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CUT TO YOUR DIMENSIONS
CARBON STEEL / SQUARE TUBEIllustrative material image
LIVE DIMENSION VIEWSQUARE TUBE
Carbon Steel Square Tube
See your specification take shape.
Dimension labels are on. Enter dimensions to see their labels.
MADE FOR YOUR CUT LIST
The right metal. Your exact dimensions.
From a single part to a mixed-material project. Configure each cut, then bring it all together in one reviewed quote.
Custom cut sizesMultiple parts, one requestReviewed specifications
CUT-TO-SIZE METAL
Carbon Steel Square Tube
Specify carbon steel square tube by outside side, wall thickness and length. Include the required standard, corner clearance and frame or connection drawing.
Attach a PDF, DXF or STEP file. You can request a review without configuring individual pieces.
How your quote works +
Add one or more cuts, share your requirements and tell us where to deliver. We review material, cutting and freight before sending a quote.
Dimensions & material weight +
Dimensions describe your requested section and cut length. Standard sections and feasible cuts are confirmed during review. Include any tolerance in project details. Weight is theoretical, uses ideal section geometry and excludes corner radii, packaging and cutting loss. The preview is a schematic, not a manufacturing drawing.
PROJECT CONTENTS
Your cut list
Cut lines are saved in this browser. Only added pieces are included in your request.
What to include in your request
State whether the internal seam or corner radii affect inserts, sleeves or telescoping sections.
Material
Carbon steel
Profile
Square Tube
Grade references
Specify the required alloy or standard for review
Dimensions
Outside side, wall thickness, cut length
Units
Inches or millimeters; decimals or fractions
Supply & cutting
Subject to review; no live-stock or tolerance guarantee
Outside dimensions and uniform wall. Theoretical weight excludes corner radii, welds and tolerances. Supplier section review is required.
01
A hollow wall is not a solid fastening block
Square tube provides outside faces around an internal void. At a through-bolted connection, tightening can draw unsupported walls inward, so the joint cannot be understood as a bolt passing through solid material. Separately, an insert sees the internal envelope, while an attached bracket sees the outside. These three uses of the same tube involve different local geometry. Understanding which surface or wall participates in the connection is more useful than treating the square outline as a complete assembly specification.
02
Name the face that does the locating
A panel bracket may locate against the outside of a square tube while a separate insert uses the inside. Those are two different interfaces, even when they occur at the same end. Label the relevant faces and show the mating parts in section. This makes the design intent understandable without guessing from the nominal profile. Faces that only remain visible can then carry appearance notes, while functional surfaces carry the fit requirements that matter to assembly.
03
Keep finishing and closure decisions on the drawing
Before requesting material for a visible frame, identify the faces that remain exposed and the ends that will be open, capped, or connected to another part. Record the intended downstream finishing process and provide its preparation requirements where they affect the purchased material. Treat caps, plugs, and attachment plates as separate components in the project information. A complete assembly picture prevents a plain tube request from being mistaken for a finished frame ready for installation.
Compare frame starting profiles
Compare frame starting profiles
Catalog option
Section layout
Drawing decision
Carbon steel square tube
Equal outside sides with a hollow center
Define four-face orientation and connections.
Carbon steel rectangular tube
Unequal outside sides with a hollow center
Fix the wide-face orientation in the assembly.
Carbon steel angle
Two open legs
Redesign and document the connection for an open section.
PUT THE DIMENSIONS INTO PRACTICE
Example: a four-piece square tube request
Use this illustrative cut line to see how the fields work. It is a dimensional example, not a stock listing or a recommended section for a particular load.
Outside side1 in25.4 mm
Wall thickness0.0625 in1.5875 mm
Cut length24 in609.6 mm
The outside side is 1 in and the wall is 1/16 in. The ideal inside flat-to-flat dimension is 0.875 in, before accounting for corner geometry and tolerances. That number alone does not prove a smaller square tube will slide inside.
How the theoretical weight is calculated
Cross-sectional area × cut length × reference density = estimated material weight.
Material in this example
Carbon steel
Reference for this example
Material average; grade to be specified
Density used
7,850 kg/m³
One piece, approximately
1.60 lb / 0.72 kg
Four pieces, approximately
6.38 lb / 2.89 kg
Calculated from ideal geometry and a reference density. Actual section, alloy, tolerances, cutting loss and packaging can change the result. This is not a shipping weight or a load rating.
On your own cut list, add a part reference and quantity to each distinct size. Put extra operations such as holes, miters, threads or finish work on the drawing, then keep that drawing reference with the relevant line.
What wall thickness do I need for a steel table frame?
There is no universal answer from table size alone. Loads, spans, supports, joints and material properties need review. Supply the engineered section or have the frame design checked before selecting wall thickness.
Will a smaller steel square tube slide into this one?
Not automatically. The internal weld seam, corner radii, wall variation and tolerances can affect clearance. Specify the mating sizes and required fit.
Is the theoretical square-tube weight the shipping weight?
No. It uses simplified geometry and reference density. Actual section weight, cut quantities, packaging and freight are confirmed separately.
Why is bolting through square tube different from bolting through solid bar?
The hollow interior leaves space between the opposite walls. Fastener tightening can deform those walls rather than simply clamp a continuous solid section. The connection needs a design suited to the tube walls and loading, not just a hole pattern copied from a solid component.
What is the difference between an outside corner radius and an inside corner radius?
They describe curved transitions on opposite sides of the tube wall. An external bracket encounters the outside transition, while an inserted component encounters the inside transition. A square-looking drawing does not make those two interfaces identical or remove the need for corner clearance.
Why can a tube frame have correct member lengths but misaligned faces?
Length alone does not describe end orientation, joint arrangement, or the relationships between connected faces. Those features determine how the pieces sit together. An assembled frame can therefore need geometric requirements beyond the nominal section and cut length of each individual member.
Does a square outside profile establish a finished flat mounting face?
No. The profile describes the general section, while a mounting interface may have separate surface-form and orientation requirements. A broad face can be useful for attachment without automatically satisfying a precision interface. The finished assembly determines what that particular face needs to do.
How should packaging be described for a visible square-tube frame?
Identify which faces need appearance protection and whether pieces must remain individually labeled for assembly. State any restrictions related to your later finishing process. A practical packaging note ties protection to specific surfaces and part identifiers rather than asking for unspecified special handling.
Can I group identical tube sections with different finishes?
Keep different finish requirements on separate lines or clearly separated part records, even when the raw section matches. Reference the same assembly where appropriate, but preserve each part's visible faces and finish notes. That distinction should remain clear in the receiving checklist.
What dimensions do I need to request carbon steel square tube?
Provide outside side, wall thickness, cut length, plus quantity for each size. Use inches or millimeters consistently. Add the required grade, condition, finish and any critical tolerances; attach a drawing for details the standard fields cannot describe.
Turn your specification into a clear request.
Include the material, dimensions, quantity and critical requirements. Availability, supplied condition, cutting and delivery are confirmed in a reviewed quote.
