Considering steel buildings for your next project? Sure, building materials such as wood, concrete, and brick have their place in the rich construction history of this country. However, there’s a reason that in the modern era, industry experts prefer the use of structural steel over any other building material for construction. From manufacturing to home construction, structural steel is prominent nearly everywhere around the world. Buildings, bridges, high-rise buildings, shops, and warehouses all utilize structural steel sections. Today, we will provide you with six advantages of steel over other materials to demonstrate why steel is king when it comes to building.
It’s Less Expensive and More Efficient
Choosing structural steel for your next project will help reduce its overall expense and enhance its value. For many projects, the cost of a steel frame is lower than that of competing systems. It can also provide other economic benefits, such as:
- Lower Foundation Costs – Structural steel has a higher strength-to-weight ratio than other materials.
- General Savings – Steel framing requires less time to construct, thus reducing labor hours.
- Increased Revenue or Returns – Faster construction allows owners to occupy the structures earlier or use them for business sooner.
- Future Savings – If a project requires modification or expansion later, steel framing systems are highly adaptable, offering immense savings.
It’s Stronger
Steel is renowned for its durability. Structural steel typically exhibits a minimum tensile strength of at least 50 ksi, meaning it can withstand yield stress of 50,000 pounds per square inch in both compression and tension. Compared to all other materials, structural steel has the most exceptional ability to maintain its integrity through seismic events and fires, as well as endure corrosion from rust, water, mold, and insects. Even extreme weather systems such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and hail are usually incapable of toppling a steel structure. No other building material matches the resistance of steel.
It’s Sustainable
Steel is the most recycled material on our planet. Today’s structural steel uses 88 percent of recycled material, and it is fully recyclable in the future with minimal processing. Structural steel may go through countless iterations of recycling. Recycling structural steel keeps it from becoming construction material waste that fills up salvage yards and squanders valuable land resources.
It’s Modifiable
Steel homes, garages, and buildings allow room from improvement in ways that other framing systems cannot. Engineers can strengthen existing steel columns and beams by attaching steel plates to them, allowing for more significant loads. Existing steel-framed buildings can accommodate new stairways by removing a portion of the floor decking, bracing a single bay, and adding the desired stair structure. Steel allows for both vertical and horizontal expansions to a structure without the necessity to vacate the premises.
It’s Predictable
Steel fabrication undergoes rigorous quality assurance testing. Off-site manufacturing allows for controlled conditions, ensuring a higher quality product configured to precise tolerances. This fabrication process makes steel predictable in terms of how it will move and act under stress. Furthermore, steel’s resale value stays consistent over its lifetime, with the benefit of lower insurance rates and superior durability in all environments for buildings that use it.
It Looks Great
More and more modern architects are praising the natural beauty and grace of steel buildings. In its formation, structural steel tolerates dramatic bends and rolling to create non-linear patterns that further enhance the aesthetic appeal of a structure, all without sacrificing resilience and value. This method of production spawns new and innovative finishes that other materials cannot replicate.
Contact Allied Steel Buildings for Your Next Project
Given the numerous advantages associated with steel and metal structures, you need to utilize steel in your next building project. Not only will your steel building look amazing, but it will also be durable, cost-effective, and adaptable. Call Allied Steel Buildings today at 1-866-530-6598 or visit our to see what our expert team can accomplish on your behalf. When you choose a steel building kit, anything is possible.