Frequently asked questions

We provide a free quotation within 48 hours of receiving your drawings or enquiry. Send your plans by the form, WhatsApp or email and we will come back with a priced proposal.

Our fabrication workshop is in Ash, Sevenoaks, Kent (TN15 7HJ) and our office is in Croydon. We fabricate and install across London, Kent, Surrey and the South East, and supply fabricated steel nationwide.

Yes. All our structural steelwork and architectural metalwork is fabricated in-house under BS EN 1090-1 Factory Production Control. We self-deliver fabrication, shop priming and erection; hot-dip galvanising and intumescent coatings are applied by specialist partners.

We are BS EN 1090-1 / UKCA certified, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 certified, Constructionline Gold, SSIP and PAS 91 registered, with £5m public liability, £10m employer's liability and £1m professional indemnity insurance.

Yes. PSS CUT prices CNC plasma cutting online, PSS Estimating prices construction takeoffs from £25/hr, and PSS Detailing prices steel detailing online - all before you send the job.

Yes. We supply steel for homeowners, builders, architects, engineers and main contractors - from a single beam for an extension to full structural packages.

Pro Steel Solutions Ltd was founded in February 2024 and is registered in England and Wales (company number 15490914).

Our fabrication workshop is at Unit 9, Heaver Trading Estate, Ash Road, Ash, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 7HJ. Our registered office is in Croydon.

Steel detailing, estimating, CNC plasma cutting, fabrication, welding, shop priming and site erection are all carried out by our own team.

Yes - ask us for photographs and references for projects similar to yours, and we will share what we can with our clients' permission.

From a single beam for a house extension to full structural and metalwork packages for main contractors.

Yes. Email info@prosteelsolution.com and we will send current certificates and insurance schedules for your supply-chain checks.

Our structural steel is fabricated under BS EN 1090-1 Factory Production Control and UKCA marked where required.

PSS CUT is our online CNC plasma cutting service. Upload a DXF, get an instant price, and we cut the parts in our own workshop.

PSS Estimating prices quantity takeoffs and estimates from £25 per hour, with the scope chosen online.

Tekla models, general arrangement and fabrication drawings, and NC files ready for the workshop - priced before you send your drawings.

Structural engineer's drawings and calculations, architect's drawings, or a sketch with dimensions and photos. The more detail, the more accurate the price.

Yes, by appointment. Call us on 020 3633 8372 to arrange a visit to our workshop in Ash, Sevenoaks.

Tell us about yourself using the form. We're happy to hear from people starting out in fabrication and welding.

Fabrication work is at our workshop at Heaver Trading Estate, Ash, near Sevenoaks. Site work covers London and the South East.

For simple items, a sketch with dimensions and photos can give an indicative price. Structural steel needs the engineer's design for a firm price.

Where the steel has to fit existing building work, we check the dimensions on site so it fits first time.

The Declaration of Performance, UKCA information and material certificates where required, for building control and your records.

Often within 3-7 working days of approved drawings for primed domestic beams. Ask us for urgent work.

Waiting for drawing approval, missing design information, special finishes and unusual sections or grades.

Usually because of what is included: drawings, connections, finishes, delivery, installation and temporary works can all be in or out.

It can for construction services between VAT-registered businesses under the CIS. Your accountant can confirm for your project.

Ask us about account terms when you send your first enquiry.

Yes. Send the drawings, specification and bills and we return a priced package with clarifications.

No. Galvanising, powder coating and intumescent coatings are applied by specialist finishers we work with, and we manage the programme and checks.

Usually hot-dip galvanising, with powder coating on top if you want a colour.

Yes, with no sign-up. Print them or share them with your builder or client.

Yes. We can supply fabricated, primed steel to your site for your own team to install, or deliver and erect it ourselves.

Yes. Send us the structural engineer's calculations and drawings or the architect's details and we will detail, price and fabricate to them.

We shop-prime in-house and arrange hot-dip galvanising and intumescent fire protection through specialist partners, managed by us as part of one package.

RSJ (rolled steel joist) is the traditional name for a tapered-flange beam; most modern beams are universal beams (UB) with parallel flanges. Your structural engineer will specify the section and we fabricate to it.

Yes - structural steel must be designed by a qualified structural engineer and approved by building control. If you don't have one yet, we can point you in the right direction.

Most domestic beams and frames are fabricated within days of drawings being approved. Larger frames are programmed to suit your build.

Yes. Send us photos and dimensions of the existing metalwork and we will detail and fabricate a match.

Shop primer in-house, plus hot-dip galvanising, powder coating and specialist paint systems through our finishing partners.

Yes. We fabricate one-off and bespoke pieces as well as repeat items for larger developments.

We detail stairs to Approved Document K (rise, going, pitch, headroom and guarding) and to the designer's specification.

Yes. We supply and install balustrades and handrails for new and existing stairs, balconies and landings.

Yes - galvanised external escape stairs and walkways are a regular part of our work.

A Juliet balcony is a guarding rail fixed across a full-height opening - there is no platform to step onto, so it adds light and views without a structural deck.

Often yes, with bolt-on balconies. A structural engineer must confirm the wall can take the loads and planning permission may be needed.

External balcony steel is normally hot-dip galvanised for long-term protection, often with a powder-coat finish on top.

Most mezzanines need building control approval, and some need fire protection and planning consent. We work to the approved design.

Mezzanines are designed for the use - typically light storage, office or heavy storage loads - as specified by the structural engineer.

Usually yes. We plan installation to keep disruption to a minimum.

Yes - we hold BS EN 1090-1 Factory Production Control certification and UKCA mark our structural steel.

Yes. We fabricate supply-only steel for builders, contractors and other steelwork companies.

Our focus is erecting steel we have fabricated, so we can take full responsibility for fit and quality.

Yes. We plan deliveries around London loading restrictions and site logistics, and can use smaller vehicles where access is tight.

Yes. We regularly design steel to be carried through the house in manageable lengths and bolted together on site.

Unit 9, Heaver Trading Estate, Ash Road, Ash, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 7HJ.

Yes, by arrangement. Call 020 3633 8372 to book a collection time.

Yes - our registered office is at 39a Central Parade, Croydon CR0 0JL. Fabrication takes place at our workshop in Ash, Sevenoaks.

Yes, steel beams and goalpost frames for extensions and loft conversions are among our most common Croydon jobs.

Unit 9, Heaver Trading Estate, Ash Road, Ash, Sevenoaks TN15 7HJ - close to New Ash Green and West Kingsdown.

Yes - bespoke steel gates, railings and estate metalwork, finished with galvanising and powder coating through our partners.

Yes. We supply and install across Surrey, and deliver supply-only steel anywhere in the UK.

Yes - feature and spiral staircases with glass or steel balustrades are a speciality.

Yes. Steel beams, goalpost frames and padstone plates for extensions and loft conversions are among our most common Bromley jobs.

Bromley is close to both our office and workshop, so delivery is usually quick once fabrication is complete.

Yes - mezzanine floors for warehouses and industrial units around Dartford and the Thames Gateway are a regular part of our work.

Yes. Our workshop is in Ash near Sevenoaks, a short drive from Dartford via the A20 and M25.

Yes. We supply structural steel for barn conversions and rural buildings, working from the structural engineer's design.

Yes - bespoke steel gates and railings, galvanised and powder-coated.

Yes. We can splice beams into manageable lengths so they can be carried through the house and bolted together in place.

Yes - Juliet balconies and full balconies, galvanised and finished to suit the property.

Yes - Sutton, Cheam, Carshalton, Wallington, Worcester Park and the surrounding areas.

Yes. We supply fabricated, primed steel to site for your builder, or install it ourselves.

Yes - mezzanine floors, platforms, plant supports and portal frame steel for industrial units across Medway.

Yes, we deliver across Medway including the Hoo Peninsula.

Yes. We supply fabricated steel to sites anywhere in Great Britain, for your own team or a local installer to erect.

Our own erection team covers London, Kent, Surrey and the South East. Further afield we supply steel for local installers, and can discuss installation for larger packages.

Yes. We are Constructionline Gold, SSIP and PAS 91 prequalified and regularly price steel packages for main contractors across England and Wales.

The raw material is bought by weight, but a fabricator's price also includes cutting, drilling, welding, coatings, delivery and any installation - so two beams of the same weight can cost different amounts.

Quotes differ in what they include: coatings, fire protection, connections, splices, delivery and installation. An itemised quotation lets you compare like for like.

Usually not. The structural engineer is normally appointed by you, the architect or the builder; the fabricator works from their design.

In everyday use, yes - people call any steel beam an RSJ. Technically an RSJ has tapered flanges, while a modern universal beam has parallel flanges.

S355 is a steel grade with a minimum yield strength of 355 N/mm². S275 is a lower-strength grade. Your engineer specifies which is needed.

Only with the engineer's approval. A heavier beam changes loads on walls, padstones and foundations, and may not fit the space.

Building control will normally require structural calculations from a competent engineer for a new steel beam. Without them the work is unlikely to be approved.

Usually, where it supports floors or walls. Thirty minutes' fire resistance is common in houses, often achieved with fire-rated plasterboard or an intumescent coating.

Not usually for internal alterations, but building regulations approval is still required. Extensions and loft conversions may also need planning.

Typically several decades in normal UK conditions, depending on coating thickness and how aggressive the environment is - coastal and industrial sites are harsher.

Yes, with the right preparation and primer, or by powder coating. This duplex system gives colour plus long-term protection.

Generally no. External steel should normally be galvanised, as primer alone will not protect it from the weather for long.

Structural steel components placed on the market in Great Britain are expected to be UKCA marked to BS EN 1090-1. Main contractors and building control commonly require it.

Your structural engineer specifies it. Most building structures are EXC2.

It applies to structural components. Whether a particular metalwork item is structural is a question for the designer and specification.

We return quotations within 48 hours of receiving your drawings or enquiry.

For simple items, photos with dimensions can be enough for an indicative price. Structural steel needs the engineer's design for a firm quote.

Yes. Quotations are free and with no obligation.

220 mm for a private stair, with a going of at least 220 mm and a pitch of no more than 42 degrees.

At least 2000 mm. Loft conversions can relax this to 1900 mm at the centre and 1800 mm at the side.

Stairs 1 m wide or more need handrails on both sides; narrower stairs need at least one.

Usually yes for a house in England, as balconies are not permitted development. Juliet balconies often don't, but always check locally.

Typically 1100 mm for external balconies.

Not if it is hot-dip galvanised. Galvanising, with or without powder coating, protects steel outdoors for decades.

Usually not, as it is internal. Retail mezzanines adding more than 200 m² of sales floorspace do need permission.

Almost always, for structure, fire safety, escape and guarding.

It depends on size, use and escape routes. Building control or a fire engineer decides.

Most do, especially dormer conversions. Your structural engineer confirms what is needed.

Usually through the roof once tiles are removed, or through a window. Long beams can be spliced so they can be carried in pieces.

Usually yes, often by boxing them in with fire-rated plasterboard.

A goalpost has two posts and a top beam. A box frame adds a bottom member to make a closed rectangle, often used where foundations are limited.

Yes, each post usually sits on a baseplate bolted to a concrete pad foundation designed by the engineer.

Yes. Bolted frames come in pieces that can be carried through the house and assembled in place.

Most beams bearing on masonry do. The engineer decides based on the load and the wall.

As specified by your engineer - often around 100-150 mm.

We supply the steel, including spreader plates where specified. Padstones are normally supplied and installed by the builder.

A section about 203 mm deep and 133 mm wide, weighing about 25 kg per metre. With UB after it, it is a universal beam.

No. The first two numbers are nominal serial sizes. Actual depth and width vary slightly by weight; manufacturers' tables give exact figures.

Square hollow section - a square steel box section named by its outside size and wall thickness.

Yes. S355 has a minimum yield strength of 355 N/mm², about 30% higher than the 275 N/mm² of S275.

Usually only a little, and S355 is now the standard stocked grade for most UK sections.

It is the toughness grade: the steel must absorb at least 27 joules in an impact test at -20°C.

Usually they need protection such as a plasterboard ceiling or boxing-in. Building control will confirm what your project needs.

A coating that swells into an insulating char in a fire, slowing the rise in steel temperature for a rated period.

We arrange them through specialist applicators and coordinate them with our fabrication programme.

A single beam in a house often goes in within a day, with the props removed a day or two later once the packing has cured.

Usually not, but the room will be out of use and there will be dust and noise. Your builder will advise.

Yes. Our team installs across London, Kent, Surrey and the South East, or we supply steel for your builder to fit.

Yes, for structural steel components placed on the market in the UK, under BS EN 1090-1 with UKCA marking.

Yes. All our steelwork is fabricated in-house at our workshop in Ash, Sevenoaks.

For batches of gates, railings and balustrades it gives a tougher, more even finish. Wet paint is better for large steel, site work and easy repairs.

Yes - this is called a duplex system. It needs the right pretreatment for a good bond.

Most RAL colours, in gloss, satin, matt and textured finishes.

The Pro Steel Solutions team - a BS EN 1090 certified structural steelwork and metalwork contractor based in Kent.

Yes. Call 020 3633 8372, WhatsApp 07411 243225 or use the chat - we're happy to help.

Yes, all of them, with no sign-up.

They are for planning and estimating. Structural design must be done by a qualified engineer.

It depends on the section. A 4 m UB 203x133x25 weighs about 100 kg; a 4 m UB 305x165x40 about 160 kg.

The calculator uses the nominal mass in the section name, which is how steel is ordered and priced. Actual weights vary slightly within rolling tolerances.

About 78.5 kg per square metre.

It uses carbon steel density (7,850 kg/m³). Stainless steel is about 1-2% heavier.

SHS is square hollow section; RHS is rectangular hollow section. CHS is circular hollow section.

Within a few per cent of published tables for most sizes. Use the manufacturer's table for design.

About 23.5 kg.

We order to suit each job. Send your list and we'll include it in your quote.

220 mm for a private stair, with a going of at least 220 mm and a pitch of no more than 42°.

Twice the rise plus the going. Keeping it between 550 and 700 mm gives a comfortable stride.

Openings in guarding should not allow a 100 mm sphere to pass through, so young children cannot get through or stuck.

Typically 1100 mm for external balconies.

It depends on the use - office, light storage or heavy storage. Your structural engineer specifies it.

The engineer checks the slab under each column. Sometimes new pad foundations are needed.

Yes, in this browser on this device. Copy it or send it into a quote to keep a record.

Yes - send it with your drawings and we'll return an itemised quote within 48 hours.

One tonne-force is 9.81 kN.

Both are pressures; 1 N/mm² equals 1,000 kN/m².

Common stock lengths include 6 m, 7.5 m, 10 m, 12 m and 15 m, depending on the section and supplier.

The width of material removed by each saw or plasma cut, usually a few millimetres.

Coating costs follow surface area, so m² per tonne shows how much a section costs to coat relative to its weight.

Within about 5% of published tables, as it uses nominal dimensions and ignores root radii.

The percentage of the paint volume that remains as dry film once the solvent or water has evaporated. It is given on the product data sheet.

It depends on the system. A typical primer coat is 50-75 microns; protective systems for exposed steel are often 200 microns or more in total.

We arrange the right vehicle for each job, including lorries with a mounted crane where offloading is needed.

Articulated flatbeds carry around 13.6 m. Longer pieces need an extendable trailer and may need notifications, or can be spliced if the engineer agrees.

The ICE database v3.0 gives about 1.55 kgCO2e per kg for steel sections as a global average. Product-specific EPDs can be much lower or higher.

Usually yes. Steel made in electric arc furnaces from scrap typically has a much lower carbon factor than steel made from iron ore.

Multiply the leg length by 0.707. A 6 mm leg gives about a 4.2 mm throat; an 8 mm leg about 5.7 mm.

Welding on our structural steelwork is carried out in our own workshop under our BS EN 1090 Factory Production Control.

A normal clearance hole for an M20 bolt is 22 mm.

BS EN 1993-1-8 gives a minimum of 1.2 times the hole diameter, but most designers use more for practical tolerances.

1:12 for a flight of up to 2 m going under Approved Document M. Longer flights must be gentler, down to 1:20 for 10 m.

Take the inverse tangent of rise divided by going. 1:12 is about 4.8 degrees, 1:20 about 2.9 degrees.

In the UK universal beam range, the UB 127x76x13 is the lightest at about 13 kg per metre.

Only with your structural engineer's approval, as it changes the strength and stiffness.

Common sizes include 2000 x 1000, 2500 x 1250 and 3000 x 1500 mm, with larger plates for thicker material.

Yes. We cut plates in-house on our CNC plasma tables. Upload DXF files to PSS CUT for a price.

Simple domestic beams are usually ready within a few working days of approved drawings; painted or galvanised steel takes longer.

Often, yes. Tell us your date when you ask for a quote and we will say honestly whether we can meet it.

As a rough planning figure, often around 200-250 mm for a domestic floor, but the engineer's design decides.

Beam sizes come from a structural engineer. We can recommend engineers and fabricate to their design.

A 1.5 m x 1.8 m steel gate with a 50 mm box frame and bar infill typically weighs 40-60 kg.

Yes. Powered gates must meet machinery safety rules and BS EN 12453, including safety edges or sensors.

Sections such as UB 203x133x25 and UB 254x146x31 are common in extensions, but the engineer's design sets the size for each opening.

Depth and width here are the nominal serial sizes from the section name. Exact dimensions vary slightly by weight; see the manufacturer's tables for design.

A UC is roughly as wide as it is deep, making it efficient as a column. A UB is deeper than it is wide, making it efficient as a beam.

Parallel flange channels are used for trimmers, edge beams, lintels, stair stringers and bracing, often where a flat back face is useful.

About 14.7 kg per metre for hot-finished square hollow section.

Close, but cold-formed sections (BS EN 10219) have slightly different corner radii, so weights differ a little.

About 3.93 kg per metre.

Width (mm) x thickness (mm) x 0.00785 gives kg per metre.

About 78.5 kg per square metre, so a 2500 x 1250 mm sheet weighs about 245 kg.

Yes, on our CNC plasma tables. Upload DXF files to PSS CUT for an instant price.

Yes. Every table has a Download CSV button, and you can filter and sort the rows.

Ask us. We can share more drawings and, once the work is complete, photographs and a reference where the client agrees.

Yes. Send your drawings or describe the job and we will return a free, itemised quotation within 48 hours.