Phone Number: 020 8311 8642

Why is Steel used in Commercial Construction

  • Posted by:
  • Admin
  • Tags:
  • Posted date:
  • 10-03-2022
Why is Steel used in Commercial Construction

Why Is Steel Used In Commercial Construction?

How Steel Is Used In Buildings And Infrastructure

The possibilities for how steel can be used for both buildings and infrastructure are limitless. The most common applications for how steel is used are below:

For Buildings:

Reinforcing bars:

These bars add important tensile strength and rigidity to concrete. They make up around 44% of the steel used in buildings. Steel is used here because it binds well to concrete. The material has a similar thermal expansion coefficient and is strong and quite cost-effective. Reinforced concrete is used commonly to provide strong and deep foundations and basements. It is currently the number one primary building material around the globe.

Non-structural steel:

Steel is found in various different non-structural applications within buildings. This includes heating equipment, cooling equipment, interior ducting, and more. Additionally, steel is used for internal fixtures and fittings such as stairs, shelving, rails, and more.

Sheet products:

About 31% of steel is used for sheet products. This includes items such as purlins, roofing, ceilings. Internal walls, cladding, insulating panels for exterior walls, and more.

Structural sections: 

Steel provides a very strong and stiff frame for the entirety of the building. Structural sections make up around 25% of how steel is used in buildings.

For Infrastructure:

Transport Networks:

Steel is very in-demand for creating tunnels, rail tracks, bridges. Steel is also used for the construction of buildings such as fuelling stations, airports, train stations, ports, and others. About 60% of the steel used in these situations is for creating rebar. The rest is used for plates, sections, and rail tracks.

Utilities:

Over 50% of the steel used for this application goes towards underground pipelines that distribute important utilities such as water, fuel, and power to and from houses and other buildings. The rest of the steel is used for rebar and is used to create power stations and similar industrial facilities

Steel was first used in construction in the late 19th century. It was used in order to create commercial skyscrapers. The material's many advantages have led to the metal being adopted for use in all kinds of other construction too, including residential properties. 

Increasingly, steel is being used more often than other materials such as timber and concrete. This is due to the various benefits of the material and the broad range of projects it can be used on.

If you are uncertain about whether you want to use steel in your construction project, you will find some advantages if you decide to go with steel rather than an alternative.

Reasons To Use Steel In Commercial Construction:

When working on a construction project, time is money. Every second counts. If you're looking to complete a fast-paced project, such as building a home up from scratch, or a facility for manufacturing a new business, then steel is absolutely the way to go. You can achieve goals so much faster with steel as the material doesn't need to be excavated. You also don't need to dig an incredibly deep foundation when using steel as the material is comparatively lightweight compared to other materials such as concrete. The manufacturing of structural beams is also quite fast, taking only a couple of days.Another reason why steel can allow you to quickly carry construction is that specific parts of the building can be engineered at the facility. This means that you can efficiently assemble the required structure later on. Steel's lightweight properties make it massively easier to build with than other materials such as concrete. Less labour is needed, and the project can be completed in a matter of days rather than various weeks.
If you are conscious about being environmentally friendly when working in construction, we recommend using steel. The material is environmentally sustainable because it is one of the most recycled materials on the planet. This is the case because steel can easily be reused and won't lose any of its valuable properties even when used plenty of times before. Steel is also always made to order, this puts less strain on the environment. Various different structural steel raw materials can also be transformed into valuable products.The material's sustainability has appealed to many working on construction projects for residential and commercial properties. Environmental degradation is such a huge concern on the minds of many in modern times that there has never been a better time than now to invest in using steel for your construction project.
Steel is completely impact-resistant and capable of withstanding wear and tear in both natural and artificial forms. This includes fire, rot, rust, and termites. The material's strength means that it can survive all kinds of extreme weather conditions such as earthquakes, heavy snow, rainstorms, hurricanes, high winds, and more. The ability steel possesses to endure all those conditions will also allow a building to remain standing and strong even under the most extreme conditions.Despite the durable properties of the material, steel is comparatively very light. It also has flexible and malleable properties. This means it won't easily collapse after being damaged like other materials such as wood.
Steel's versatile nature makes it a wonderful choice for constructing different kinds of buildings. This is why steel is used to build everything from skyscrapers to train tracks to bridges.The material has such high versatility due to the material's high strength-to-weight ratio. This means that a huge amount of support isn't needed when a building is being erected. Due to this specific characteristic of steel, you can have the material forged according to any unique design specifications. The material's flexibility is one of the biggest reasons why steel should always be used for construction purposes.
The construction of a residential or commercial building is not cheap. This means that you need to think of ways to cut down the constant incurring costs while going through the building process. Using steel is a great way to take a step in accomplishing that goal.The cost of steel has fallen massively compared to other materials such as concrete and wood. It is also cheaper to build with due to not having to pay for the expenses associated with pillars and beams, such as having them repaired or reinforced.The material's robust qualities also mean it is capable of enduring damaging conditions such as high traffic or extreme weather. This means that you don't need to spend huge amounts of money on maintaining the property. Along with that, you commonly pay less when it comes to insurance premiums for steel constructed buildings. This means that in the long run, owning the building is cheaper.

Types of Steel Used for Building Commercial Structures:

Carbon Steel

- Benefits

 Available in various different forms so it can meet all kinds of different client requirements and needs

 High resistance to fire, scaling, and corrosion

 Fantastic strength and durability characteristics

 Tougher and more elastic qualities than mild steel

 Very easily forged into different forms

 Used commonly for water associated systems such as plumbing

Alloy Steel

- Benefits

 Great harden-ability properties

 Very tough and strong material

 Less distortion leads to less cracking

 Less grain growth

 Superior resistance against temperature

 Cheaper steel alternative for building


Rebar Steel

- Benefits

 Provides additional strength to concrete structures

 Combines well with the elements and design of a structure

 Uses concrete to resist the induced tensile and shear force

Mild Steel

- Benefits

 Can be recycled easily

 Material can be welded simply

 Mild steel can be cut, bent, and twisted

Structural Steel

- Benefits

 Can easily withstand harsh conditions

 Easily transformed into any size or shape

 Strong and ductile material

 High resistance to temperature from a fire



Are you looking for RSJ steel beam suppliers in London, Kent, Essex and the surrounding areas? Follow the link below to discuss your project.