Structural Steel Beams & Column Fabrication
Kelly Steel fabricates structural steel beams and steel columns for builders, engineers and developers across Melbourne. Every beam and column leaving our Dandenong South workshop is cut, welded and coated to Australian standards, ready to bolt straight into your build.
For the full run-through of how we manage a fabrication job end to end drafting, QA, coatings and delivery see our structural steel fabrication. This page covers what’s specific to beams and columns: member types, tolerances, and coating selection.
Structural Steel Beams
We fabricate universal beams (UB), parallel flange channels (PFC) and rectangular hollow sections (RHS) for commercial, industrial and residential projects.
On commercial jobs, that typically means beams for portal frames, mezzanine levels and long-span roof structures. On residential jobs, it’s more often a single structural beam replacing a load-bearing wall in an open-plan renovation. Beam selection depends on the span, point loads and connection detail your engineer has specified. Get that to us early and we’ll confirm section size and lead time before cutting starts.
See our housing steel fabrication and commercial steel fabrication for sector-specific examples of beam work.
Steel Column Fabrication
Column tolerances matter more the higher a building goes a small misalignment at level one compounds by level five. We fabricate columns for portal frames, mezzanines and load-bearing structures, with cleats, base plates and connection points detailed to your engineer’s specifications.
Coating selection depends on where the column ends up:
Internal / mezzanine
Primer system
External / exposed
Hot-dip galvanised
Coastal / high-corrosion
Duplex system
Getting the coating spec wrong doesn’t show up until years later to get it confirmed at the drafting stage, not after fabrication.
What's Specific to Beam and Column Work
Beyond our standard fabrication process, beam and column jobs have a few things worth flagging up front:
- Member schedules and cut lists are drawn directly from your engineer's structural set, not a generic template
- Trial fit-up happens on multi-piece columns and connection-heavy beams before anything leaves the workshop
- Base plates and cleats are detailed and welded to the specific connection your engineer has drawn, not a standard off-the-shelf fitting
Beyond our standard fabrication process, beam and column jobs have a few things worth flagging up front:
Areas We Service
Send us your drawings or specs, member sizes, connection details and site location. We’ll confirm tolerances, scope the job, and align fabrication with your erection sequence. Our installation team can also handle delivery, crane coordination and site bolt-up if you need it as one package.
A single Dandenong South workshop handling beams and columns start to finish, so nothing gets lost between drafting, fabrication and site.
Why Choose Kelly Steel?
- 2,000m² Dandenong South workshop
- Australian-made steel, fabricated to AS 4100
- Direct coordination with builders and engineers on erection sequencing
- One point of contact for structural steel fabrication beyond just beams and columns
Get a Fast Quote on Your Steel Beams or Columns
Send your drawings, member sizes and site location we’ll confirm tolerances, scope the fabrication, and align delivery with your erection sequence.
Common Questions About Structural Steel Beams
What's the difference between a universal beam (UB) and a universal column (UC)?
A universal beam (UB) is deeper than it is wide and designed to resist bending when installed horizontally, such as a floor or roof support. A universal column (UC) has roughly equal width and depth and carries load vertically as a post.
What Australian standard applies to structural steel beams?
Structural steel beams in Australia are designed to AS 4100 and fabricated from hot-rolled sections to AS/NZS 3679.1. Welding is carried out to AS/NZS 1554, with material certificates and weld maps issued at handover. Full standard details are available through Standards Australia and the Australian Steel Institute.
Do structural steel beams need a fire rating?
Some commercial and industrial beams need a fire rating, depending on the building class and the fire engineering report required under the National Construction Code. Fire-rated beams can be fabricated to your engineer’s or certifier’s specification.
Can steel beams be customised for residential extensions?
Yes. Structural steel beams are commonly fabricated for residential extensions and open-plan renovations, most often to replace a load-bearing wall with a single structural beam spanning the opening.
How long does structural steel beam fabrication take in Melbourne?
Most beam and column jobs take 1 to 3 weeks to fabricate once drawings are approved, plus 3 to 5 days for coatings and 1 to 5 days for site installation, depending on scope, finish and site access.
Do you handle delivery and installation as well as fabrication?
Yes. Kelly Steel’s installation team manages delivery, crane coordination, lift studies and on-site bolt-up, keeping fabrication and installation aligned to one program.
