Guide to Jumbo-Sized Steel Tubing

August 8, 2022 | Categorized in:

pile of steel tubing

If you’re in the steel or construction industry, you’ve probably heard of Jumbo HSS (hollow structural sections) by now. This has been a popular topic of discussion recently, and for good reason — it could have a huge impact on the domestic steel industry. But what are jumbo tubes, why is everyone talking about it now, why is it so important, and what else should you know about it? Keep reading to find out.

What does “jumbo” tubing mean?

As the name suggests, jumbo tubing (or Jumbo HSS) are large sections of steel tubing that reach up to 22” square, 28” round, and rectangular 34” by 10”. Each of these also can have wall thicknesses up to an inch and be up to 125 feet long, bringing yet another strong option to structural steel. Not only that, but these are large enough that they could replace wide-flange sections, and have a higher strength-to-weight ratio than them.

Is this new?

The reason that people are talking about them now is because this is a new product category that was announced by Atlas Tube in 2021. Now that the products are available and being used in projects across the country, there’s buzz about what’s possible with them.

What steel products now have jumbo sizes?

Before we get into why Jumbo HSS is such a big deal, we should cover what this applies to. Jumbo sizing is only for tubing shapes — square, rectangular, and round. Other steel products like beams and channels don’t have this “supersized” option (yet).

Why it’s important

So why are these massive sections so exciting? The first factor is that these are officially the largest HSS made anywhere in the world. This is particularly important because steel tubing has typically been limited by smaller sizes, and therefore strength. This significantly expands the possibilities for construction and manufacturing projects to consider HSS an option and use it. As we mentioned early, it also has a higher strength-to-weight ratio than wide-flange sections (and up to 200x more torsional strength), which saves on weight without sacrificing performance. Lastly, because it’s rolled and produced in the United States, your costs, lead times, and environmental impact are cut down so you can get steel more quickly and for lower rates.

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Uses for the new sizes

According to Atlas, some of the top uses for these new steel products will include structures with high ceilings, wide floor space, long unbraced spans, and more. These uses make them very appealing for warehouses, bridges, multi-story buildings, highway signs, and other similar applications. As more people use the Jumbo HSS, more ways to utilize them will pop up and gain popularity, so keep an eye out for even more uses of these in our everyday lives.

Where can you get Jumbo HSS?

Jumbo tubing is available directly from Atlas’ mill as well as through Service Steel, a premiere steel distributor. We have several locations across the midwest and Gulf Coast (Texas, Louisiana, and Indiana) that supply a large portion of the central United States with steel. We stock large inventories of jumbo sizes so they’re ready to ship as soon as you place an order.

Get steel tubing in a huge range of sizes today

Service Steel has been in business for nearly 60 years, and has a long history of high-quality service and products. If you’re ready to add the strength, size, and cost benefits of Atlas Jumbo HSS to your project, see the jumbo sizes we carry for round, square, and rectangular tubing or request a quote. You can also talk to one of our experts about your options and whether jumbo tubing is the right fit for you, or if our standard tubing sizes are a better fit for your project’s requirements. Get in touch with us today!