In more recent years, with the growing popularity of steel-based structures—which are projected to account for 40% of the expected USD 14 trillion global spending in the construction sector by 2025—the demand for skilled steel detailing has increased.
In this article, we’ll outline how steel detailers function as the backbone of any steel-based construction project and how they can make yours safe, functional, and cost-efficient.
What is Steel Detailing?
Steel detailing is a vital process in the construction industry that involves creating detailed drawings and plans for the fabrication and erection of steel structures. The ones who create the drawings– the steel detailer– ensure that the plans are followed by engineers, architects, and fabricators to a T.
Steel detailing involves two main types of drawings:
Shop drawings – Also referred to as detail drawings, shop drawings outline every steel piece that a steel fabricators need to make. Shop drawings can include specifications such as material sizes, dimensions, and surface specs, as well as welding, painting and any additional fabricating details.
Erection drawings – Unlike shop drawings that only contain fabrication details, erection drawings are all about the erection of steel. Erection drawings outline plans and where of every steel component will go within the steel structure. Apart from that, the erection drawings may include the requirements for installing them.
Steel Detailers, How Important Are They?
Very important. Structural steel detailing is always present in the following industries:
- Residential Construction
- Commercial Construction
- Mining
- Manufacturing
- Shipbuilding
Steel detailers are in very high demand because they deliver almost 100% accuracy in their steel structures for safety and compliance purposes. Here are four key reasons why steel detailing is important for these industries:
Precise Fabrication
Shop drawings provided by steel detailers outline precise information about the steel materials’ required dimensions and specifications the fabricators need to cut.
This way, steel detailing ensures the fabricators minimise errors and rework, reduces unnecessary costs due to material wastage, and ensures that the construction project meets the required building codes and safety regulations.
Construction-Efficient
During the steel detailing process, the detailer takes into account several building systems such as plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and the core components and figures out how to seamlessly integrate each one into the overall structure.
Shop drawings procured by steel detailing also act as a ‘glue’ that brings skilled tradesmen such as architects, fabricators, and structural engineers together to ensure that the projects meet the intended design and specifications, and are safety compliant.
Additionally, shop drawings also function as a ‘roadmap’ that everyone involved can refer to during construction since they contain all the necessary information needed.
These details help contractors and teams optimise their workflow, minimise any errors, and keep the project on schedule.
Cost-Efficient
Steel detailing helps optimise material wastage and streamlines the manufacturing process thanks to its precise measurements.
With shop drawings serving as a reference point, steel fabricators have an easier time identifying fabrication areas. This ensures they can cut steel faster, reducing labour costs and keeping them ahead of schedule.
Property Safety Compliance
Steel structures should be resilient and capable of enduring diverse loads and forces. Proper detailing of steel structures ensures that the individual steel components that make up the overall structure perform as intended with a 99% accuracy rate.
Additionally, steel detailing helps create a safer working environment for the workers while also ensuring the integrity of the steel structure isn’t compromised in the long run.
Both the shop and erection drawings contain the necessary information to make that happen. Details such as load capacity, connections, and other crucial factors that could impact the overall safety of the structure are always present in these drawings.
The steel detailers themselves are responsible for collaborating with the structural engineer and architect before fabrication to ensure that the steel structure is compliant with the standards of the Australian Institute of Steel Construction.
Weldform Structures | The Leading Steel Detailing Services in Melbourne
Steel detailing is a crucial process that ensures construction projects involving steel are of high quality, safety-compliant, and right on schedule. Partnering with experienced steel detailing services can help deliver those critical milestones, from fabrication to final erection.
Weldform Structures uses the latest drafting technology (we use Autodesk Autocad) to provide you with accurate and reliable drawings for your project, regardless of size.
Contact us today and let us help you streamline your project workflow with our accurate and reliable drawings.