Relevance. Beam cages are the most common type of floor covering for working areas of buildings and structures. Based on the results of a critical analysis of the existing methods for calculating and arranging the dimensions of beam cells, it was established that there are no clear recommendations on the rational range of selection of the sizes of beam cells depending on the surface load. The purpose of the study is to present the areas of rational operation of steel rolling beams, secured against buckling, based on the requirements of the calculation by the method of limit states. Methods. The tasks set in the work, aimed at achieving the research goal, are solved by analytical methods, relying on the basic laws of structural mechanics and existing knowledge about the actual operation of steel rolling beams under load. Methods of mathematical statistics were used to construct the main dependencies presented on the nomograms. Results. Areas of rational operation of steel rolling beams, secured against curvatures, are determined. The area of rational operation of beams is presented in the form of nomograms, which allow at the design stage to use a beam cell of maximum dimensions. As a criterion for rationalization, the criterion of the simultaneous satisfaction of the accepted section of the beam with the requirements of two groups of limiting states with minimum reserves was chosen. A refined algorithm for the layout of the beam cages and a refined method for calculating the cross-section of rolled beams are proposed, which make it possible to arrange the dimensions of the beam cage with a minimum steel consumption. The increase in the overall dimensions of the cells of the working platforms is substantiated.