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HEB vs HEA Beams: Key Differences, Sizes, Applications and Selection Guide – Royal Steel Group

HEA and HEB sections are European standard wide-flange H-beams. HEA beam sections feature thinner flanges and lower self-weight, making them suitable for frame structures with lighter loads, such as residential housing and standard commercial buildings. In contrast, HEB beam sections have thicker flanges and greater self-weight, offering superior load-bearing capacity for high-load applications like industrial plants and bridges. The series also includes HEM heavy-duty H-beams, which offer the highest load-bearing capacity.

Manufacturing standards fall into two categories: cross-sectional dimensions comply with EN 10034, while material grades adhere to EN 10025 (common grades include S235, S275, and S355). Standard stock specifications for HEA and HEB sections cover the full range from 100 to 1000.

Steel H Beam: HEA and HEB

HEA vs HEB European Wide-Flange Beams Core Characteristics Comparison Table
Characteristic Dimension HEA (Light Series) HEB (Standard Series)
Flange Feature Thinner flange thickness Larger flange thickness
Weight per Meter Lighter weight per meter Heavier weight per meter
Nominal Height Same nominal height as HEB under the same specification Same nominal height as HEA under the same specification
Core Performance & Advantage Cost-effective with better cost performance Higher moment of inertia, stronger overall load-bearing capacity
Application Scenarios Medium-load structural scenarios (residential buildings, general commercial building frames, etc.) High-load main structural scenarios (industrial plants, bridges, primary load-bearing members, etc.)
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HEA vs HEB: What’s the Difference?

Let us use the HEA200 and HEB200 as examples to illustrate the differences.

The HEA series is a lighter-weight range. Thinner flanges and webs mean less steel is used per meter; consequently, HEA is the preferred choice when loads are moderate and self-weight is a key consideration (such as for floor beams, roof purlins, and secondary framing in commercial and residential buildings). The HEA 200 weighs 42.3 kg/m.

HEB beams feature thicker flanges and webs, allowing them to support heavier loads for a given beam depth. They are the standard choice for primary columns and main beams, as well as for applications requiring increased bending or axial load-bearing capacity without increasing the beam depth. The HEB 200 beam weighs 61.3 kg/m—approximately 45% heavier than the HEA 200—yet offers a section modulus that is about 40% higher.

HEA
HEB
Property HEA 200 HEB 200
Depth 190 mm 200 mm
Flange width 200 mm 200 mm
Flange thickness 10 mm 15 mm
Web thickness 6.5 mm 9 mm
Weight 42.3 kg/m 61.3 kg/m
Section modulus Wx 389 cm3 570 cm3

Material Grades

HEA and HEB H-beams follow EN 10025 standard structural steel grades. Each grade number stands for its minimum yield strength: S235 hits 235 MPa, S275 reaches 275 MPa, and S355 delivers 355 MPa.
Suffix letters mark the temperature for Charpy impact testing: JR for 20°C, J0 for 0°C, J2 and K2 both tested at -20°C, while K2 features superior impact toughness

Grade Minimum Yield Strength (MPa) Tensile Strength (MPa) Charpy Impact Test Requirement Typical Application Scenarios
S235JR 235 360–510 27J at +20°C General construction, low-load structural parts
S275JR 275 410–560 27J at +20°C Conventional building frame structures
S355J2 355 470–630 27J at -20°C Main load-bearing structures, bridges, industrial buildings
S355K2 355 470–630 40J at -20°C Structural projects in low-temperature/cold climate regions

S355J2 is the most widely specified steel grade for industrial and infrastructure projects.

For standard building frames with moderate spans, S275JR is usually sufficient and slightly less expensive.

S235 is suitable for secondary members, handrails, and lightly loaded frames.

Dimension & Weights HEA / HEB Steel Beams

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HEA Beams Sizes

Designation h (mm) a (mm) e (mm) r (mm) Weight (kg/m) Area (cm²) Jx (cm⁴) Jy (cm⁴) Wx (cm³) Wy (cm³) ix (cm) iy (cm)
HEA 100 96 5 8 12 16.7 21.24 349.2 133.8 72.76 26.76 4.06 2.51
HEA 120 114 5 8 12 19.9 25.34 606.2 230.9 106.3 38.48 4.89 3.02
HEA 140 133 5.5 8.5 12 24.7 31.42 1033 389.3 155.4 55.62 5.73 3.52
HEA 160 152 6 9 15 30.4 38.77 1673 615.6 220.1 76.95 6.57 3.98
HEA 180 171 6 9.5 15 35.5 45.25 2510 924.6 293.6 102.7 7.45 4.52
HEA 200 190 6.5 10 18 42.3 53.83 3692 1326 388.6 133.6 8.28 4.98
HEA 220 210 7 11 18 50.5 64.34 5410 1955 515.2 177.7 9.17 5.51
HEA 240 230 7.5 12 21 60.3 76.84 7763 2769 675.1 230.7 10.05 6
HEA 260 250 7.5 12.5 24 68.2 86.82 10450 3668 836.4 282.1 10.97 6.5
HEA 280 270 8 13 24 76.4 97.26 13670 4763 1013 340.2 11.86 7
HEA 300 290 8.5 14 27 88.3 112.5 18260 6310 1260 420.6 12.74 7.49
HEA 300 310 9 15.5 27 97.6 124.4 22930 6985 1479 465.7 13.58 7.49
HEA 300 330 9.5 16.5 27 105 133.5 27690 7436 1678 495.7 14.4 7.46
HEA 300 350 10 17.5 27 112 142.8 33090 7887 1891 525.8 15.22 7.43
HEA 300 390 11 19 27 125 159 45070 8564 2311 570.9 16.84 7.34
HEA 300 440 11.5 21 27 140 178 63720 9465 2896 631 18.92 7.29
HEA 300 490 12 23 27 155 197.5 86970 10370 3550 691.1 21.98 7.24
HEA 300 540 12.5 24 27 166 211.8 111900 10820 4146 721.3 22.99 7.15
HEA 300 590 13 25 27 178 226.5 141200 11270 4787 751.4 24.97 7.05
HEA 300 640 13.5 26 27 190 241.6 175200 11720 5474 781.6 26.93 6.97
HEA 300 690 14.5 27 27 204 260.5 215300 12180 6241 811.9 28.87 6.84
HEA 300 790 15 28 30 224 285.8 303400 12640 7682 842.6 32.58 6.65
HEA 300 890 16 30 30 252 320.5 422100 13550 9485 903.2 36.29 6.5
HEA 300 990 16.5 31 30 272 346.8 553800 14000 11190 933.6 39.96 6.35

HEA Beams Sizes

Designation h (mm) a (mm) e (mm) r (mm) Weight (kg/m) Area (cm²) Jx (cm⁴) Jy (cm⁴) Wx (cm³) Wy (cm³) ix (cm) iy (cm)
HEB 100 100 6 10 12 20.4 26.04 449.5 167.3 89.91 33.45 4.16 2.53
HEB 120 120 6.5 11 12 26.7 34.01 864.4 317.5 144.1 52.92 5.04 3.06
HEB 140 140 7 12 12 33.7 42.96 1509 549.7 215.6 78.52 5.93 3.58
HEB 160 160 8 13 15 42.6 54.25 2492 889.2 311.5 111.2 6.78 4.05
HEB 180 180 8.5 14 15 51.2 65.25 3831 1363 425.7 151.4 7.66 4.57
HEB 200 200 9 15 18 61.3 78.08 5696 2003 569.6 200.3 8.54 5.07
HEB 220 220 9.5 16 18 71.5 91.04 8091 2843 735.5 258.5 9.43 5.59
HEB 240 240 10 17 21 83.2 106 11260 3923 938.3 326.9 10.31 6.08
HEB 260 260 10 17.5 24 93 118.4 14920 5135 1148 395 11.22 6.58
HEB 280 280 10.5 18 24 103 131.4 19270 6595 1376 471 12.11 7.09
HEB 300 300 11 19 27 117 149.1 25170 8563 1678 570.9 12.99 7.58
HEB 300 320 11.5 20.5 27 127 161.3 30820 9239 1926 615.9 13.82 7.57
HEB 300 340 12 21.5 27 134 170.9 36660 9690 2156 646 14.65 7.53
HEB 300 360 12.5 22.5 27 142 180.6 43190 10140 2400 676.1 15.46 7.49
HEB 300 400 13.5 24 27 155 197.8 57680 10820 2884 721.3 17.08 7.4
HEB 300 450 14 26 27 171 218 79890 11720 3551 781.4 19.14 7.33
HEB 300 500 14.5 28 27 187 238.6 107200 12620 4287 841.6 21.19 7.27
HEB 300 550 15 29 27 199 254.1 136700 13080 4971 871.8 23.2 7.17
HEB 300 600 15.5 30 27 212 270 171000 13530 5701 902 25.17 7.08
HEB 300 650 16 31 27 225 286.3 210600 13980 6480 932.3 27.12 6.99
HEB 300 700 17 32 27 241 306.4 256900 14440 7340 962.7 28.96 6.87
HEB 300 800 17.5 33 30 262 334.2 359100 14900 8977 993.6 32.78 6.68
HEB 300 900 18.5 35 30 291 371.3 494100 15820 10980 1054 36.48 6.53
HEB 1000 1000 19 36 30 314 400 644700 16280 12890 1085 40.15 6.38

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