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What Does C10x20 Mean? Steel Channel Explained

Decode the C10x20 steel-channel designation, actual dimensions, nominal weight, and the eccentricity and torsion considerations of a singly symmetric channel.

Practical context

How the steel information fits the project workflow

A channel has one web and two flanges extending to the same side.

Its geometry, axes, and connection behavior require channel-specific properties and checks.

Companion reading and practice

Can you distinguish the label from the dimensions?

For a fictional 12 ft C10X20 piece, nominal weight is 240 lb. The 20 in the designation is a weight per foot, not a flange width or thickness.

Read the actual depth, flange, web, and centroid fields from the database. A channel is not symmetric in every direction; keep the source axis convention and intended orientation visible when interpreting properties. The reference drawing does not specify a project connection.

Try it with a sample

Use the linked record to identify weight, actual dimensions, and units as separate items.

Read the channel reference

Examples are fictional learning exercises. This companion text adds context to the video; the transcript below records the narration.

Primary sources

References and further reading

Use the edition and requirements adopted for the project. These references support further reading; a short video does not reproduce the complete standards.

Published by Quantum Steel Design. Sources and editorial approach · Report a correction · Companion guide updated .

Accessible transcript

What Does C10x20 Mean? Steel Channel Explained transcript

The visible transcript makes the video content available to people and search systems without requiring playback.

  1. Here is how to read C ten by twenty on a structural steel drawing.
  2. The C identifies an American Standard channel: one web with two flanges extending to the same side.
  3. Ten is the nominal depth in inches. For this shape, the actual depth is ten inches.
  4. Twenty is the nominal weight in pounds per foot.
  5. The AISC database gives a flange width of two point seven four inches and a web thickness of point three seven nine inches.
  6. Unlike a W-shape, a channel is only singly symmetric. Load position and connection eccentricity can introduce twist.
  7. Use channel-specific properties and project-specific checks for loads, bracing, connections, and applicable code.
  8. Explore C ten by twenty in the free Quantum Steel Design shape reference.

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