chaparral Steel. As Chaparral Steel operates only