Checking the availability of HSS sections is easy with the Steel Tube Institute’s Capability Tool.

If you have ever opened the steel manual to find section properties for a steel HSS (hollow structural section) member, you may have been surprised by how many sizes of HSS are listed. There are hundreds of options for round, rectangular, and square tubes. Some of these sections are readily available, others are produced on demand, and some may not be available in the current market. Realizing this, the Steel Tube Institute (STI), an industry organization supported by domestic steel tube producers, has created a free Capability Tool as a resource to search which HSS sections are currently domestically produced, by whom, and whether the sections are regularly produced or produced on demand. At steeltubeinstitute.org/capability-tool, there are search fields for shape, dimension range, and grade. Three ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) HSS material grades are included: A500, A1085, and A1065; and one for mechanical tubing, A513. Once these fields are filled, a list of producers who provide that shape, either regularly or on demand, is generated.