2L 12X12X1-3-8 - Section Properties

2L 12X12X1-3-8 has a mass of 210 lb/ft (312.5 kg/m), tabulated to AISC Shapes Database v16.0. A 12 m length therefore weighs about 3750 kg, which is the figure to use for a steel take-off or when checking a lift.

2L 12X12X1-3-8 has a depth of 12 in (304.8 mm), with a cross-sectional area of 62.2 in² (401.3 cm²). These are the nominal dimensions from AISC Shapes Database v16.0; rolling tolerances apply to the delivered section.

The plastic section modulus about the major axis, Wpl,y, is 2,884.1 cm³, and the elastic modulus Wel,y is 1,592.8 cm³. Wpl,y is what sets the moment capacity of a Class 1 or 2 section: M_pl,Rd = Wpl,y x f_y / gamma_M0, so at S355 with gamma_M0 = 1.0 this section reaches about 1024 kNm before any stability check.

The second moment of area about the major axis, Iy, is 34,381 cm⁴, and about the minor axis Iz is 66,181 cm⁴. Iy is the value deflection depends on - for a simply supported beam under a uniform load, the midspan deflection is 5wL⁴/384EIy - so on spans where a deflection limit governs rather than strength, this is the number that decides the section.

iy is 9.25 cm about the major axis and iz is 12.85 cm about the minor axis. Column buckling is governed by the SMALLER value: the slenderness is lambda = L_cr / i, so with iz = 12.85 cm a 1.3 m effective length already gives lambda = 100. Minor-axis buckling almost always controls unless the weak axis is restrained.