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Structuralaka: structural steel framingaka: steel construction

Structural Steel

In Plain English

Steel products manufactured in standard shapes and sizes specifically for use as building frame members.

Definition

Steel products specifically shaped and sized for use in building frames, bridges, and other load-bearing structures. Structural steel includes wide-flange sections (W-shapes), hollow structural sections (HSS), angles, channels, and plates. It is fabricated in a shop to project specifications and then erected and connected in the field.

Why It Matters in Bidding

Structural steel is a long-lead, high-dollar package where the split between shop fabrication and field erection drives both cost and schedule, so estimators must price detailing, connections, and crane time, not just tonnage. Because the steel frame gates nearly every following trade, an underbid or delayed steel package cascades into schedule and cash-flow problems across the whole project.

Example

An estimator breaks the structural steel bid into mill material, shop fabrication, detailing, and field erection, then confirms crane access and connection types with the fabricator before submitting the number.

Related Terms

I-BeamW-ShapeColumnGirder

Frequently Asked Questions

Steel must be detailed into shop drawings, approved, fabricated, and scheduled for erection, all before it ships. Mill availability for specific shapes and grades adds time. Estimators flag the steel package early in the schedule because its delivery date often controls when foundations, decking, and follow-on trades can proceed.
Typically mill material, shop fabrication, detailing and shop drawings, shop coatings, delivery, and field erection with connections. Estimators should clarify whether items like anchor bolts, embeds, metal deck, miscellaneous metals, and field welding or bolting inspection are included, since these often fall into gray areas between bid packages.
Material is priced by weight using each shape's pounds per foot, but fabrication and erection labor often equal or exceed material cost. Connection complexity, member count, repetition, crane requirements, and site access all influence labor. Estimators get firm fabricator quotes rather than estimating tonnage cost alone.

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