Looking at a steel building in the early stages of its construction is like looking at a skeleton before it is covered with muscles and filled with the parts that make it function. Those steel beams are individual icons of strength, each one an absolutely dependable element that will be part of a superb building.
But often there is one striking feature of this skeleton: the steel is red. Not bright red, but a dusty, rusty-looking color. Steel is usually some shade of gray, so if this is really steel at all, is it some special kind?
The answer is yes and no. There are various grades of steel, and it can be cold-formed or hot-rolled – but that is another story. What you are looking at on this building site is red iron. And yes, it is steel, but steel that is coated with red oxide is called red iron. It’s just one of those things, a term someone used that stuck.
Red iron is no mystery material, it is steel that has a protective coating that happens to be this color. It provides anti-corrosion protection for the steel, not least during that part of the process when it is exposed to the elements while the frame is completed. After that point, once it has been covered with the interlocking steel panels which are what make up the walls and roof of a prefabricated steel structure, you forget about the red bones, but they are there, with that extra coating giving an additional quality that will remain for the duration – and steel buildings are extremely durable.
Once you understand this basic fact, certain questions become redundant. Red iron vs steel building, for instance. A red iron building is a steel building.
Here’s another question that doesn’t really stand up to scrutiny: red iron vs tubular steel. To define tubular steel, all we need to do is think of scaffolding poles, which are made of steel in a tubular configuration. The fact that they are cylindrical gives strength without adding too much weight. Tubular steel is used in scaffolding because it does the job and is relatively light and easy to carry. It is not an alternative to red iron or even uncoated steel for girders and beams, because these derive their strength from their shape: the cross-section looks like a capital i with the cross pieces top and bottom. That is what gives the components of a steel structure their incredible ability to stay in shape and support huge weights. Being made up of flat surfaces, i-beams can be bolted together solidly in a way that tubular steel cannot.
One more question: red iron vs galvanized steel buildings. This sometimes causes confusion because many people don’t understand what galvanizing is. You hear expressions such as a losing sports team being “galvanized into action,” as if it were some kind of stimulus. In fact, when you galvanize steel, you add a thin coating of zinc, which has similar corrosion-resisting properties to red iron.
One quite revealing description of galvanization is that it provides a sacrificial layer, which goes first, giving the erosion process something to eat that isn’t the steel. Not so much a barrier as a delaying tactic, you might say, and the more gutsy, robust nature of red oxide may seem more appropriate in this situation. If you want a professional opinion that applies to your project, with its unique combination of location, climate, layout, and purpose, ask your contractor.
40×60 Red Iron Building Cost and 40×80 Red Iron Building Cost
There are some standard sizes in pre-engineered steel structures, and 40×60 and 40×80 are two of them. That’s feet. If you’re looking for ballpark figures for steel buildings, asking for a 40×60 red iron building cost or a 40×80 red iron building cost gives the construction company something to work with: the basic size and the fact that you want to use red iron.
Using red iron as opposed to naked steel will obviously add a little to the price, because it’s the same material but with a coating, which does not come free of charge.
Many buildings are built with uncoated steel and enjoy a long and trouble-free life. It is up to the customer if they want to use red iron or not, and the constructor you award the contract to will no doubt be happy to give their opinion if you are unsure which to go for.
Many of the questions regarding prefabricated steel structures and the exact details of their construction are like comparing the top heavyweight boxers in the world. They are all incredibly tough. If you are commissioning a prefabricated steel structure, you are going to get a fabulous building, whether you use red iron beams or not.
