Standard section properties for channel shapes are presented in tables, accompanied by a sketch (such as the one at the right) that defines the symbols used in the tables.

In the built-up steel beam, the channel shapes are rotated such that the back of the channel is horizontal. Flexure of the channel, therefore, will occur about the axis labeled Y-Y in the sketch. In using typical property tables, we must be careful to obtain the moment of inertia that pertains to this axis.