Concrete vs Steel Construction

2nd February 2014

Most buildings that are made, are structurally made from steel. Why would an architect or
designer choose one material over the other?

Concrete buildings offer many safety advantages over steel skeleton structures. Compared to
steel, concrete can endure very high temperatures for long periods and offers excellent protection
from explosions.

(Burj Khalifa, Dubai – 330,000 cubic meters of concrete used)

Building with concrete is also very fast. When time means money this makes it a particularly
attractive option.
Unlike steel, it is also possible for large sections to be pre-fabricated off site. This again speeds
up construction meaning less time developing and more time using the structure.

Companies also offer concrete repairs which tend to be a lot quicker, simpler and cheaper than
other repairs on steel structures.

Steel on the other hand, in terms of cost, is generally a cheaper option.

However, the price of steel can fluctuate a lot more than concrete and it is also generally
accepted that the cost of insuring a steel building is higher because of the differences in safety.

Steel offers architects a far greater array of options when it comes to building design.
The strength to weight ratio of steel is higher than any other (affordable) construction material.
Steel offers aesthetics that concrete may never be able to.
There are positives and negatives to both concrete and
steel. But why choose one over another?

With two materials offering such diverse positives then it would be wrong to apply them
together, right? Wrong. Reinforcing concrete with steel has major benefits.

Reinforced concrete with steel is by far, a lot better than either concrete or steel separately.
Concrete on its own has one major downfall and that is that it is extremely strong in compression
but has little to no strength when there is tension.

Rebar is used within concrete to give it the ability to carry tensile loads on a structure.
To keep protecting the environment, reinforcing steel is now commonly used. In the UK rebar is
100% recycled scrap steel and at the end of its life steel can be recovered, recycled and used
again.

Although some concrete buildings may not look great, who’s to say that in the future decorative
coatings and innovative designs cannot lead the way in construction?
So for safety and cost effectiveness over the long term, concrete reigns supreme despite the need
for on-going maintenance and repair. This is of course why it is the natural choice of many of the
buildings that we work on where safety is paramount.

Who are we?

OnSite Specialist Maintenance are the UK’s leading concrete repairs and leak sealing
contractors. Based in Nottingham, a fully trained and committed team are able to work across the
whole of the UK for a wide range of clients. The ability to deliver projects to the highest
standard with 20 years of experience makes OnSite SM a comprehensive and reliable service.
Contactable on 0115 933 5010 or via our contact page.
Difference between Reinforced Concrete &
Steel Framed Structure
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RCC Framed & Steel Framed structural system has the

same load transfer method but the difference is in the
material from which its members are made i.e. In RCC
Frame, the material used is Concrete while in Steel Frame,
the material used is Steel.
 REINFORCED CONCRETE FRAMED STRUCTURE STEEL

 Basically material used for taking load is Reinforced Cement Concrete.  Basica
taking
 In reinforced concrete framed structure, the cross Section areas of  In Stee
structural elements are large. Cross
struct
 Steel f
 Reinforced concrete framed structure is less resistant to Earthquake
more
and Wind.
and W
 In Stee
 In reinforced cement concrete framed structure, the tensile strength tensile
of RCC structural elements is less as compared to Steel structural struct
elements. as com
struct
 Reinforced concrete framed structure is more labour intensive.  Steel f
labour
work c
works
 Speed of construction is less.  Speed
more.
 Reinforced concrete framed structure is less prone to corrosion, but if  Steel f
concrete is not properly done, it is equally prone to corrosion and not prone
only that repairs are also very costly, sometimes more than original
cost.
Also Read: 16 Difference between Concrete Column and Shear Wall!
 Cost of repair is more and repair are cumbersome.  Cost o
repair
easy.
 Technique of construction is not as important while determining  Techn
life of structure. most i
 determ
 Only S
 Skilled as well as non-skilled workers are needed for its construction.
neede
 Construction is simple.  Const
 Weigh
 Weight of structural elements is more.
is less
 Steel f
 Reinforced concrete framed structure is fire resistant.
fire re
 Joint n
 Concreting needs care while constructing.
constr
 Quality control is difficult.  Better
 Economical where formwork and labour are easily available.  Costly
 It is brittle as compared to steel structure. Hence, failure is sudden  It is du
and hazardous. not su
 In stee
 In reinforced concrete framed structure, the cross section of elements Cross
are square, rectangle, circular, L shaped, T shaped etc. are I s
shaped
Also Read:

Difference between Beam and Column

Difference between RCC Framed Structure and Load Bearing Structure
Difference between Framed Structure and Load Bearing Structure
Difference between Flat Slab & Conventional Slab-Beam System
Courtesy - 123rf