Comparison

Beam Engineering lite vs Steel Sections

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Beam Engineering lite

This app provides 34 civil engineering calculators for beam analysis and conversion, referencing industry codes. It offers auto-fill options for material and section pickers and supports dual units. A pro version unlocks unlimited calculations, history, and PDF exports.

Highlights
  • 34 civil engineering calculators
  • AISC, ACI, ASCE code references
  • Auto-fill section and material pickers
  • Metric and Imperial units
  • Calculation history
  • PDF export
  • Dark mode support
Features
Read full description

Beam Calculator offers a comprehensive suite of 34 calculators to analyze and convert key Beam and Civil Engineering parameters. Built for professionals and students, every formula is backed by AISC 360-22, ACI 318-19, and ASCE 7-22 code references displayed directly in the calculator. Auto-fill Section and Material Pickers let you select from 39 AISC W-shapes and standard Steel, Rebar, and Concrete grades to instantly populate input fields. No manual lookup needed. Included Calculators (Metric and Imperial Units): Critical Bending Moments: . Rectangular Cross Section . Open Cross Section . Nonuniform Bending Gradient . Moment Gradient Factor with PASS/FAIL adequacy check per AISC 360-22 Stress and Deflection: . Maximum Stress (Axial and Bending Loads) . Maximum Stress (Large Bending Deflection) . Axial Compression and Bending Deflection . Critical Buckling Load . Stress (Unsymmetrical Bending) . Total Unit Stress and Deflection (Eccentric Loading) Steel and Compression Calculations: . Trial Design Area of Steel . Compression Area and Depth . Nominal Moment Capacity . Adjusted Steel Area . Reinforcement Ratios (Balanced, Minimum, Maximum) Beam Dimensions and Shear Strength: . Required Beam Dimensions . Concrete and Steel Shear Strength . Maximum Allowable Shear (Steel and Total) . Horizontal, Angled, and Vertical Stirrup Spacing . Stirrup Shear Strength and Embedment Length . Maximum Tension Steel Spacing Key Features: . Dual unit system. USCS (Imperial) and SI (Metric) with accurate conversions . Calculation History. save, review, and add notes to past calculations . PDF Export. share professional calculation reports . Built-in Reference Tables. W-shape sections, steel grades, rebar grades, and concrete grades . Dark mode support with three appearance options . Category filter chips for fast formula navigation Pro Unlock (One-Time Purchase): . Unlimited calculations across all 34 formulas . Full calculation history (free users see last 5 records) . PDF export and sharing . Swipe to delete history records Available in English, Francais, Espanol, Italiano, Deutsch, Chinese, Nederlands, and Portugues.

About

Steel Sections

Features
Read full description

Steel Sections is a practical and fast-to-use tool designed to assist in the structural design of steelwork. The application, conceived and developed by Fondazione Promozione Acciaio and tested by leading executive design firms, architectural practices, and structural engineers, features a comprehensive database of over 9,000 steel profiles: IPE, IPN; HE, HD, HL, HLZ, HP; T-sections; UPN, UPE, U channels; equal and unequal leg angles; hot-finished and cold-formed circular, square, and rectangular hollow sections; plates; sheet piling; cold-formed steel (CFS) sections and sandwich panels. Key Features and Functionality: • Commercial Availability: Real-time data on profile availability, procurement lead times, and minimum order quantities. • Profile Search & Geometric Data: Quick and advanced search via category-specific filters. • Beam Verification: Calculation of stresses and deflections for single-span beams, including Ultimate Limit State (ULS) resistance checks and Serviceability Limit State (SLS) deformation checks. Calculations are adaptable based on boundary conditions, span length, loading types, profile arrangement, and steel grade. • Plate Verification: Thickness-based assessment. • Mass and Surface Area: Calculation per unit length. • Critical Load: Evaluation of the buckling load for members. • Design Resistance: Calculation of cross-sectional design strength. • Structural Analysis: Calculation of internal forces and deflections for both statically determinate and indeterminate beams. • User Customization: A "Favorites" section to save up to 50 profiles and a "Compare" function to evaluate different profile characteristics side-by-side. Future updates will integrate additional products and advanced functionalities.

Screenshots

Beam Engineering lite4 screens
Steel Sections4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Steel Sections at none against Beam Engineering lite's 1. Steel Sections also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 5 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Beam Engineering lite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Steel Sections asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Beam Engineering lite ships an update every 5 months, Steel Sections every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on August 15, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Beam Engineering lite versus Steel Sections: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBeam Engineering liteSteel Sections
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (32 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings32 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB63 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperV PUGAZHENTHIFondazione Promozione Acciaio

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Beam Engineering lite

One-time1
  • Beam Engineering Pro$2.99
None

Steel Sections

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Beam Engineering lite free?
Beam Engineering lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Steel Sections free?
Steel Sections is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Beam Engineering lite or Steel Sections have ads?
Beam Engineering lite shows ads; Steel Sections does not.
Which is updated more often, Beam Engineering lite or Steel Sections?
Beam Engineering lite ships an update every 5 months, and Steel Sections every 3 months. Most recently, Beam Engineering lite was updated on August 15, 2026 and Steel Sections on September 10, 2026.

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