Steel Cost

[nuche1973]

Greetings, again.
As a rule of thumb what is the cost orientation regarding W-sections, channels, HSS, angles and W-T's? What section is the most expensive to work with. I know that steel is priced by the ton, however, I have been told by contractors that W-T's are pricy. Is this correct?

 

[civilperson]

Ask your fab shop, my bids do not distinguish between various shapes, just dollars per ton.

 

[hokie66]

A WT should cost more than a more efficient shape if it does the same job. A beam or column with two flanges will carry a lot more load than a tee of the same weight. Also, there is an additional operation involved in splitting beams shapes to make tees.

 

[DRC1]

You can by WT's from the mill and I believe they are the same price per pound as WF. However, unless ordered from the mill, they will only do a few sizes if there has been demand. Steel supply centers will rip a WF to make a WT. you pay cutting cost and any waste. Angles generally cost the same as WF shapes. There is a big premium for HSS.
Best bet as stated earlier, is to check with local suppliers as relative costs and practices may vary by region.

 

[nuche1973]

Thanks guys

 

[TTUengr51]

I was recently told by a steel fabricator that HSS shapes are more expensive per unit weight than W-shapes. For instance in a column application, the break even point for W-shapes versus HSS shapes is around 1.5:1 (i.e. a 60 plf W-shape would be equivalent in price to a 40 plf HSS shape).

Nick Deal, P.E.
Michael Brady Inc.

http://www.michaelbradyinc.com

 

[msquared48]

What TTU says is particularly true in the case of moment frames where the W shapes have pre-qualified welds, but the HSS (TS) sections do not. It's not only the shape, but the connection constraints put on that shape by the AISC code too.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering