Advantages of Steel Structures

The global steel industry is worth about $900 billion every year. What’s more, the demand for steel continues to rise each year as applications for steel structures increase. Many property owners and contractors now seem to prefer steel structures such as these incredible SteelMaster Buildings over wooden and concrete structures.

Nowadays, you might come across numerous barns, farmhouses, sheds, huts, gazebos, workshops, storage units, warehouses, and even greenhouses entirely or partially made of steel frames and sheets. Clearly, steel construction must present certain benefits over other materials to inspire such popularity in both the commercial and domestic construction scenes. Below is a description of five such advantages.



Strength and Durability
Steel has remarkable strength and durability qualities. Pure grade steel can withstand up to 40,000 PSI, that's 40,000 pounds of pressure per square inch, which is significantly higher than steel-reinforced concrete and wood. So, steel is used to construct robust structures that can withstand weather elements and decades of physical punishment.

Besides its immense strength, steel is also resistant to wear, rust, water damage, fire, and is to some extent, impervious to corrosion. This means that steel buildings can maintain structural integrity for a long time with little maintenance.

Easy Installation and Speedy Construction
Unlike concrete, which requires prior preparation and time to set and dry, steel constructions don't need that much effort and time to set up. Once the sheets, bars, or rods are cut to the specified sizes, it's just a matter of welding, riveting, or bolting everything in place – depending on the project, the process could take hours or a few days.

Steel fabrication and detailing is now faster and more efficient than ever before, thanks to new technologies such as laser cutting and Computer-aided Design (CAD). 

Flexibility and Versatility
Steel is much easier to work with compared to concrete and even wood. Metal is malleable so it can be pressed or formed into any shape and size imaginable. In addition, steel elements can be merged with other building materials, including plastic, vinyl, wood, and concrete seamlessly, to create strong hybrid structures.

Steel’s flexibility and versatility as a construction material make it ideal for realizing unique designs that may be impossible using other materials.

Environmentally Friendly
Steel production and fabrication are becoming more and more efficient by using low energy production methods and recycling. The CO2 emission from steel plants is also going down thanks to new technologies and legislation. Moreover, using steel instead of wood means that no trees are cut down to provide timber.

Cost Effective
Tone-for-tone, high-quality construction steel is more expensive than wood and concrete. However, from a big-picture perspective, a steel structure actually costs much less to build. For one, it doesn't take very long to build, so you spend less money on labor. Secondly, steel structures require very little maintenance. And thirdly, you can always reuse or recycle the steel once your structure reaches the end of its useful life.

As it turns out, steel does have several advantages as a building material. It's no wonder then that many farmers, homeowners, and developers often opt for steel structures.
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