How to spec a box beam in your drawing set.

We quote from drawings all day, and the difference between a fast, accurate number and a week of back-and-forth usually comes down to five details. None of them are exotic. They are just easy to leave out of a set when beams are one line item among hundreds.

The five details

First, the section: width and depth, and whether the size is finished or nominal. Second, the configuration: full wrap, three sides, or two, which usually just means telling us what the beam mounts against. Third, lengths, including the longest single run, since that drives material selection; solid beam material up to 33 feet long delivers on our own truck, so draw the run the room wants before assuming it has to break. Fourth, the finish intent: one of the eight cedar stains, or unstained for site finishing. Fifth, the count, run by run.

That is enough for a real number. Everything else, species preference, texture, how much character the client wants, is a conversation we are happy to have, and it moves faster once the geometry is settled.

Notes that help more than they look like they do

A ceiling plan with beam runs marked beats a paragraph of description every time. A note about what is above the ceiling, framing, ductwork, or nothing, tells us whether the hollow core needs to earn its keep. And a photo of the room, even a phone shot from framing, settles more finish questions than an email thread ever will.

Send the set to info@beamshopnc.com with your firm in the subject line, or start with the form on the For Trade page. What comes back is each beam specified side by side, A to D, and a price, so what gets approved is what gets built.

Working from a set right now? Our trade program returns pricing and side-by-side beam specs against your drawings, and the custom beams page shows the configurations to call out.