What is steel angle in construction?

A loose lintel is a short angle that simply sits in the masonry over a single opening, bearing about 4 inches on each jamb, with no welds or anchors. A shelf angle, also called a relieving angle, is bolted or welded to the structure, runs continuously, and carries the veneer at each floor line. Price them differently: loose lintels are usually furnish only for the steel fabricator, while shelf angles include attachment hardware and erection labor.

On most commercial jobs the steel fabricator furnishes loose lintels and the mason sets them as the wall comes up, since they land in the masonry coursing rather than on the steel frame. This split is a known scope gap: check both the structural steel and masonry bid packages, because if the steel sub excludes install and the mason excludes furnish, the GC ends up either buying them twice or chasing them during construction.

Exterior lintels in masonry veneer are usually hot dip galvanized or at minimum shop primed, because they sit in a wet wall cavity where rust staining and section loss are common failures. Check the miscellaneous metals spec section and the lintel schedule notes; galvanizing adds meaningful cost per pound, so carry it as its own takeoff line rather than burying it in the base steel price.