steel beam spans

[jasonjetplane]

I am designing my house and was wondering what thickness of I beam or universal beam I would need to span up to 9 metres.
I would also be interested in knowing for half this length as I could put a column in.
The beam would support a floorboard floor and run the width of the house.

[bkrahmer]

You're going to need to post some more details to get even rough guesses. Width and length of the house, material for floor joists, single floor loads only?

[mjpliv]

Like bkrahmer says, we would need to know what loads the steel beam will be carrying. That would be joist lengths, rafter or truss lengths (if those loads are carried by the steel). I would assume that you already have a span in mind and, if so, let us know. Its a lot easier to size a beam for a given span. If there are any depth or width restrictions on the beam let us know. If you are aware of any concentrated loads landing on the beam let us know.

It is important to remember that while a steel beam can carry large loads, those loads have to be carried at the bearing points of the beam, down through the structure to footings substantial enough to distribute the load to the bearing soils underneath. You have to design the whole assembly. If one part fails, the whole assembly fails.