What is the difference between SHS and RHS steel?

SHS steel stands for square tube. RHS steel stands for rectangular tube. These two specific types of steel hollow sections are designed to provide a combination of strength and functionality which makes them suitable for a wide variety of applications.

What Is SHS Steel

What Is RHS Steel

Appearance Comparison

1. Appearance of SHS Steel

From the perspective of side length, the four sides of a square tube are equal, while the adjacent sides of a rectangular tube are unequal.

This results in a more regular cross-sectional shape within the same length range, creating a more concise and elegant visual effect.

2. Appearance of RHS Steel

Due to the difference in side length, the cross-sectional shape of a rectangular tube is relatively more diverse, allowing it to meet specific design requirements.

Size Comparison

1. SHS Steel Sizes

Square tubes typically have a relatively uniform standard range of dimensions, such as the common 20mm×20mm and 30mm×30mm sizes. These dimensions offer relatively high dimensional accuracy, facilitating mass production and standardized applications.

2. RHS Steel Sizes

Rectangular tubes offer greater flexibility and variety, offering a variety of side length combinations, such as 25mm×15mm and 35mm×20mm, to accommodate the varying dimensional requirements of various applications.

In addition, both square and rectangular tubes can be adjusted in wall thickness to meet specific application requirements. Generally speaking, thinner wall thicknesses are suitable for applications requiring less weight, such as decorative components; thicker wall thicknesses are suitable for structures requiring greater strength and stability, such as building frames.

Material Comparison

SHS steel and RHS steel are made from essentially the same materials, primarily including Q235, Q345B, and 16Mn, though some special materials are also available.

However, some production processes and standards may differ. For example, high-end construction or machinery manufacturing products often use high-quality carbon structural steel or alloy steel.

Production Process Comparison

1. SHS Steel Production

Square tubes can be manufactured using a variety of processes, including hot rolling, cold rolling, cold drawing, or hot-dip galvanizing, offering advantages such as low production costs and high efficiency.

2. RHS Steel Production

Rectangular tubes are generally manufactured using hot rolling or cold rolling, resulting in relatively high production costs.

Performance Comparison

1. SHS Steel Characteristics

Steel has excellent stability and load-bearing capacity, making it suitable for applications requiring high pressure resistance.

Under certain conditions, such as shear forces, square tubes perform better than rectangular tubes.

2. RHS Steel Characteristics

RHS steel offers the same bending and torsional strengths, but is lightweight, making it widely used in the manufacture of mechanical parts and engineering structures. Suitable for situations that require bearing complex stresses and lightweight.

Application Comparison

1. Applications of SHS Steel

Due to their high structural stability and load-bearing capacity, square tubes are widely used in construction, bridges, and road transportation. In construction, square tubes are often used to construct frame structures, support structures, and load-bearing walls.

In bridges and road transportation, square tubes are used to manufacture bridge supports, highway guardrails, and other structures.

2. Applications of RHS Steel

Rectangular tubes offer advantages in certain applications, such as furniture and display racks, where specific shapes are required for support.

In addition, in the decoration and renovation industry, rectangular tubes are often used in structures such as ceiling joists.

Their unique shape and spatial adaptability make them widely applicable in these fields.

Which Is Stronger SHS Or RHS Steel?

The question of which is stronger, SHS or RHS depends on a variety of different factors. Factors to take into consideration include the dimensions of the tubing under evaluation, the thickness of the section’s walls and the type of steel from which each section has been formed.

However, if we are comparing a length of RHS steel with the smallest dimension equal to or greater than the side dimension of a length of SHS steel, manufactured from the same materials and using the same process, the RHS steel will always prove to be stronger when an equal load is applied to each length, from any direction or orientation.

As a point of interest, while RHS and SHS steel are both stronger than circular hollow section (CHS) steel in applications where the direction of an applied load or force is known in advance, CHS steel actually performs better when the direction of any applied force or load is unknown at the design stage.

Which Is Better for Load-Bearing Performance, SHS Steel Or RHS Steel?

In terms of load-bearing capacity, rectangular tubes generally outperform square tubes. This is because the long sides of rectangular tubes disperse more force, allowing them to withstand greater compressive and tensile forces. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of RHS steel allows for more even force distribution under load, thereby improving overall structural stability.

Summary

When choosing between RHS steel and SHS steel, it's important to consider both application requirements and cost-effectiveness. For applications requiring uniform loads in multiple directions, SHS steel is an ideal choice. However, for applications requiring greater loads in specific directions, RHS steel offers advantages.

Read more: How To Select Square and Rectangular Tubes? or The Benefits of Using Square Tube in Construction