11 Mar Your Guide to Steel Frame Building Services [2023 Update]

Structural steel makes an excellent, reliable and durable material for roofs, walls and floors of buildings. For many architectural layouts, structural steel beams, columns, channels, and other sections can be fabricated together in numerous ways to help make building projects more efficient and cost-effective.

Structural steel framing construction provides a flexible solution for many architects, designers and construction workers on site. This is commonly known as a steel frame building, a term you may be familiar with.

What is a Steel Frame Building?

Structural steelwork can be used to form various bespoke framing structures of a building or as an asset to a construction project. They typically consist of a series of vertical universal columns and horizontal universal beams (I beams), riveted, bolted or welded together to form a hollow shape. 

The steel frame structure, as this is known, can then be used to support a building’s floors, walls, roof, cladding, and many other elements. Many structural steel frame buildings are constructed off-site, in a steel fabrication facility, and then shipped and delivered in kit form straight to the site to speed up the process. At Baker Steel Trading, this is one of the added value services we offer our customers.

Steel frame building services are not just one-and-done deals; they need to be tailored specifically to a project and its requirements. There are actually specific types of steel frame construction services available, and each one should be based on the width, height, location and capacity of the building.

Types of Steel Framing

The types of structural steel framing can be broken down into three primary categories. 

• Skeleton Steel Framing

In skeleton steel framing systems, the universal steel beams and columns offer excellent, reliable support for buildings. The beams and columns are connected with bolts or a series of steel welding procedures to ensure full stability across the frame. The distance between the columns depends on the project requirements and functions, meaning there are no standard sizing restrictions for the building’s floor and roof. 

• Load-Bearing Wall Steel Framing

Both the interior and exterior parts of the building wall carry the end of structural members to provide support for the roof (as well as its loads). In load-bearing steel framing, universal beams are often used as lintels over doors and windows. The logic behind this is that the wall(s) bearing the loads should withstand imposed horizontal and vertical loads, making this system useful for low-rise buildings.

• Long-Span Steel Framing

Long-span steel frame systems are suitable for projects when there is a demand for substantial clearance. This system would be required if steel beams and columns can’t be configured together in a large enough span. 

These systems include girders, rigid frames, trusses, arches and other unique types.

Steel Frame Building Services Explained

The use of structural steel frame building services allows for straightforward, efficient and time-sensitive construction projects. For intricate and slightly more unconventional building designs, steel framing solutions prove a reliable option for commercial buildings that need that extra care and attention to detail.

One of the benefits of steel frame building services is that if customers require a bespoke frame, steel fabricators like Baker Steel Trading can make the process easy for you. 

Steel Fabrication

Baker Steel Trading are structural steel fabricators and suppliers with a wealth of experience creating bespoke projects for clients across the South of the UK. We offer mobile welding, on-site fabrication and installation services for clients that require assistance while working out in the field. We have the capacity in our Woking factory to craft and deliver large steel frame buildings for clients. 

We can fabricate steel beams and columns together ahead of your required delivery date, and we can also arrange for a HIAB loader crane to deliver your structural steel framing, all fully prepped and ready.

We’re a customer-focused company and want to help fulfil your structural steel requirements, however possible, and deliver you high-quality, CE-marked steel on time that doesn’t push you over budget. 

Give us a call or fill out our contact form to find out more.