Resource hub, Structural steel

Structural steel fabrication in Vancouver and Metro Vancouver

Jeff and Simon Ironworks fabricates structural steel from our C.W.B. certified shop on Douglas Road in Burnaby for projects across Vancouver, the North Shore, Tri-Cities, and the Sea-to-Sky corridor. From residential beam packages on custom home additions to multi-storey commercial frames, every structural steel assembly we build is engineered for BC Building Code compliance, welded to CSA W47.1 standards, and installed by our own crews.

This hub is the central reference for structural steel work across our service area. Whether you are a homeowner replacing a load-bearing wall, an architect specifying a steel canopy on a new tower, or a GC tendering a structural package, the guides below cover the engineering, materials, connections, and process that shape every structural steel project we take on.

What we fabricate, structural steel scope

Our Burnaby fabrication shop handles the full structural steel range:

• Beams and columns: W-shapes, HSS tubes, built-up plate sections for residential and commercial framing. Sized by the structural engineer, fabricated to shop drawing dimensions, installed with field connections.
• Steel frames: Complete structural frames for new buildings, additions, mezzanines, and canopies. From single-storey residential to multi-storey commercial.
• Canopies and overhead structures: Entry canopies, porte-cochères, parkade trellises, and architectural overhead frames. Steel, steel-timber hybrid, and steel-glass composite systems. See our canopy structures guide.
• Miscellaneous steel: Lintels, angles, brackets, base plates, embed plates, bollards, and custom hardware that structural and architectural drawings call out but don't fit neatly into another scope.
• Connection hardware: Moment connections, shear tabs, gusset plates, base plates with anchor bolt layouts, all fabricated to the structural engineer's connection design. See our connections and seismic guide.

In-depth guides, structural steel

Each guide below covers a specific area of structural steel work in the detail that engineers, architects, and informed homeowners need:

Residential structural steel in Vancouver

The most common residential structural steel work we do in Vancouver and Burnaby falls into four categories:

• Load-bearing wall removals: Replacing a structural wall with a steel beam-and-column system to open up a floor plan. This is the single most common residential structural steel scope in Metro Vancouver, driven by the open-concept renovation trend in older Vancouver Specials and mid-century bungalows.
• Home additions and second storeys: Steel beam-and-post systems that carry the new structure over existing openings. More common than wood framing on additions where the spans exceed what LVLs can handle economically.
• Laneway houses: The City of Vancouver's laneway housing program has generated steady demand for compact structural steel packages, short spans, tight tolerances, and coordination with small-lot constraints.
• Seismic retrofit: Older Vancouver homes (pre-1970) often need seismic upgrades when they're substantially renovated. Steel moment frames and steel braces are the go-to solution for adding lateral resistance without rebuilding the entire structure.

For a full breakdown of residential structural steel, see the residential structural steel guide.

Commercial and institutional structural steel

Our commercial structural steel work covers multi-storey frames, parking structures, and institutional builds across Metro Vancouver. We have supplied structural steel for projects connected to Guildford Town Centre, BCIT's Burnaby campus, Simon Fraser University, and Surrey Memorial Hospital.

The coordination model on commercial structural steel is fundamentally different from residential. Shop drawings go through formal architect and engineer review. Material submittals need documented approval. Installation sequencing ties into the GC's master schedule. We handle that coordination workflow without slowing the schedule.

For the full commercial and institutional reference, see the commercial structural steel guide.

Why structural steel instead of wood or concrete

Structural steel occupies a specific place in Vancouver's construction market. It's the right choice when:

• Spans exceed what wood framing can handle: Once you pass about 20 ft clear span, steel beams become more practical and often cheaper than the engineered wood alternative (multi-ply LVLs, glulam, or PSL).
• Seismic performance matters: Steel moment frames provide ductile lateral resistance that wood bracing can't match on larger structures. In Vancouver's seismic zone, this matters.
• Speed of erection: A steel frame goes up in days. Equivalent wood framing takes weeks. On commercial projects where the schedule is tight, the erection speed advantage of steel pays for the material premium.
• Fire resistance: With proper fireproofing (intumescent coating or spray-applied fireproofing), steel achieves the fire ratings that commercial and institutional occupancies require under BC Building Code Part 3.
• Design flexibility: Cantilevered sections, exposed steel as an architectural feature, mixed-use floor plates with different column grids, steel handles geometry that wood framing fights.

The structural steel process, from RFQ to installed frame

1. RFQ and scope review: We review the structural engineer's drawings, identify the steel scope, and price against the specification. Residential quotes turn around in 2 to 5 business days. Commercial tenders are priced within the tender window.
2. Shop drawings: Detailed 3D drawings of every member, connection, and piece of hardware. Engineer and architect review and approve before fabrication starts.
3. Material procurement: Steel ordered from local service centres. Standard structural sections (W-shapes, HSS, plates) are stocked locally. Specialty sections or high-strength grades add lead time.
4. Fabrication: Cutting, drilling, welding, and assembly in our Burnaby shop. C.W.B. certified throughout. Material traceability documented on structural work.
5. Finishing: Shop primer is the baseline for steel that will be enclosed. Exposed structural steel gets powder coat, intumescent paint (for fire rating), or hot-dip galvanizing for exterior applications.
6. Delivery and erection: Steel delivered to site and erected, crane picks for heavy members, hand-sets for lighter pieces. Field connections bolted and/or field-welded by our C.W.B.-qualified crews.
7. Inspection and closeout: Final bolt tension checks, weld inspection (visual and/or ultrasonic per engineer spec), alignment verification. Commercial projects get a closeout package with as-built drawings, material certificates, and weld test reports.

C.W.B. certification on structural steel, why it matters

C.W.B. certification to CSA W47.1 is the independent verification that a fabrication shop's welding procedures, welder qualifications, and quality management system meet Canadian national standards. On structural steel work in BC, it is not optional:

• The structural engineer specifies C.W.B. certification on the structural drawings.
• The BC building inspector checks for it on structural scope.
• The GC's insurance often requires it as a condition of the subcontract.

Jeff and Simon has been C.W.B. certified since the early 2000s. The certification covers SMAW, GMAW, and FCAW welding processes on the structural grades we fabricate. For the full explanation, see our C.W.B. certified welding page.

Structural steel across Metro Vancouver

We fabricate structural steel for projects in every municipality we serve:

• Burnaby, our home city. BCIT campus, Metrotown development, Burnaby Hospital redevelopment, and steady residential work in Deer Lake, Capitol Hill, and Burnaby Heights.
• Vancouver, custom homes on the West Side, mixed-use towers in Mount Pleasant and Cambie, institutional work downtown, and commercial TI packages.
• North Vancouver and West Vancouver, luxury residential steel for custom homes on challenging hillside and waterfront sites.
• Coquitlam, Port Moody, New Westminster, residential additions and commercial development across the Tri-Cities.
• Squamish and Whistler, Sea-to-Sky structural steel for custom homes and commercial builds, designed for higher snow loads.

Recent blog posts on structural steel

• Guide to structural steel in BC
• Earthquake-resistant steel in BC
• Residential steel beams in Vancouver
• Steel structures for modern homes
• Load-bearing wall to steel beam in Vancouver
• Interior Health hospital stairs, Kamloops & Kelowna project

FAQs about structural steel fabrication