H-beam features parallel or near-parallel flanges on both the inner and outer sides, with the ends of the flanges meeting at right angles. This distinctive feature has led to it being referred to as a parallel-flange I-beam. The web of an H-beam is thinner compared to that of a standard I-beam of equivalent height, while its flange width is broader, hence it's also known as a wide-flange I-beam. Due to these characteristics, the section modulus, moment of inertia, and corresponding strength of H-beams are significantly superior to those of similarly weighted conventional I-beams.

In metal structures with varying requirements, whether subjected to bending moments, pressure loads, or eccentric loads, H-beams exhibit outstanding performance. They can enhance load-bearing capacity by up to 40% over ordinary I-beams while reducing metal usage by 10% to 40%. Featuring wide flanges, thin webs, and versatile specifications, H-beams used in various truss structures can save between 15% and 20% of material.

The parallelism between the inner and outer sides of the flanges, combined with the right-angle edges, makes H-beams easy to assemble and integrate into diverse components. This simplifies construction processes, potentially saving around 25% of welding and riveting work, thereby accelerating project completion and shortening construction timelines.