Two shapes, one guide
Square and rectangular hollow sections are discussed together on this site, as the company About page names them together, and this guide follows that together-framing. Square sections have equal sides, rectangular sections have unequal sides, and that shape difference is the whole basis of the discussion here. No size range, wall thickness, material grade, execution standard or length is stated for either shape on this site. This guide adds none of them. A buyer who needs a particular shape or size must name it in the enquiry, because no range on this site can be used to infer it.
The shape question should be answered before the commercial questions, because the commercial answers depend on it. A square section enquiry and a rectangular section enquiry can differ in quantities, handling and structural use, even when the line name is the same. The enquiry pages therefore ask for shape, size where known, quantities, structural job and destination together, and this guide returns to that order, because it is the order that prevents the most common hollow section enquiry error, which is to ask about a line without naming the shape.
Structural questions for hollow sections
Hollow section work raises structural questions that round pipe work does not raise, and those questions belong in the enquiry before commercial questions. They include the shape wanted, the size wanted where it is known, the structural job the member must serve, and the site conditions that affect handling and use. A hollow section enquiry that names only the line, without naming the shape or the job, will need a second message before the commercial points can be answered, and the enquiry checklist page collects the structural questions in order so that they are not missed.
Structural use should be described in plain terms, for the items named, rather than assumed to follow from naming the line. Where the member must serve a frame, a support or another structural part, the enquiry should describe that part in the terms that matter for matching, without inventing a specification that the site does not give. Where only one shape is wanted, the enquiry should say so, so that the reply does not assume the other shape. Those distinctions are the difference between a general hollow section question and an enquiry that can be answered directly.
Quantities, timing and documents for hollow sections
Quantity terms, timing, trade terms, payment method and documents for hollow sections depend on the items, the quantities and the destination, and they are settled in the enquiry rather than on this guide. This site uses only the general wording that certificates are available upon request, and any document question should name the items it concerns. A buyer who asks about all of those points together, for the same items, in the same message, will receive a reply that can be checked as a whole, while a buyer who splits them across separate messages will receive fragmented answers that are hard to check against the order.
Where quantities are not yet fixed, the enquiry should say so and ask what information the supplier needs before quantity terms can be discussed. Where a date exists by which the sections are needed, the enquiry should state that date. Where the destination differs from the site where the sections will be used, the enquiry should name both, so that timing and terms can be answered for the movement as well as for the items. Those details are the difference between a general hollow section question and an enquiry that can be answered directly, and they are collected on the enquiry checklist page in the same order.
From this guide to an enquiry
A buyer who has read this guide should next read the hollow section line page, then the construction application page, and then the enquiry checklist page, which collects the questions in order. A buyer who already knows the shape wanted can skip directly to the enquiry page, naming line, shape, size, quantities, job, destination and date in the first message. Either path ends at the same place: an enquiry that states the job in full and asks for quantity terms, timing, trade terms, payment method and documents to be confirmed together for the items named.
No guide on this site settles an order. The catalogue narrows the choice, and the enquiry settles the order, and that division is kept on every page. A buyer who treats a guide page as an order confirmation will be disappointed, because no catalogue wording can cover quantities, timing and terms for items that have not yet been named. The enquiry pages are therefore written as the working end of the catalogue, not as an afterthought, and the guide pages point to them at every step.
Certificates available upon request. Please confirm the minimum order quantity in your inquiry before placing an order. Please confirm the lead time with the supplier before placing an order. Please confirm the trade terms and payment method before confirming an order.