I-beam has tapered edges where an H-beam does not. It gets its name from the fact that it looks like a capital I when you see it from its cross section. With an I-beam, the height of the cross section is higher than the width of its flange. The I-beam is lighter than the H-beam, which means a H-beam is not always ideal.

H-beam is a structural beam made of rolled steel. It is incredibly strong. It gets its name because it looks like a capital H over its cross section. The H-beam has wider flanges than an I-beam, but the I-beam has tapered edges. The width is the flange, and the height is the Web. The difference between both H-beams and I-beams is the flange by web ratio. The H-beam tends to be heavier than the I-beam, and that is why some say that it is better than the I-beam, but that is subjective, as the H-beam is generally heavier.

The cross-sectional shape is similar to the economical section profile of the uppercase Latin letter H/I. It is also called universal steel beam, wide edge (edge) I-beam or parallel flange I-beam. The cross section of the H/I-section steel usually comprises two parts, a web and a flange plate, also known as the waist and the side.    

H-beam and I-beam looks quite similar that makes it confusing to many who is not concered about the differences between h-beam and i beam.