I-shaped steel, whether ordinary or lightweight, has a relatively high and narrow cross-sectional size, resulting in a significant difference in the moment of inertia between the two main sleeves of the section. Therefore, it can only be directly used for components that are bent in the plane of their web plate or to form lattice load-bearing components. It is not suitable to use axial compression members or members that are bent perpendicular to the web plane, which greatly limits their application range.

H-beams belong to economical cutting profiles. Due to their reasonable cross-sectional shape, they can enhance the efficiency of steel and improve its cutting capacity. Unlike ordinary I-beams, the flange of H-beams has been widened, and the inner and outer surfaces are usually parallel, making it easier to connect with strength bolts and other components. Its size composition is reasonable, with a complete range of models, making it easy to design and select. The inner and outer sides of the flange of H-beam are parallel or nearly parallel, and the end of the flange is at a right angle, hence the name parallel flange I-beam. The thickness of the belly plate of H-beam is smaller than that of ordinary I-beam with the same height as the belly plate, and the width of the flange is larger than that of ordinary I-beam with the same height as the belly plate, hence it is also called wide edge I-beam.

Due to its shape, the section modulus, moment of inertia, and corresponding strength of H-beams are significantly better than those of ordinary I-beams of the same weight. Used in metal structures with different requirements, it demonstrates superior performance in withstanding bending moments, pressure loads, and eccentric loads. It can greatly improve the bearing capacity compared to ordinary I-beams and save 10% to 40% of metal.