Steel for the roof space.
Fitted to the house below.

Steel beams are a key structural part of any loft conversion, supporting new floors and maintaining the integrity of the property. At MAH Steel, we are structural steel fabricators supplying steel beams for loft conversions across Kent, London and the South East, with a focus on accuracy and practical delivery.

If you’re converting a loft, the steel needs to be fabricated correctly and delivered in a way that works for the site. Many properties have limited access, which can make installation difficult without proper planning. We supply loft conversion steel beams that are designed not just to meet structural requirements, but to be installed efficiently on site.

Our range of loft conversion steel beams includes RSJ beams (rolled steel joists), the go-to choice for supporting new floors and roof structures; Universal Beams (UB), ideal for heavier load-bearing requirements; and Universal Columns (UC), for vertical structural support where needed. All steel is fabricated to your structural engineer’s drawings, ensuring compliance and a precise fit. This reduces delays during installation and helps keep loft conversion projects on schedule.

Not every loft needs only straight beams, so we also make cranked roof steel and cranked portal frames to suit the roof design, and beams in sections with splice joints where a full-length beam will not go through the house. Read more: what steel is used for loft conversions.

RSJs, UBs and UCs
Cranked roof steel
Splice joints for tight access
Lifted to the roof by HIAB

The steel inside
a loft conversion.

What goes into a loft depends on the house, the roof and your structural engineer's design. MAH makes the beams, columns and roof steel to the agreed drawings, from straight sections to cranked members.

Galvanised steel beams laid side by side on timber bearers on a paved yard, ready for delivery

Floor beams and columns

RSJ, UB and UC sections to support the new floor, with columns for vertical support where the design needs them.

Used for the new loft floor and its supports

A dark steel cranked beam standing on its ends in a yard, bent at an angle like a roof ridge, with industrial units behind

Cranked roof steel

Cranked members made from CAD drawings that you approve before fabrication starts, to suit the roof design.

Used for bespoke cranked roof layouts

A blue-grey steel cranked frame rising from a roof deck beside a block wall, with a ladder and timber floor joists in the foreground

Cranked portal frames

Portal frames and connection plates made to the measured dimensions of the existing house, as on a loft and roof conversion in Meopham.

Used for roofs that must fit around what is already there

Galvanised steel sections with bolt plates laid out together on a paved yard, forming a cranked frame ready for delivery

Spliced beams

Beams made in sections, with splice joints that bolt together on site, for when a full-length beam cannot be moved through the property.

Used for restricted access to the loft

Over the house
and into the roof space.

Many properties have limited access, which can make installation difficult without proper planning. MAH plans how loft steel will arrive as carefully as how it is made.

A MAH Steel crane lorry with its boom raised on a residential road, beside a bare oak tree and a parked white car

Lifted straight to the roof

Steel beams are typically lifted into place using crane or HIAB delivery. On published MAH loft projects in Kent and Surrey, a 30m reach crane lorry lifted the steel directly into the loft work area.

Beams in sections

A beam that is too large to move through the property can be made with splice joints, so the steel arrives in sections and is bolted together on site.

Surveyed, not assumed

Existing houses do not always match their drawings. On a loft in Meopham, MAH's drawing office surveyed the site and updated the fabrication drawings before any steel was made. Our site survey service is there for your property too, where needed.

Cranked steel to the roof shape

Where the roof design calls for cranked steel, we work from CAD drawings that you approve before fabrication starts, as on the cranked roof steel project in London.

Steel for the rest of the house

Planning work below the loft as well? We also supply steel for home extensions and steel for basement conversions.

Four stages between the drawing and the roof.

MAH works from your structural engineer's drawings. Which stages apply depends on the house and the services agreed with MAH.

Send the drawings

Send the engineer's drawings with the site address and any access restrictions, or describe the loft you are planning.

Check the measurements

Where drawings and building may not match, MAH can survey the site, or redraw the steel with every measurement for you and your engineer to check.

Make it in Gravesend

Once the drawings are approved, the steel is cut, drilled, welded and finished in our Gravesend workshop, with splice joints where beams must go in sections.

Lift it into place

Delivery is planned around the street and the roof. Our HIAB-equipped lorries can lift steel towards upper levels where site conditions and safe lifting allow.

Loft conversion projects by MAH.

Published MAH case studies of loft conversion steelwork, from survey-led fabrication to cranked roof steel and checked drawings.

Meopham, Kent

Structural steelwork for loft conversion in Meopham, Kent

Floor beams, columns and a cranked portal for a loft and roof conversion. A site survey confirmed the real dimensions after an existing…

View project

London

Cranked roof steel installation in London

Bespoke cranked roof steels for a residential loft conversion, made to the structural engineer's specifications and lifted by HIAB crane…

View project

Tunbridge Wells

Residential loft conversion using structural steel in Tunbridge Wells

Steel for a loft conversion made to the engineer's drawings after MAH redrew the sketches with every measurement for the customer and…

View project

See all MAH Steel projects

Loft steel for builders,
and for people building their own.

Loft conversions are built by contractors and managed by homeowners, and the steel questions they ask are different.

A blue crane boom lifting a steel beam above a scaffolded semi-detached brick house, with bins and a side extension below

For builders on a loft job

Send the structural engineer's drawings and tell us how the steel has to reach the roof space. We check the measurements and clarify any points on the plans before fabrication, make beams in splice sections where they will not go through the house, and plan the lift and delivery around your site and programme.

Measurements checked, lift planned

Get a quote Or call 01322 276948

A steel beam running between timber roof rafters packed with yellow insulation, inside a loft roof space under construction

For homeowners managing a loft conversion

Managing your own loft conversion? Contact MAH for any assistance with the steel: what to send, whether a long beam can be made in sections, or how it will reach the roof. No technical vocabulary needed. We will talk it through in plain English, working with your builder and structural engineer.

Help with the steel, in plain English

Get a quote Or call 01322 276948

Loft steel and the services
that go with it.

Loft jobs often draw on more than one service, such as fabrication, connection design, survey and crane delivery. Which apply depends on your drawings, the house and the access.

A dark steel beam cut at an angle and stood on a workshop bench beside racks of steel, marked with chalk job numbers

Structural steel fabricationBeams, plates, cranked members and frames made to approved drawings.

The drilled end plate of a steel beam in the MAH Steel workshop, with the bolt holes and a chalk number marked on it

Steel connection designCranked beams, splice connections and plates for the joints between steel members.

A hand-drawn steel setting-out sketch of a roof frame with every dimension marked in pen

Site surveyThe dimensions of the existing house confirmed where needed.

A MAH Steel crane lorry with its crane raised on a quiet residential street, beside a house with a pitched roof

HIAB crane deliveryLorry cranes for lifting steel over houses and towards the roof.

A steel frame lifted by a crane boom above a block-walled roof deck, with a white house behind

Steel erectionLifting, positioning and on-site assembly of fabricated steel.

Explore all MAH services

Loft conversion steel questions and answers.

Steel is widely used in loft conversion projects to create strong, lightweight structural support while maximising available space. This section covers common questions about incorporating steel into loft conversions, including design requirements, structural integration, installation methods, and how steel solutions help achieve safe and efficient roof space transformations.

What steel beams are used for loft conversions?

Most loft conversions use RSJ beams (Rolled Steel Joists), along with Universal Beams (UB) and sometimes Universal Columns (UC), depending on the structural design.

How are steel beams installed in a loft conversion?

Steel beams are typically lifted into place using crane or HIAB delivery. In tight spaces, splice joints allow them to be assembled on site.

Can steel beams be delivered to tight residential properties?

Yes, steel beams can be delivered using specialist lifting equipment or supplied in sections for easier installation in confined spaces.

What if a beam is too long to get into the loft?

For situations where beams are too large to move through the property, we can fabricate splice joints. These allow the steel to be delivered in sections and bolted together on site, making installation much more practical in loft spaces.

Can MAH make cranked steel for a loft roof?

Yes. MAH has fabricated bespoke cranked roof steels for loft conversions, made to the structural engineer's specifications. We normally work from CAD drawings, so you can see the steel and approve the drawings before anything is made.

What if the house is not as drawn?

Existing buildings do not always match their drawings. Where needed, MAH can survey the site to confirm the actual dimensions before the steel is made. On a loft in Meopham, Kent, a survey confirmed the real dimensions after the plan changed to keep an existing chimney, and the fabrication drawings were updated before fabrication.

Can a HIAB lorry lift steel to roof level?

MAH's HIAB-equipped lorries can lift steel over buildings and towards upper levels, with crane options up to 30m reach, where site conditions and safe lifting requirements allow. On our Kent and Surrey loft projects, a 30m reach crane lorry lifted the steel directly into the loft work area.

I am managing my own loft conversion. What should I send?

Whatever stage you are at, you are welcome to ask. MAH works with homeowners, self-builders and builders alike, and you do not need the technical vocabulary to make an enquiry. To fabricate and deliver, the structural engineer's General Arrangement (GA) drawings with measurements are needed, and they are approved before fabrication starts. If you do not have them yet, describe the loft you are planning and the team can talk you through the next step.

See all our FAQs

Steel for your loft? Send the drawings.

Send your structural engineer's drawings and the site address, or call if you want to talk through the steel, a splice joint or how it will reach the roof. Open to builders and homeowners.

Get a quote Or call 01322 276948

Loft conversion steel beams, fabricated in Gravesend for London and Kent.

Steel for the roof space.
Fitted to the house below.