| Feature |
Advantages over wood |
| Cost Effective |
 |
Price stability – Little fluctuation in price |
|
Virtually no waste – Pre-engineered and cut frame components |
|
Reduced labor time and associated costs |
|
Steel framing may lower insurance premiums |
|
| Easy to Install |
|
Patented "Slip Fit" frame connections and erector-set like construction |
|
Pre-engineered and cut frame components |
|
Generally simpler to erect than wood systems and require s fewer workers to install |
|
Strong, Durable &
Lightweight |
|
One of the highest strength-to-weight ratios of any construction material |
|
Will never rot, wrap, twist, buckle, split, crack, splinter, creep, settle or burn |
|
Reduced seismic load and probability of damages from earthquakes or high winds |
|
Can be configured to meet high snow, wind and seismic load specifications |
|
Easier on-site handling of frame components |
|
Improved Construction
Quality & Less
Maintenance |
|
Consumer perceives steel as superior to wood |
|
Manufactured to strict standards of strength and consistency |
|
Corrosion resistant, dimensionally stable, and remains straight and true |
|
Steel structures do not age or deteriorate like a wood structure |
|
Stronger connections – Screws do not loosen over time (vs. nails) |
|
Added Safety &
Resistance |
|
Fire resistant – Non-combustible steel frame components |
|
Impervious to termites, insects, rodents, mold, fungi or other destructive organisms |
|
Do not require pesticides or other chemicals used to treat wood framing |
|
Lightning protection – well grounded and less likely to be struck or damaged |
|
Design Flexibility /
Easy to Modify |
|
Multiple frame dimensions for a variety of structures |
|
Availability of various tubular steel dimensions and thickness |
|
Greater strength for longer floor spans and higher sidewalls |
|
Frame components allow for structural expansion or add-ons |
|
| Energy Efficient |
|
Allows for greater insulation values |
|
Does not expand or contract with humidity changes |
|
No air leakage caused by expansion cracks as with wood |
|
| Recyclable |
|
Steel is the most recycled material on Earth and more abundant than wood |
|
More than 100 billion pounds recycled annually |
|
Little waste and no trees are sacrificed for framing |
|
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