Steel Framed Construction Economy

From the beginning structural steel framed construction proved to be the most economical support system for multi-stories high rise structures. But does this economy carry over into low-rise commercial and industrial facilities? The answer is yes. Up until about 1970. Cost studies found that low rise commercial structures such as office buildings, schools and department stores with superstructures of conventionally formed concrete were often as economical as steel framed construction. But in the early 1970’s rising labor cost made structural steel framing systems even more economical because they could be prefabricated in the shop and  then quickly erected by relatively by small field crews. By contrast, cast in place concrete superstructures required more labor. When comparing the two methods, it was common to find savings of $1.50 to $2.00 per square foot or  more by using structural steel.

Until the present, the structural steel framing system continues to be economical for virtually all types of commercial and industrial building structures. The three primary reasons are:

1. The availability of higher strength steel such as A992 grade 50 steel, which has become the dominant material specification for wide-flange shapes (better know as w-shapes).
2. Increased speed of production, made possible through a construction method called fast track scheduling.
3. The lower cost of materials due to to the implementation of the design method known as load and resistance factor design (LRFD).