Structural steel fabrication

Structural steel fabrication turns beams, columns, plate, and tube into the frame of a building or bridge.

Materials and processes

Wide-flange shapes, hollow structural sections, angles, channels, and plate, mostly in ASTM structural grades. Work is bolted and welded to approved shop drawings.

Standards and certifications to know

AISC certification: the American Institute of Steel Construction’s quality certification for fabricators and erectors.
AISC 360 and AISC 303: the specification for structural steel buildings and the Code of Standard Practice.
AWS D1.1: the American Welding Society structural welding code for steel.
IBC Section 1704.2.5: requires special inspection of fabricated items during fabrication unless the fabricator is approved.

Questions to ask a shop

Is the shop AISC certified, or on the local building department’s approved fabricator list?
If not, who will perform in-plant special inspection?
Does it detail in-house or use an outside detailer?
What erection capacity does it have, or which erector does it work with?

What drives cost

Tonnage, connection complexity, detailing, coatings, and schedule drive structural steel price. Mill prices for steel move with the market, so quotes often expire quickly.

Metros with strong local demand

Questions

What should I look for in a structural steel fabricator?

Relevant certifications, finished work similar to yours, the right equipment, and clear documentation. Start with: Is the shop AISC certified, or on the local building department’s approved fabricator list?

Where is structural steel fabrication concentrated?

On this site, these metros have strong local demand: Phoenix, AZ, Atlanta, GA, Baltimore, MD, Buffalo, NY, Charlotte, NC, Chicago, IL, Cincinnati, OH, Cleveland, OH, Dallas, TX, Denver, CO, Detroit, MI, Green Bay, WI, Houston, TX, Indianapolis, IN, Jacksonville, FL, Kansas City, MO, Las Vegas, NV, Los Angeles, CA, Miami, FL, Minneapolis, MN, Boston, MA, New Orleans, LA, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Pittsburgh, PA, San Francisco Bay Area, CA, Seattle, WA, Tampa, FL, Nashville, TN, Washington, DC.