What Are the Advantages of Stainless Steel in Building Construction?

Humans have used steel for nearly four thousand years. The oldest known pieces of steel tools in human history date back to roughly 1800 BC. Even if we’ve known how to make steel for that long, though, it took until the 17th Century before it could be widely used on a larger, more industrial scale. Since the 19th Century, when it became the gold standard for railroad tracks and buildings due to its tensile strength, durability, relative light weight, and fire resistance, steel as a building material has brought incredible feats of architectural engineering from the realm of fantasy to reality.

Stainless steel, in particular—a special alloy of iron, carbon, and other elements in various proportions (most importantly, nickel)—has become an especially vital material for construction. Certain types of stainless steel are used in food and beverage processing equipment for their hygienic properties. Chemical plants rely on stainless steel for its excellent resistance to harsh acids and chemicals. And as a structural material, it continues to play essential roles in buildings across the world.

At American Stainless, we know stainless steel—it’s in our name. In this article, we’ll explore the uses and advantages of stainless steel for construction applications—and how to know when it’s the right material for your next building construction project.

The Properties of Stainless Steel As a Building Material

Stainless steel’s advantages as a structural material include its:

Corrosion Resistance

In coastal buildings, chemical plants, and wastewater treatment facilities—environments frequently exposed to moisture, harsh chemicals, or both—stainless steel’s excellent corrosion resistance makes it an ideal building material.

Strength and Durability

Using stainless steel as a building material is what makes high-rise commercial or residential properties, bridges, and industrial buildings possible. Commercial, industrial, and public transportation infrastructure can depend on stainless steel for its high strength-to-weight ratio, which provides reliable structural integrity without increasing the weight of the overall structure.

Fire and Heat Resistance

After the Great Chicago Fire, steel took the place of wood as a structural material of choice for good reason. Stainless steel, too, maintains its strength at high temperatures, making it suitable for fire-resistant applications such as fire doors, safety barriers, and industrial furnaces.

Aesthetic Appeal

The use of stainless steel in building construction does not refer only to the internal structural components of a building. Stainless steel has a modern and sleek appearance, which makes it useful for aesthetic features in building facades and interior design elements. Stainless steel does not simply have to be utilitarian—it can be beautiful as well.

Hygienic Properties

Stainless steel offers a non-porous surface that is easy to clean, making it ideal for sanitary applications in hospitals, kitchens, and food processing plants.

Recyclability

Green buildings and eco-friendly building construction projects prefer stainless steel for its 100% recyclability to meet sustainability goals. What 100% recyclability means is that it doesn’t degrade when you recycle it, unlike many other recyclable materials. 

When a building project reaches its end of life, the stainless steel can be scrapped and reforged into new stainless steel without any loss of its strength, durability, or corrosion resistance—and then, it’s onward to the next sustainable building project. Using stainless steel for construction applications helps minimize waste and environmental impact.

Low Maintenance

Stainless steel’s strength, durability, corrosion resistance, and hygienic properties mean that structural building components require minimal maintenance, reducing long-term costs for public infrastructure and commercial buildings.

Low Thermal Conductivity

A material’s ability to conduct heat is known as its thermal conductivity. Most metals have high thermal conductivity, which means they transfer heat through themselves quickly. Insulating materials like fiberglass, on the other hand, have low thermal conductivity, which makes it easier to keep hot things hot and cold things cold.

However, stainless steel has relatively low thermal conductivity for a metal, which makes it a beneficial material for insulated panels and energy-efficient window frames in sustainable building designs—especially considering other low-thermal-conductivity materials are not always the most environmentally friendly.

Resistance to Impact and Abrasion

Stainless steel withstands physical wear and tear exceptionally well, making it suitable for flooring, railings, and other elements in the high-traffic areas of industrial facilities.

Versatility

There is a wide range of uses for stainless steel in construction applications, running the gamut of industrial and commercial sectors. One of the primary reasons for its vast use cases is that stainless steel can be fabricated into various shapes and sizes relatively easily, making it an ideal material for custom architectural features and complex structural components.

Is Stainless Steel the Right Choice for Your Next Construction Project?

How do you know when to use stainless steel for construction applications? As you can see, stainless steel’s physical properties give it powerful advantages as a structural material in various applications, but of course, that doesn’t make it the right material for every project.

Stainless steel could be the right choice if:

• You are building in an environment with high exposure to moisture, chemicals, or pollutants.
• Your project has high load-bearing and stress requirements that demand a high strength-to-weight ratio.
• Complex, intricate structural and aesthetic features demand a highly formable material.
• Your budget can absorb the initial costs of stainless steel and allow you to reap the rewards of lower long-term maintenance costs and lifetime cost savings.
• Environmental impact and sustainability are high priorities among your construction project’s strategic goals.

Make the Best Choice Every Time with American Stainless

American Stainless knows stainless steel—but we have experience supplying pipe, valves, fittings, and structural supports in a wide range of other materials, from carbon steel to copper to industrial plastics to special alloys. Construction contractors across the US Southeast have relied on our vast, diverse supply of products and in-depth knowledge of major industries in the area to not only supply quality products fast but also offer extensive product planning support.

If you have a question about whether or not to use stainless steel in building construction, we have the expertise to help you weigh your options and come to an informed, confident decision to ensure ideal results from your next project.

Are you currently procuring PVF and structural materials for a pipe fabrication or construction project? Contact us today to get a price quote or expert support.

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