Common Uses of Structural Steel

December 20, 2017 9:44 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Steel is one of the most ideal materials for constructing anything large-scale that must resist serious wear and tear. It is commonly used in a variety of structures that we all take for granted, some that we rely on every day. In this article, we’ll discuss the most common uses of structural steel in the United States.

Large buildings, such as skyscrapers

Though it is quite heavy compared to other materials, steel has a very low weight when you consider its extreme strength. Nearly every building taller than 8-10 stories uses reinforced steel as its backbone. Buildings up to 50 stories are generally made of structural steel and concrete, while buildings any taller than that are usually composed of an all-steel frame. The best part about using steel—besides its longevity—is that steel buildings can be built extremely quickly. The empire state building—all 365,000 tons of it—took a little over 13 months to build. For comparison, the Taj Mahal took 20 years to complete—and that was with the collective energy of 20,000 workers and 1,000 elephants.

Commercial buildings, such as office buildings and factories

Steel is often the best choice for any large-scale project—even if it is not quite on the scale of the skyscrapers mentioned above. The near worldwide standardization of steel parts allows building projects to be completed in much the way something might be produced in a factory—and anyone who has worked on a steel-based building project of any size will therefore find that their steel building experience is applicable on any building project they undertake. This is just one of the many reasons steel is so practical, and why a steel construction company in Indiana will swear by it as the pinnacle of reliability.

Parking garages

Steel is pretty much the best material possible for building something as large and weight bearing as a parking garage. Think about how strong it must be to hold the weight of so many vehicles! This is a growing frontier for most steel construction companies.

Bridges

Bridges are a unique engineering challenge, requiring a lot of knowledge about material strength, water levels and so much more. Without steel, that challenge would be far more difficult. In fact, before steel was widely used in bridges, it was extremely common for bridges, when fully laden, to suddenly and catastrophically collapse. Now, we take the safety of our bridges completely for granted, and that is all thanks to the strength of steel.

Work with a steel construction company in Indiana

If you’re looking for a steel construction company in Indiana, you can do no better than Benchmark Fabricated Steel! We’ve been in business since 1971, and have a wide variety of experience with commercial and corporate work. We’re a full-service steel construction company, available for project design, drawings, construction, engineering, consulting and more. We probably have the most experienced and knowledgeable staff around, and we leverage that knowledge into high-quality work every single day. Give us a call today for a free estimate and consultation.

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