Birtley VS Expamet Lintel, any difference?

[WoOt]

Structural engineer specified a Birtley CB90 lintel. Unfortunately I can't find one in stock near me. Best I can do is get it delivered within 15 days (approx.), which would hold things up too long.

I can however get Expamet lintels off the shelf, but can't check with SE at the moment whether they are OK.

Is there really any difference between these two?
- Birtley CB90 (2100mm)
- Expamet 75S (2100mm)

I can see the Expamet 75S is 15mm less wide, so maybe I should get an Expamet 95H (2400mm) and cut it it to length? Assuming they are identical enough to be used interchangeably.

 

[^woody^]

Fit any similar lintel

 

[WoOt]

The trouble is, that I'm not sure either of these are "similar". They look similar enough to me, but I'm no expert, so looking for some guidance.

These are the technical documents for both.

 

[cdbe]

The 90 and the 75 refer to the cavity width, otherwise as said, little difference in performance (the CB90 is just a standard lintel) - presumably you have a 100mm cavity so you need something suitable for that, not for a 75mm cavity.

 

[^woody^]

Any lintel for that size cavity and opening is "similar"

 

[WoOt]

Ok, so will go for the 2400mm Expamet one, as that is also 280mm wide. And then I'll just cut 300mm from the length of each to make it 2100mm long.

 

[jks7492]

Steer clear of B&Q and go to a proper builders merchant.
Plenty of manufacturers that produce a like-for-like alternative to a Birtley CB90 available at the likes of buildbase, jewsons etc. - look for a Catnic CG90/100 or Keystone S/K-90.

Not sure why you'd be cutting a lintel down for an opening that size, they're available off the shelf at the correct lengths. Don't forget that the lintel needs to be the length of the window opening + a bearing each side. So if your opening is 2.1m then you'd need a 2.4m lintel...

 

[noseall]

The trouble is, that I'm not sure either of these are "similar". They look similar enough to me, but I'm no expert, so looking for some guidance.

As said, just get the coding and get a similar lintel. If it is standard duty, then all you need to know is the wall cavity width and the length of the lintel. It could not be easier. It only gets tricky when heavier duty lintels are required where large openings or extra loads are imparted on the lintels.