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Steel Vs Concrete Buildings
Are you considering constructing a building, maybe a farm building, stables or a new workshop? If you are, you may wonder what materials to use in the construction, steel or reinforced concrete. At Buildings UK, we thought we would help you out if you are choosing material for a new project.
Which Is Stronger - Steel Or Concrete?
Steel comes out on top with this question. It has the highest strength to weight ratio among all building materials—eight times stronger in tensions and shear than concrete. Steel is also known for its higher resistance to tensile, flexural and compressive stress. Overall, steel is more resilient than rigid, weak and heavy concrete, where quality control is difficult to conduct. Concrete, though, can withstand huge loads due to its compressive strength.
Which Is Safer - Steel Or Concrete?
The answer to this is that both are strong enough to withstand fire and adverse weather conditions like strong winds and heavy snow.
However, steel does have an advantage over concrete structures in the event of an earthquake.
Steel is light and, combined with its ductility, allows a steel structural frame to absorb the impact of an earthquake, preventing the collapse of the structure.
Which Is More Sustainable - Steel or Concrete?
Concrete is a natural component of our world and is often seen as sustainable and environmentally friendly. But unfortunately, obtaining the raw ingredients making and disposing of concrete is not environmentally friendly. In addition, the production process and transporting of concrete is known to contribute to air pollution.
Steel can be viewed as eco-friendly and sustainable in that it is endlessly reusable without losing its strength. However, the greenhouse gasses produced in its manufacturing has been cause for concern, but the industry is actively working to reduce this.
Which Is Better For Construction - Steel Or Concrete?
Steel is generally fabricated off-site, where multi-components can be done simultaneously, so your building can be delivered and constructed fast. In comparison, concrete is done on-site in a slower step by step process, which includes 28 days curing to reach the required strength. However, you can cast concrete into any shape.
As a lighter construct, Steel requires less foundation than concrete and does not require as many inner columns. This makes larger open interior spaces perfect for industrial buildings, farm buildings for animals, large machinery and vehicles, riding schools, sports, marine and storage solutions.
Which Is Cheaper To Use - Steel or Concrete
Both fluctuate, but steel can be a better financial option than concrete. Concrete has been the number one construction material for a long time, historically being cheap to manufacture. However, changes in manufacturing laws have seen costs rise. Plus, a building constructed from concrete does need ongoing maintenance and repairs.
Steel is becoming a lot more competitive with savings in labour costs. Moreover, in terms of resources, sustainability steel is much more eco-friendly.
Please get in touch with us if you would like to discuss the advantages of steel buildings and how they could work for you. You can call the team at Building-UK via our online chat or use our online form.