Padstones explained: the small blocks your beam depends on
A padstone is a small block doing a big job. Leave it out and all that beam load lands on a few bricks — here is why that matters.
What a padstone does
A steel beam concentrates a lot of load at each end where it bears onto the wall. A padstone — a dense concrete or engineered block — sits under that bearing and spreads the load over a wider area of masonry, so the bricks below are not crushed. Small part, essential job.
What happens without one
Bear a heavily loaded beam straight onto ordinary brickwork and the load is concentrated on just a few bricks. Over time they can crack and crush, the beam end drops, and cracking appears in the wall below. The padstone exists precisely to stop that.
- Spreads the beam's end reaction over more masonry
- Prevents local crushing of the bricks beneath the bearing
- Sized by the engineer for the load and the wall
- Can be pre-cast or cast in place depending on access
Retro-fitting to an older beam
Sometimes an older or DIY beam was fitted without an adequate bearing, and cracking appears below the ends. A padstone can be retro-fitted: the beam end is temporarily supported, the masonry below cut out, and the padstone bedded in to give the bearing it always needed.
Related questions
Does every steel beam need a padstone?
Almost always where it bears onto masonry — the engineer's calculations specify the padstone size for the load. Beams bolted to steel columns bear differently and may not need one.
Can a padstone be added to an existing beam?
Yes. The beam end is propped, the masonry below is cut out, and a correctly sized padstone is bedded in — a common fix where an older beam shows cracking at its bearings.
Ready to take it further? See our steel beam & rsj installation service.