The bolts that were never put in the beam
A steel connection is only as strong as the bolt group holding it.
In short: M12 bolts absent from a beam connection on a Box Hill build, invisible the moment the linings go on.
Where the strength lives
In a steel frame the connection is usually the critical part, not the beam. The engineer sizes a bolt group for a specific load path.
What we recorded
M12 bolts missing at a steel beam connection, and separately a connection built differently to the engineer's detail.
Why it survives
Steel looks finished from three metres whether or not the bolts are in. Nobody counts them once the plasterer has been through.
What we need from you
The engineering for your lot. Without it a report can describe the steel present but cannot say whether it matches what was designed.
Fixing it
Straightforward at frame stage, when the connection is exposed and the fabricator is still involved.
Written by the Owner Inspections team from inspections carried out in Box Hill. Licensed building practitioners, NSW Fair Trading licence 366177C.
