Unfortunately for the construction industry, the price of structural steel has once again increased. Industry giants British Steel have now increased their prices for the fifth time since July 2020 and, in the UK, the price of structural steel has rocketed from approximately £500 per tonne to over £700 per tonne. This sudden surge has been blamed on the sharp increase in raw material costs and further price hikes are expected.
What does this mean for your project?
This spike in structural steel prices has huge repercussions for the construction industry as project budgets are being vastly and unexpectedly exceeded. With enough consideration at the design stage, this price increase can be offset by reducing the number of steels that are required.
What can you do to reduce the cost of structural steel?
If the cost of structural steel supports is crippling your budget, it may be time to look into the spanning capabilities of your chosen balcony decking. By using a modular decking system that is able to span a lot further than traditional plank decking, you will be able to reduce the number of structural steel supports that are required and reduce your overall costs.
How can choosing modular decking save you money?
Using modular decking as opposed to plank decking is the easiest and most effective way to offset the increased steelwork costs down. Firstly, modular decking is constructed to bespoke panel sizes in a factory so less time and manpower is needed on site. Modular decking is manufactured to precise measurements so there is much less material waste and call backs can be avoided. Another considerable saving that can be made by incorporating modular decking is that of installation time. Modular decking is pre-fabricated, banded and cut-outs are already in place when the decking arrives on site; this means that, compared to plank decking, modular decking is over 12 times faster to install. On a large-scale project, this can provide huge savings on the cost and time of installation.
Cost Comparison
Choosing a plank system may initially appear to be the most cost-effective solution, however when considering steelwork, fixings and installation, this is often not the case. Because of the reduced supporting structure requirements, the modular solution offers a 20% saving in material costs – a detailed analysis for your scheme can be provided. Combine this with an installation speed that is more than ten times faster and the modular decking solution is the clear choice!
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