Above: The Skydance pedestrian bridge in Oklahoma City is a prime example of the use of hollow structural sections.
February, 2026- Engineers choosing to specify thick-walled hollow structural sections (HSS) in place of heavy beams (wide-flange or I-beams) has become a rather frequent occurrence, according to Chris Hoyt, president of Atlas Tube. The Chicago-based manufacturer has six factories, five in the U.S. and one in Ontario. Reasons for substitution include faster lead times compared with beams and the ability to significantly lightweight building projects.
Atlas Tube produces square tubing up to 22 inches in diameter and up to 1-inch thick walls.
“In general, with the growth of data center builds, we have seen some pressure on the beam mills, especially heavy sections,” says Hoyt, who joined the company in 2022 as vice president of sales and became president in August 2025. “That has affected lead times, so we see opportunities with jumbos. Data center growth is good for the market in all product lines,” he notes. “They are very large facilities.”
Atlas produces structural tubing in squares up to 22 inches in diameter with walls up to 1 inch thick and in lengths up to that can exceed100 feet. “We make rectangles up to 34 inches by 10 inches and a 1-inch-thick wall. Then we make rounds up to 28 inch diameter with a 1-inch wall. Those are great substitutes for beams. We have the largest HSS size range among producing mills in North America.”
Atlas Tube’s HSS lead times are “outstanding,” Hoyt claims, with quick turnarounds for larger sections.
“As a producing mill in the HSS business, we offer weight savings and a lot more efficiency. We offer that as an alternative to beams so that builders can keep to their project timelines.”
FAST MOVING
The data centers, says Hoyt, tend to have “accelerated designs. They want to move very fast. We may see lead times for beams into April, followed by fabrication and erection. Every day the data center does not run costs them revenue or they aren’t seeing any tangible results.”
As of the first week of January, Atlas was able to roll newly ordered sections as soon as February. For deliveries, the company relies on third-party logistics. Besides outside carriers, “we can ship by rail when that makes sense and one two of our facilities can ship by barge,” according to Hoyt.
HSS was used to support the canopy at Denver’s Union Station.
COST COMPARISON
“There are certain product characteristics of HSS that match beams. We have tools on our website, including a calculator that shows beam sizes and provides options for the pipe size. We get a lot of hits on that online tool,” Hoyt says.
“We can recommend the ideal size of HSS for a project and estimate the cost of the HSS versus beam, and tell how much you are saving.”
Another tool is the Connections Hub, which was 100 percent funded and developed by Atlas to create connections for tube sections. “We decided to create the Connections Hub for engineers and fabricators because there was not a good source for designing connections for HSS, compared to the mature development of connections for beams,” Hoyt explains.
The hub changes every week “and we are now up to about 100 connection designs,” says Hoyt. Over 2,200 individuals signed up to the Connections Hub in the six months since it was rolled out. Engineers can even cut and paste the recommended connection design into their drawings.
“We will continue to develop that to make it as easy to use as possible,” Hoyt says.
Also on the Atlas website is a portal through which customers can see inventory, each plant’s rolling schedules, download paperwork—“invoices, mill certs, anything. We have the best VMI program in the business,” Hoyt says, adding, “we continue to invest and improve the customer portal.”
FAIR TRADE
Hoyt concedes that the tariffs imposed by the U.S. federal administration are “difficult to navigate, but we believe in fair trade. We have a plant in Ontario, 40 miles from Detroit; it is our largest mill by volume. We sell products from that mill throughout Canada and the U.S. We are committed to selling into the U.S. and so we work through the tariffs with our customers. Due to the current trade policies, imports are mostly fair traded as of now.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and we continue to figure it out,” he says.
“We also have had a push in Canada to make sure government-funded projects in Canada use Canadian steel. We offer $1,000 to stakeholders that find jobs that are government funded that are not using Canadian steel products. We need to support industry in the U.S. and Canada,” says Hoyt.
Atlas claims to have the largest size range of HSS producers in North America.
MARKET SNAPSHOT
Steel supply is sufficient to current needs, according to Hoyt. “The U.S. market can sustain supply. Demand is good, much of that based on the buildout of data centers. That industry cannot build components fast enough.” He adds that the development of semiconductor factories and electric battery plants is also strong.
Demand for HSS is good, much of that based on the buildout of data centers.
Such demand “helps sustain good, solid pricing a fair and consistent pricing environment, which helps the industry to reinvest. There are still imports coming in, mostly fairly traded. We foresee a really strong 2026. The HSS producers and all domestic steelmakers are perfectly capable of supplying needs.”
Overall, “the goal here is to find solutions. We have an engineering team that helps customers with weight savings, lead times, cost savings and environmental items. We want to provide value to the market,” Hoyt says.
Atlas Tube, 800/733-5683, atlastube.com.
