Structural Steel 101: Shapes, Properties, and Applications

For reliable longevity and to bear extreme weight, structural steel must be of the right composition. Iron and carbon are two of the most vital components used by steel mills when making structural steel. The carbon lends strength to the iron ore, which is the source for the iron in steel and is quite soft on its own. To achieve load-bearing capacity, structural steel must have a higher carbon content by weight, and manufacturers can increase the amount of carbon according to the level of strength and ductility its application requires. Most construction purposes only have the need for low-carbon, or mild, structural steel, which contains between 0.04 and 0.30% carbon by weight. Medium- and high-carbon structural steel requires from 0.31 to 1.50% carbon by weight, making this steel suitable for mechanical engineering applications.

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Structural steel can also contain levels of manganese, phosphorus, sulfur, and silicone, among other materials. While manufacturers can add additional metals such as chromium, titanium, and molybdenum to their steel compositions to achieve greater strength, this is typically best for non-structural steel as it can result in a brittle end-product.

Whatever the composition, manufacturers must test their structural steel for acceptable yield and tensile strengths. Part of what makes structural steel strong is its ability to yield under weight pressure without permanently changing shape. The point at which structural steel does irrevocably change shape is called its yield strength. Additional weight pressure will eventually bring the steel to its tensile strength limit, the point at which the steel actually breaks. Yield and tensile strength are measured in pounds per square inch (psi) and kilopounds per square inch (ksi).

For evaluating impact or energy absorption within structural steel, the Charpy impact test has standardized the process. Operators utilize a weighty hammer pendulum and a structural steel material sample to calculate how much energy that particular steel can absorb when the pendulum strikes it before the material reaches yield and tensile strength limits. The Charpy test can also incorporate temperature testing to mimic environmental temperature fluctuations.

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Given the critical nature of construction applications, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has over 12,000 regulatory standards categorizing steel grades and governing the material and its tolerances. These regulations provide a consistent standard across industries and guarantee that steel meeting ASTM requirements will be of the highest quality. Some of the approved structural steel grades include ASTM A36, ASTM A500, ASTM A572, and ASTM A588, with multiple shape options based on the application.

darinlacrone said:

Hey there ReadHead. Saw you were active on here today, so thought a good time to ask a question. Am convinced you're right. (At least for my case.) I travel too much to manage a project like a metal building myself. Am in Wichita KS, so not real close to you. How would you recommend finding a good dealer/installer in my area? I can google all day, but keep getting all of the companies and seem to look like brokers. Since you've been in the trade for so many years, is there a group or and recommendations for Wichita area you could point me? I'm on the board of PPA... Professional Photographer Association. I can look nation wide and see who's a member and how good they are by many things, including meeting them myself at conventions and hearing through our group what they do. But that's my industry. Wasn't sure if the Metal Building industry might have similar organization that could lead me to a good trustworthy installer who could do it all for me. I am able to put up a sq ft building on the property I just purchased, but want someone who will shoot straight with me. Will it be better deal to put up a 30x100 or something like a 40x70. Have seen some things on YouTube about different sizes being way better for the $ due to sizes of metal and beams and such. This will be my first experience with a big building and would rather not end up with regrets.
Hope all is well in Durango. Still have family out there. Appreciate your time and experience if you have any suggestions!

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I can't speak for how all companies operate, but I worked for a local manufacturer in Indiana that handled Indiana and the four surrounding states. I also own two dealers. I do not know of any dealers, or as you guys are referring to them, brokers, that would give you a price, then swap it to a different manufacturer. I always price customers out and let them know what manufacturer I've quoted for. If they are giving me "I want this to be as cheap as possible" vibes, I will quote them through a cheaper manufacturer like Eagle Carports, and a better one like American, that way they can make their own decision.

I encourage my customers to call the manufacturer and verify price.

I know there are a lot of horror stories out there, but 90% of the time, the broker isn't trying to screw you over. When I price someone out, I use the pricing the manufacturer gave me, and any sales the manufacturer is running. If I want to make it any cheaper, I have to take out of my commission. That makes perfect sense, right?

Well, of course if I want it to be cheaper I have to give up some profit, that's how business works. However, what a lot of people don't get is that it's the same price whether you go through a dealer or a manufacturer. It's actually possible to be cheaper through the broker. If the manufacturer was competing in price with their own dealers, then everyone would just go buy through the manufacturer. I know other industries are like that, but not this one (again, from my experience)

What I do is quote a customer, write up an order form, and send it to the manufacturer. The manufacturer handles the install and all that.

Companies that I know of that operate like this: American Steel Carports, ACE Steel Carports, All Steel Carports, Carolina Carports (avoid anyway), Eagle Carports, Georgia Southern Steel Buildings, North edge Steel, Reliable Metal Buildings (maybe avoid, IDK, I got weird vibes), and there are probably several more, but these are most prevalent in my area.

Now, this is all for tube frame metal buildings. Things are different in the red iron and l-beam industries, you do need to be extra careful then. Also, I would recommend reading Yelp and Google, and the BBB just to double check everything. Look for references if possible. I just read about a couple who got screwed out of like $130,000 from some pop up company.

A 30x100 would probably be cheaper than a 40x70. When you go wider than 30' with the tube frame buildings, the framing becomes "commercial truss framing." It's like a spider web design and usually costs 2-3x as much per sqft.

If you find a local place, get prices, ask who they manufacturer for, and I'll let you know if they are trying to screw you. I can send pricing PDFs if you want.

For your area, I'd probably just recommend going with American Steel to play it safe. They are the biggest manufacturer in the country for a reason.

I can't speak for how all companies operate, but I worked for a local manufacturer in Indiana that handled Indiana and the four surrounding states. I also own two dealers. I do not know of any dealers, or as you guys are referring to them, brokers, that would give you a price, then swap it to a different manufacturer. I always price customers out and let them know what manufacturer I've quoted for. If they are giving me "I want this to be as cheap as possible" vibes, I will quote them through a cheaper manufacturer like Eagle Carports, and a better one like American, that way they can make their own decision.I encourage my customers to call the manufacturer and verify price.I know there are a lot of horror stories out there, but 90% of the time, the broker isn't trying to screw you over. When I price someone out, I use the pricing the manufacturer gave me, and any sales the manufacturer is running. If I want to make it any cheaper, I have to take out of my commission. That makes perfect sense, right?Well, of course if I want it to be cheaper I have to give up some profit, that's how business works. However, what a lot of people don't get is that it's the same price whether you go through a dealer or a manufacturer. It's actually possible to be cheaper through the broker. If the manufacturer was competing in price with their own dealers, then everyone would just go buy through the manufacturer. I know other industries are like that, but not this one (again, from my experience)What I do is quote a customer, write up an order form, and send it to the manufacturer. The manufacturer handles the install and all that.Companies that I know of that operate like this: American Steel Carports, ACE Steel Carports, All Steel Carports, Carolina Carports (avoid anyway), Eagle Carports, Georgia Southern Steel Buildings, North edge Steel, Reliable Metal Buildings (maybe avoid, IDK, I got weird vibes), and there are probably several more, but these are most prevalent in my area.Now, this is all for tube frame metal buildings. Things are different in the red iron and l-beam industries, you do need to be extra careful then. Also, I would recommend reading Yelp and Google, and the BBB just to double check everything. Look for references if possible. I just read about a couple who got screwed out of like $130,000 from some pop up company.A 30x100 would probably be cheaper than a 40x70. When you go wider than 30' with the tube frame buildings, the framing becomes "commercial truss framing." It's like a spider web design and usually costs 2-3x as much per sqft.If you find a local place, get prices, ask who they manufacturer for, and I'll let you know if they are trying to screw you. I can send pricing PDFs if you want.For your area, I'd probably just recommend going with American Steel to play it safe. They are the biggest manufacturer in the country for a reason.

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