Steel
Steel is the everywhere material used in building infrastructure and construction of ships, cars, appliances, machines, tools, drums and cans.
Its great strength to weight ratio produces a lighter structure that minimises foundation work and the associated excavation and earthworks.
As a building material, steel has unique properties making it a leading contributor to sustainable construction and to the long-term environmental performance of buildings and other structures.
Steel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a small amount of carbon, depending on the grade. Varying these amounts in production controls qualities such as the hardness, malleability and tensile strength.
In terms of building design, the structural efficiency of steel means that a design can rely on less on foundation weight and have longer spanning spaces, simplifying the visual impact of the end design. Steel buildings offer unique advantages over other materials in that they can be modified readily and more cost-effectively than other buildings. Steel’s light-weight, high-strength characteristics and simplicity in cutting, joining and welding make it easy to modify and possible to relocate full buildings without loosing the strength or quality of the original product.
The Australian Steel Institute is a great source of information on steel, its use, manufacture and sustainability. Southern Steel is a steel distributor and member of the Australian Steel Institute. For more information on Southern Steel
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