Short answer
Almost always, yes — provided the load it carries is picked up by a correctly designed beam and taken safely down to adequate support and foundations. The engineering work is to establish what the wall carries, size a beam for strength and deflection, check the bearings and padstones at each end, and confirm the supporting masonry or columns below can take the concentrated load. Temporary support must be designed and installed before demolition. Building control approval is required, and the finished opening usually needs fire protection to the new beam.
Branded guidance note, prepared for project records and circulation to your team.
What has to be checked
- Loads from floors, roof and any walls above, including point loads from other beams
- Beam bending, shear and — very often the governing case — deflection
- Padstone or spreader design at each bearing
- The load path below the bearings, right down to foundations
- Lateral stability of the remaining structure once the wall is gone
Practical considerations
- Temporary propping must be in place before any masonry is removed
- Deflection limits protect finishes above — cracked plaster is usually a serviceability failure, not a strength one
- Steel beams generally require fire protection in a dwelling
- Services in the wall need rerouting, which can affect beam depth
How BES is typically involved
- Site visit to confirm what the wall carries and how the floors span.
- Beam and padstone design, with calculations for building control.
- Temporary works advice and details for the contractor.
Typical process
- 01Establish the wall's structural role
- 02Load take-down and beam design
- 03Bearing and padstone design
- 04Temporary works
- 05Construction and building control sign-off
Common misconceptions
Commonly assumed
“If it is a single-storey wall it cannot be load-bearing.”
In practice
Internal spine walls frequently carry floor and roof loads even in modest houses.
Commonly assumed
“Any RSJ from the merchant will do.”
In practice
Section size follows from the actual loads and span. An undersized or over-flexible beam causes cracking even if it never fails.
Related tools and services
Resource Centre tool
Preliminary Beam Sizing
Explore an indicative steel beam size using bending, lateral-torsional buckling, shear and deflection criteria.
Open Beam Sizing Tool →Resource Centre tool
Beam Deflection Check
Estimate the elastic deflection of a simply supported beam under a uniformly distributed load and compare it with a selected span-based deflection limit.
Open Deflection Tool →Resource Centre tool
Structural Project Navigator
Answer a few straightforward questions to identify the likely structural engineering input, information requirements and next steps for your project.
Start Project Navigator →Related questions
Discuss your project
General guidance only goes so far. Describe your building and what you are planning, and you will receive project-specific advice from a Chartered Structural Engineer.
Discuss Your Project →Next scheduled review August 2027
Disclaimer
Indicative result only. The calculation depends on the assumptions and information entered and does not constitute structural design or professional advice. Do not use the result for construction, procurement, Building Regulations submissions or safety-critical decisions. All results must be independently verified by a suitably qualified structural engineer before being used for design, construction or regulatory purposes. Bebbington Engineering Studio Ltd accepts no responsibility for reliance placed on unverified results.