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Why 1/4-Inch HSS Uses a 0.233-Inch Design Wall

See why a nominal 0.250-inch ASTM A500 HSS wall becomes a 0.233-inch design wall and how ASTM A1085 differs under current guidance.

Practical context

How the steel information fits the project workflow

When actual wall thickness is unknown, AISC tabulated A500 HSS properties use the reduced design thickness.

The correct design thickness depends on the governing HSS material specification and project requirements.

Companion reading and practice

Which thickness field are you actually reading?

The video’s example distinguishes a 0.250 in nominal wall from a 0.233 in tabulated design wall. Copying the label into every thickness field would erase that distinction.

Read the material specification, source edition, and field definitions before using a thickness. The example is not a universal rule for every HSS product or specification. Database design values and measured product dimensions also answer different questions.

Try it with a sample

Inspect tnom and tdes in an HSS record and keep both names and units with the copied values.

Inspect the two wall fields

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

Why 1/4-Inch HSS Uses a 0.233-Inch Design Wall transcript

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

  1. A quarter-inch H S S wall is not always a quarter inch in design calculations.
  2. For A S T M A five hundred H S S, AISC uses a design wall thickness equal to zero point nine three times nominal when actual thickness is unknown.
  3. Multiply point two five zero by point nine three.
  4. That gives point two three three inches, the value tabulated for H S S six by six by one quarter.
  5. This reduction is already reflected in the AISC tabulated section properties for A five hundred shapes.
  6. A S T M A ten eighty-five is different. Full nominal thickness is used under the cited AISC and Steel Tube Institute guidance.
  7. Always confirm the material specification, current code, and project requirements before calculating a member or connection.
  8. Find more steel references and practical tools at Quantum Steel Design.

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