Eurocodes EC3 and EC5 compared with BS449, BS528 and BS5950
The following examples compare the load carrying capacities of various members when checked using SuperBeam (BS449/BS5268), ProSteel (BS5950) and EuroBeam (EC3/EC5). In each case member capacities are stated as dead+live, kN/m for beams and kN for columns. They have been calculated using equation 6.10b, i.e. factors of 1.25 (dead) and 1.5 (live), as against 1.4/1.6 in BS5950. With unrestrained steel beams, a C1 factor of 1.12 has been used.
In each case - glulam beams excepted - the highest member capacity is arrived at when using Eurocodes. Remember though - as David Brown of SCI has noted many times - that changing the code used does not make a member any stronger: what these figures show is that using Eurocodes allows higher loadings and/or the use of lighter sections by reducing what was presumably judged to be an unnecessarily high factor of safety.
| SuperBeam | ProSteel | EuroBeam | |
| 4m span restrained steel beam, 254x146x31 UB S275 | 15.8+15.8 | 18.0+18.0 | 19.6+19.6 |
| Required S275 UB for load of 15.8+15.8 | 254x146x31 | 305x102x28 | 305x102x28 |
| 4m span unrestrained steel beam, 254x146x31 UB S275 | 9.4+9.4 | 10.1+10.1 | 14.4+14.4 |
| 4m span, lightest S275 UB for load of 9.4+9.4 | 254x146x31 | 254x146x31 | 203x133x30 |
| 5m span, lightest S275 UB for load of 20.0+20.0 | 457x191x67 | 356x171x67 | 406x178x54 |
| Axially loaded steel column, 3m long, 152x152x23 UC S275 | 157.5+157.5 | 154.9+154.9 | 169.1+169.1 |
| Cap connection column 5m long, bending about major axis, 203x133x25 UB S275 | 38.4+38.4 | 46.5+46.5 | 48.7+48.7 |
| Solid C24 timber beam, 115x270, 5m span long term loading (bending) | 8.5+8.5 | N/A | 10.5+10.5 |
| C30 beam 115x270 as above | 12.4+12.4 | N/A | 13.2+13.2 |
| GL28c glulam beam 115x270 (6x45) as above | 16.4+16.4 | N/A | 13.8+13.8 |
| Note that when using BS5268, glulam is significantly stronger than solid timber; using EC5 the difference is minimal | |||
| GL28c glulam beam 115x450 (10x45) 8m span, otherwise as above | 26.0+26.0 | N/A | 22.8+22.8 |
E&OE: more examples to follow