How to Reduce Steel Structure Engineering Costs and Achieve Efficient Construction? A Complete Guide

With the rapid development of industrial plants, commercial buildings, and large-scale infrastructure, steel structure engineering is being used more and more widely due to its advantages such as lightweight, high strength, and short construction period. However, in actual projects, cost control and construction efficiency often directly affect the success and profitability of the project. This article will reveal practical methods for reducing costs and improving efficiency from four aspects: design, prefabrication, construction, and management.

Reducing the cost of steel structure engineering and improving construction efficiency is a systematic process that requires optimization and control in multiple stages, including design, procurement, manufacturing, construction and installation.

Key Measures to Reduce Steel Structure Engineering Costs

1. Optimized Design and Material Selection

Structural Optimization Design: Rational Selection of Span and Column Spacing: During structural design, select economically reasonable spans and column spacings through scheme comparison (e.g., for rigid frames, a column spacing of 7-8m may be more economical) to reduce total steel consumption.

Selection of Appropriate Structural Systems and Component Cross-Sections: Adopt lighter and more efficient structural forms (such as trusses and prefabricated assembled steel structure systems), and rationally control the size and cross-sectional form of components to reduce steel consumption while meeting load-bearing requirements (practice shows that optimized design can reduce steel consumption by 10%-20%).

Rational Material Selection: Based on the stress characteristics and importance of components, rationally select steel of different strength grades (e.g., using lower-grade carbon steel while meeting requirements) to avoid "using large materials for small purposes." Simultaneously, pay attention to recyclable and durable materials to reduce subsequent maintenance costs.

2. Strictly Control Manufacturing and Installation Costs

Material Procurement and Management:

Bulk Procurement and Supply Chain Optimization: Leverage economies of scale through centralized bulk procurement to obtain more competitive prices. Optimize the supply chain to ensure timely material supply and reduce additional costs caused by delays.

Improve Material Utilization: Optimize steel cutting layout, encourage optimized cutting methods, make reasonable use of scrap materials, and regularly track and reward sheet utilization to reduce waste.

Manufacturing Process Control:

Reducing Scrap and Rework: Establish a strict quality control system, strengthen on-site management, and reduce scrap losses and rework costs.

Efficient Equipment Utilization: Rationally plan equipment usage, improve equipment utilization efficiency, reduce idle time, strengthen maintenance, and extend service life, thereby controlling equipment depreciation and maintenance costs.

Labor Cost Control: Improve labor productivity and reduce unit product labor costs through scientific and reasonable labor allocation and enhanced employee skills training.

3. Application of Advanced Model-Based Construction Technology (BIM):

Fully utilize Building Information Modeling (BIM) and 3D modeling technology. Visualizing and validating the design before manufacturing begins allows for early identification and resolution of conflicts and inconsistencies, avoiding on-site rework and reducing error risks and costs.

Effective Ways to Improve Steel Structure Construction Efficiency

1. Utilizing Factory Prefabrication and Assembly Construction

Factory Manufacturing: Maximizing the transfer of steel component fabrication (cutting, welding, drilling, rust removal, painting, etc.) to the factory, achieving standardized, mechanized, and automated production. Factory manufacturing offers higher precision and faster production speeds.

Assembled Installation: After components arrive on site, dry operations such as high-strength bolt connections are primarily used, reducing on-site wet work and enabling rapid installation.

Advantages: Faster construction speed, shorter construction period (saving up to 38% of total man-days), reduced on-site management costs and temporary facility rental fees, and reduced impact on the site environment.

2. Optimizing Construction Technology and Processes

Scientific and Reasonable Construction Organization:

Developing Detailed Schedule Plans: Based on project complexity and resource availability, develop detailed construction schedule plans and resource allocation schemes.

Rational Construction Sequence Planning: Plan the sequence and layout of construction activities rationally to avoid idle time and rework caused by chaotic construction plans.

Advanced Construction Technologies:

High-Precision Cutting and Welding Technologies: Utilize high-precision, high-efficiency cutting technologies such as laser cutting and plasma cutting.

Efficient Installation Technologies: For large or complex structures, employ suitable hoisting technologies such as hydraulic overall lifting and segmented hoisting, equipped with professional measurement systems (such as laser rangefinders and theodolites) for real-time monitoring and adjustment to ensure installation accuracy and speed.

3. Strengthening Project Management and Collaboration

Enhancing Communication and Collaboration: Establish clear and consistent communication channels among all project stakeholders (design, manufacturing, and construction), utilizing collaborative platforms for real-time information sharing to reduce misunderstandings and errors caused by poor communication.

Strict Quality Control: Implement a comprehensive quality management system, conducting regular inspections, tests, and acceptance checks at every stage (material arrival, component fabrication, on-site installation) to ensure first-time excellence and avoid rework and delays due to quality issues.

Strict Quality Control: Implement a comprehensive quality management system, conducting regular inspections, tests, and acceptance checks at every stage (material arrival, component fabrication, on-site installation) to ensure first-time excellence and avoid rework and delays caused by quality problems. Safety and technical briefing: Conduct detailed safety and technical briefings and construction techniques before work begins to ensure that workers are familiar with safe operating procedures and work methods, improve operational standardization and work efficiency, and reduce safety accidents and human error.

Reducing costs and improving construction efficiency in steel structure engineering requires the coordinated efforts of multiple stakeholders, including design optimization, factory prefabrication, mechanized construction, supply chain management, and scientific construction organization. These methods not only save money but also shorten construction periods, improve project quality, and maximize project economic benefits.

Want to achieve cost optimization and efficient construction in steel structure engineering? Contact our professional team now to tailor the best solution for your project!