A steel truss structure is a lightweight, rigid framework composed of structural steel members connected in an interlocking triangular pattern. It efficiently distributes heavy loads over long spans without requiring internal support walls, making it essential for bridges, warehouses, aircraft hangars, and large-span roof buildings.
What Is Steel Truss Structure?
A steel truss is a high-efficiency framework composed of interconnected straight steel members arranged in triangular units. This geometry distributes loads axially (as pure tension or compression), enabling it to carry heavy loads and span long distances without intermediate column support.
Key Components:
A standard steel truss consists of three main elements:
Top chord: The upper boundary of the truss, typically in compression.
Bottom chord: The lower boundary, typically in tension.
Web members: The internal diagonal and vertical bars connecting the top and bottom chords, serving to stabilize the structure and transfer shear forces.
Specifications of Steel Truss Structures
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| Description | Steel Truss Structures |
| Standards | AISC / Eurocode 3 / GB 50017 / AWS D1.1 / ISO 9001 |
| Steel Grades | Q235B / Q355B / S355 / ASTM A36 / A572 / High-strength up to Q460 |
| Fabrication Tolerance | Length ±2–5 mm,Straightness ≤ L/1000 |
| Surface Protection | Hot-dip Galvanized, Shot Blasting Sa2.5 + Painting |
| Span Range | 10 m – 120 m+ (custom up to 150 m) |
| Connection System | High-strength bolted (8.8 / 10.9) / Welded / Hybrid system |
| Application | Industrial Plants, Hangars, Greenhouses, Power Towers, Conveyor Bridges |
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Types of Steel Lattice Truss Structure
Selecting the right steel truss is critical to meeting span, load, and budget requirements in global steel building projects. Steel trusses use a pin-connected member system that carries tensile and compressive forces independently, offering lightweight load-bearing capacity and superior long-span performance. The following are the mainstream truss types widely used in construction projects worldwide:
| Truss Type | Structural Description | Typical Applications | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pratt truss |  |
Parallel-chord steel truss with N-pattern web members; vertical web members in compression, diagonal web members in tension. | Industrial plants, large aircraft hangars, highway steel bridges |
| Warren truss |  |
Steel truss composed of continuous equilateral triangular units, with no vertical web members; adjacent diagonal web members alternately in tension and compression. | Long-span roofs, highway/railway steel box girder bridges, pedestrian overpasses |
| Howe truss |  |
Parallel-chord steel truss with force behavior opposite to the Pratt truss; diagonal web members in compression, vertical web members in tension. | Heavy-load roof systems, railway steel truss bridges, heavy-load platforms |
| Fink truss |  |
Lightweight steel truss for pitched roofs, using multi-tiered V-shaped diagonal web members. | Prefabricated lightweight steel roofs, small warehouses, low-rise plant pitched roofs |
| Scissor truss |  |
Special-shaped steel truss with top and bottom chords arranged in a scissor configuration, without a center column, forming an arched space; crossed chords act alternately as tension and compression members. | Classrooms, auditoriums, exhibition halls, public buildings with aesthetically curved roofs |
| Bowstring / arched truss |  |
Arch-type composite steel truss with the top chord as a curved arch rib and the bottom chord as a horizontal tie; web members connect the upper and lower chord force systems. | Large-span sports venues, exhibition centers, large indoor sports facilities |
| Flat / parallel chord truss |  |
Standard flat steel truss with parallel top and bottom chords, composed of vertical and diagonal web members forming the truss force system. | Multi-story building floor load-bearing, flat-roof plants, equipment conveyor corridors, steel mezzanine floors |
| Vierendeel truss |  |
Special open-web steel truss with no diagonal web members, composed of rigidly connected top and bottom chords with vertical members; shear resistance relies on joint moments. | Building facade curtain-wall frames, transparent pedestrian overpasses, load-bearing systems for large-span commercial buildings |
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Benefits of Steel Built-up Truss Structure
1.Low self-weight and high strength-to-weight ratio
Compared with solid-web steel beams, steel trusses concentrate material in the top and bottom chords and web members, eliminating material from the web panel, reducing the effective steel cross-section by 30% to 50%.
Under equivalent loading and span conditions, the overall structural self-weight is 20% to 40% lighter than that of a conventional solid-web beam, substantially reducing foundation bearing pressure.
2.Exceptional long-span capability
Conventional steel beams become extremely uneconomical beyond 30-meter spans due to a sharp decline in flexural capacity, whereas steel truss structures (such as those used in sports stadiums, airport terminals, and large industrial plants) can readily span 50 to 150 meters without intermediate columns.
3.Highly efficient material utilization
Members primarily carry axial tension or compression, allowing the steel strength to be fully utilized. When paired with high-strength steel (e.g., high-strength steel grades with yield strengths from 355 MPa to 700 MPa), the overall steel consumption of a long-span roof system can be optimized to achieve a 15% to 30% weight saving compared with conventional solutions.
4.Spatial utilization and MEP integration
The truss web panel contains extensive open space, allowing HVAC ducts, fire protection piping, and power and low-voltage cabling to pass directly through the truss depth. This improves the building's clear height utilization by 10% to 20% and reduces the need for additional ceiling plenum height.
5.Shop prefabrication and efficient construction
Members are mostly fabricated to standard specifications in the shop and assembled on site, reducing on-site wet work time. Compared with cast-in-place concrete structures, the overall construction period can be shortened by 30% to 50%.
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Typical Applications of Steel Lattice Trusses
Buildings and public works
Large-span public buildings: Venues such as sports stadiums, convention and exhibition centers, airport terminals, railway station halls, and theaters require expansive, unobstructed interior spaces and often utilize tubular trusses or space frame structures.
Industrial plants and warehouses: Used as roof support systems or crane runway girders (crane trusses), capable of efficiently spanning the wide interior spaces of industrial buildings.
Aircraft hangars: Require large-area operational space unobstructed by intermediate columns.
Bridge engineering
Highway and railway bridges: Steel truss bridges are suitable for long-distance spans such as river and valley crossings, providing exceptionally high strength and overall stability for traffic.
Industrial equipment and tower structures
Lifting machinery: The boom, girder, or tower body structures of tower cranes and gantry cranes.
Tall tower structures: Structures such as television broadcasting towers, power transmission line towers, communication masts, and oil drilling platforms, often employing spatial three-dimensional truss systems composed of multiple planar trusses.
Hydraulic engineering: The primary load-bearing framework of large hydraulic steel gates.
How to Choose the Right Steel Truss for Your Project?
Selecting the appropriate steel truss requires a comprehensive evaluation of structural requirements, loading conditions, material performance, and project-specific constraints. The following four factors are fundamental to achieving a safe, efficient, and economical truss design.
Structural Requirements
The truss configuration should be selected based on the building function, span length, roof geometry, and support conditions. These parameters determine the overall structural system and influence the truss type, depth, and member arrangement.
Material Selection and Durability
Structural steel grades and corrosion protection systems should be selected according to the project's environmental conditions, service life requirements, and applicable standards. Proper material selection enhances structural reliability and reduces long-term maintenance.
Design Loads and Structural Performance
The truss must be designed to resist all applicable design loads, including dead loads, live loads, wind loads, snow loads, and seismic actions, while satisfying strength, stiffness, and stability requirements specified by relevant design standards.
Fabrication and Constructability
The truss design should consider fabrication efficiency, transportation limitations, connection details, and installation methods. Optimizing constructability improves construction quality, shortens project schedules, and minimizes overall lifecycle costs.
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Whether you require a value-engineering fabrication budget based on your existing steel truss shop drawings, or need expert guidance on complex roof geometry management, heavy loading conditions, and equivalent Chinese steel grade replacement aligned with international standards (such as AISC, Eurocode 3, or BS 5950), our senior structural engineering team is ready to assist.
Why Choose Us as Your Steel Trusses Manufacturer?
As a professional steel structure manufacturer with rich experience in steel truss fabrication, we integrate independent design, automated production, strict quality inspection and one-stop delivery service.
1. Professional Custom Design & Standard Compliance
Our certified structural engineers design steel trusses following Eurocode 3, ASTM and GB standards. We optimize structures based on project span, load, wind, snow and seismic demands to balance safety and material cost.
2. Automated Production & Strict Full-Cycle QC
We adopt full-automatic production lines for CNC cutting, robotic welding and calibration. Raw materials come from qualified steel mills with complete certificates. We conduct full-range inspection including NDT (MT/UT), and provide complete test documents for acceptance and customs clearance.
3. Diversified Anti-Corrosion & Safe Integrated Delivery
We offer two mature anti-rust treatments: epoxy coating for inland areas and hot-dip galvanizing for high-corrosion environments. All trusses are fully prefabricated in our factory and shipped by heavy flatbed trailers with firm fixing to avoid deformation and coating damage during transportation.
4. Full Lifecycle One-Stop Technical Support
Our engineering team provides full-cycle technical services including drawing review, on-site installation guidance and long-term post-delivery technical consultation to solve all structural problems during your project construction and operation.
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Packing & Delivery of Steel Truss
Bundling and stacking: Trusses are grouped into uniform bundles or secured on heavy-duty steel pallets using 2 mm thick steel framing or strapping to prevent shifting.
Surface protection: Rubber pads or protective wrapping are placed between stacked members to prevent coating abrasion and damage to the corrosion protection layer.
Component labeling: Each individual truss component is labeled with clear barcode or brand tags containing serial numbers and project details for easy on-site sorting.
Phased shipment: Large-scale builds are shipped in a structured sequence matching the assembly blueprints, so the installation team can retrieve components immediately.
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What is the difference between steel trusses and conventional solid-web beams (e.g., H-section steel beams)?
Load-carrying mechanism: Solid-web beams resist loads through combined bending and shear; trusses convert bending moments into axial tension and compression in the top and bottom chords, with web members carrying shear - achieving higher material utilization.
Self-weight and span: Trusses are lighter in self-weight with greater stiffness, making them ideal for long-span structures; for short spans, solid-web beams are more economical.
What are the common joint connection methods for steel trusses?
Welded joints: Offer excellent structural integrity but require high on-site welding quality.
High-strength bolted connections: Easy to install and well-suited for transport and industrialized assembly.
Gusset plate connections: Members converge at a gusset plate and are connected via bolting or welding.
What are the common cross-section types used in steel trusses?
Angle sections: Commonly used in lightweight or small-to-medium-span structures.
Steel tubes (circular / square hollow sections): Aesthetically pleasing with good wind resistance, commonly used in space trusses.
H-sections or box sections: Suitable for heavy-load or extra-long-span structures.
How should corrosion protection and fire protection for steel trusses be addressed?
Corrosion protection: The surface must be blast-cleaned to remove rust, followed by application of a heavy-duty anti-corrosion primer and topcoat, or treated with hot-dip galvanizing.
Fire protection: Apply thick-film or thin-film intumescent fireproof coating for steel structures in accordance with code requirements to meet the specified fire resistance rating.
Can steel trusses be recycled?
Yes, steel is 100% recyclable, making these structural frameworks environmentally friendly at the end of a building's lifecycle.