Steel vs. Concrete Buildings

Whether you’re looking to construct a workshop building, a home, a garage or any other building, choosing your building material is an important first step. Many people rule out wood right away, due to the required maintenance, leaving them to choose between metal and concrete.

Both of these materials are known for being incredibly sturdy, but you can only choose one if you want to maximise the effectiveness of your building. While you’ll find plenty of metal buildings for sale, a concrete structure might also be a contender. Find out more about how these materials differ in our steel vs. concrete building comparison.

Strength

The most important factor when deciding what kind of materials to use is strength. While you may think of concrete as incredibly strong, steel actually has eight times the tensile strength of concrete, thanks to its uniform molecular structure. While concrete is still plenty strong, steel is far more predictable and easier to work with.

Steel also lasts longer than concrete, so you get to enjoy the increased strength with the decreased maintenance. Concrete is especially vulnerable to temperature changes, which can lead to cracks and crumbling over time. Steel, on the other hand, lasts for decades and requires very little maintenance to keep it in top shape.

Safety

Whether you’re concerned with safety during construction or after the building is put into use, metal wins across the board. Metal building pieces arrive on site already cut and ready to go, while concrete must first be mixed. Having the mixing done on site is a necessity, but it adds another step to the process, along with more chances of accidents happening.

Concrete takes a long time to set up, and it takes a long time to settle. Until it’s completely settled, the site is a danger zone and fundamentally unstable. On the other hand, metal buildings are ready as soon as the frame is set. You only have to wait as long as the lobar takes to construct the building. The materials are always prepared for the next step.

Versatility

When it comes to versatility, there’s no contest. Concrete is extremely limited as to what it’s capable of, while steel can be used to create a wide variety of structures of different shapes and sizes. In fact, steel is the only reason such open-span buildings are even possible. If you’re planning for a lot of open spaces, concrete makes the endeavour downright impossible.

In order to support a massive concrete building, you’re going to need a lot of support columns. This all stems from the fact that the amount of concrete required to offer decent strength is much heavier than the steel required to meet those same requirements. With concrete, there’s really no way to let your design creativity shine through construction.

Where to Find Metal Buildings for Sale

If you’re looking for prefab metal buildings in California or you want to build metal workshop buildings in Canada, Metal Pro Buildings has got you covered. Our prefab kits allow you to enjoy all the benefits of steel over concrete, including the ability to complete construction in just a few weeks. Contact us today to start designing your metal building.