How would rectangular HSS be designated?

How would rectangular HSS be designated?

• A. Height x Width x Thickness
• B. Width x Height x Thickness
• C. Thickness x Height x Width
• D. Height x Thickness x Width

Answer: (A)

When designating a rectangular hollow structural section (RHS), you list the outside dimensions in the order of height, width, and thickness. The height is the larger outside dimension, the width is the smaller, and the thickness is the wall thickness of the hollow section. So the standard designation is height x width x thickness. This clearly communicates the overall size and the wall depth: for example, an RHS that is 6 inches tall, 4 inches wide, with 0.5 inch walls would be written as 6 x 4 x 0.5. The inside opening would be 5 inches by 3 inches, since each dimension loses twice the wall thickness. Other orders mix up which dimension is the height or place thickness first, which doesn’t reflect the actual outside size and can cause confusion.