Steel isn’t the most traditional building material, but it certainly stands out as one of the best. When you hear steel construction, what do you think of? An obvious answer is industrial buildings. However, it is commonly used by people like these steel building contractors in residential buildings, garages, aircraft hangars, bridges, and more. There is a reason it is so popular. One major point to consider here is that you can get any size steel beams and posts to match the specifications for your construction project. If you’re building new construction soon, you should learn all the benefits steel has to offer.
Cost-Effective
Constructing steel buildings is very cost-effective. Your initial building price will be higher than wood construction, but wood requires regular maintenance for rotten or damaged boards. Once a steel building is complete fees will be offset with extremely minimal maintenance. As long as the steel is properly coated, it can last up to 100 years. Your costs will be offset even further when it comes to resale value. Properties that have steel construction support a higher list price.
Quicker Construction
Steel buildings are known for having short construction times. Quick construction occurs because most steel materials are prefabricated at a plant. You order the materials, whether that’s Stainless Steel Square Tubing, round pipes, whatever it is you need, and have them delivered to your site, and assemble them in as little as a few days. Working with wood, brick, and concrete can push your completion back by months.
Strong
Steel is an alloy. That means it is a metal created from mixing multiple metallic elements. There are strict, well-regulated rules for its creation to guarantee a strong product is made. It stands out above wood because it is unlikely to warp or bend from force or heat. At extremely high temperatures, steel will begin losing some of its strength. Modern steel offsets that by using refractory agents. They coat the alloy to improve heat resistance and prevent mold, insects, and corrosion.
Fire-Resistant
While items in your building could catch fire, the steel itself is non-combustible. That means it will not ignite, burn, or fuel a fire. Heat will also not affect the integrity of the building until it reaches 600 degrees Fahrenheit. It will decrease to 50% strength around 1110 degrees Fahrenheit and not melt until 2700 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the temperature returns to an appropriate level, the steel will return to full strength. Therefore, fires in steel buildings are often much less catastrophic.
Environmentally Friendly
Steel is a very green building material. Initial production does require a substantial amount of energy. However, once steel is made it can be recycled endlessly. It is one of the most recycled products around the world. Due to its magnetic properties, steel is easy to sort from garbage. After sorting, the recycling process uses much less energy. Then the waste that is emitted can be reused in the production of cement. Even 98% of the water used to make steel is filtered into a reusable state.
Now that you know the top five benefits of steel buildings, you’re ready to make your decision. Are you considering using steel for your next building? Not only can it last a lifetime, but your wallet and the environment will thank you.
It’s nice that you mentioned how constructing steel buildings is very cost-effective. I was watching a documentary about the construction of a building and I noticed how they used quite a lot of steel beams. Steel is a very durable material so I could certainly understand why it is so widely used as a construction material.