Most steel construction is done with a type of steel called mild steel. Mild steel is a material that is immensely strong. This immense strength is of great advantage to buildings. The other important feature of steel framing is its flexibility. It can bend without cracking, which is another great advantage, as a steel building can flex when it is pushed to one side by say, wind, or an earthquake. The third characteristic of steel is its plasticity or ductility. This means that when subjected to great force, it will not suddenly crack like glass, but slowly bend out of shape. This property allows steel buildings to bend out of shape, or deform, thus giving warning to inhabitants to escape. Failure in steel frames is not sudden - a steel structure rarely collapses. Steel in most cases performs far better in earthquake than most other materials because of these properties.

WHERE STEEL FRAME STRUCTURES ARE USED

Steel construction is most often used in 

1. High rise buildings because of its strength, low weight, and speed of construction

2. Industrial buildings because of its ability to create large span spaces at low cost

3. Warehouse buildings for the same reason

4. Residential buildings in a technique called light gauge steel construction

5. Temporary Structures as these are quick to set up and remove

ADVANTAGES OF STEEL STRUCTURES

Steel structures have the following advantages:

※They are super-quick to build at site, as a lot of work can be pre-fabbed at the factory.

※They are flexible, which makes them very good at resisting dynamic (changing) forces such as wind or earthquake forces.

※A wide range of ready-made structural sections are available, such as I, C, and angle sections

※They can be made to take any kind of shape, and clad with any type of material

※A wide range of joining methods is available, such as bolting, welding, and riveting

DISADVANTAGES OF STEEL STRUCTURES

Steel structures have the following disadvantages:

※They lose strength at high temperatures, and are susceptible to fire.

※They are prone to corrosion in humid or marine environments.