Are you planning a hall and are faced with the first fundamental question: concrete or steel?
You will find dozens of articles on the internet explaining why one is better than the other. They are almost always written by a company that can only do one of these.
We build both. Therefore, instead of advocating one technology, we will tell you when it pays off.
A quick comparison
| Steel hall | Precast concrete hall | |
|---|---|---|
| Construction time | weeks | months |
| Weight of the structure | low | high |
| Claims to foundations | smaller | bigger |
| Span without supports | up to over 30 m | more limited |
| Changes during operation | easy | difficult |
| Fire resistance without modifications | lower | higher |
| Moisture and chemical resistance | according to surface treatment | high |
| Thermal inertia | low | high |
When is steel better?
When you are in a hurry. The steel structure is produced in the workshop while the foundations are being laid on site. Finished parts arrive at the construction site and are assembled. There is no need to wait for wet processes to mature, which is determined by the schedule for concrete. When you need a big spread. The steel spans thirty meters without a pillar in the middle. Concrete can do it too, but with significantly more massive elements and a higher price. When traffic may change. The steel structure can be supplemented, extended, cut for new doors or retrofitted with a crane runway. With a concrete frame, every intervention is expensive and often impossible. When you build on worse ground. A lighter construction means less load on the foundations — and therefore cheaper to build.
When is concrete better?
When it comes to extreme environments. Operations with permanent moisture, aggressive chemicals or high dust may be more suitable for concrete — it does not need a surface protection that needs to be renewed. When fire resistance matters. The concrete element has a high resistance in itself. For steel, it is solved by the size of the cross-section or by fireproof coating — both are possible, but it is an extra item. When you need thermal inertia. The massive construction changes temperature more slowly. In some operations, this is an advantage. When you are building a very tall hall with heavy cranes. With a certain combination of height and load capacity, the concrete frame pays off.
What determines the price
The cost of the structure itself is only part of the equation. The total construction price includes:
- foundations — the lighter steel structure has less demands
- construction period — every extra month is a month when the hall does not make money
- number of suppliers — for split delivery, you pay for coordination, margins between companies and downtime at the work interface
- future adaptations — a hall that cannot be changed may mean a new building ten years from now
That is why we first ask about the operation, not about the material. Technology is only a consequence.
How to decide
Answer these questions:
- When do you need to start working in the hall? When within half a year, steel.
- Will traffic change? If you do or don't know, steel.
- Is there permanent moisture or aggressive chemicals inside? Then it is worth considering concrete — or steel with an appropriate surface protection.
- What span do you need and what is the load capacity of the crane? Above a certain limit, the comparison turns.
We advise according to traffic, not according to what we can do
We are building steel halls i concrete halls. We have no reason to push you toward one solution — we have no reason to recommend the one that will work for you.
Like general contractor in addition, we deal with the entire building from the foundations to the handover, so the comparison is not only made on the construction, but on the entire price of the building.
Non-binding inquiry — we'll get back to you within 24 hours and go over what makes sense for your operation.
