Q: My house plan calls for steel beams that will support the floor joists and even parts of a brick wall. Can I substitute wood beams for steel? Is a steel I-beam hard to handle on the job site?

The Steel Joist Institute (SJI) will be hosting its October webinar, titled "Open Web Steel Joists 101," which will highlight the basics of open web steel joists and joist girders. The webinar will be ...

Q. I’m getting ready to build a large room addition that needs a beam to support the floor joists. I’ve been told that a wood beam will work, but I’ve always seen steel I-beams in other houses.

Know the limits of a concentrated load applied between panel points before an additional web is needed on the joist. The Steel Joist Institute’s new “100-pound rule” clarifies these limits. Install ...

I-Joist Web Stiffeners Web stiffener blocks may be comprised of lumber, rim board, or wood structural panels. The minimum grade of wood structural panels is Rated Sheathing; minimum lumber grade ...

A new kind of wood, stronger than steel and created from ordinary timber, is approaching full-scale production. The material, named "Super Wood," by creators InventWood, could provide an ...