British Steel Launches Weathering Steel Structural Sections for Construction Market
British Steel has today unveiled another new product for the construction market – weathering steel structural sections.
Self-protecting, durable and attractive, weathering steel is ideal for a whole range of outdoor structures in exposed locations including bridges, buildings and catenary gantries on railway lines.
The steel’s corrosion rate is so low that structures fabricated from unpainted weathering steel can achieve long lifespans – in some cases up to 120 years – with only minimal maintenance.
“Weathering steel is another superb example of our commitment to delivering quality products and services through rigorous research and development.
“It is a high-strength, low alloy steel that defends itself from corrosion by forming a protective oxide patina (layer), eliminating the need for paint or other protective coatings. This makes weathering steel an attractive and economic solution for many structures.”
Weathering steel offers significant advantages over other metals for structures that are exposed to the elements:
- Low maintenance: ideal for bridges and structures where access is difficult or dangerous
- Cost reduction: no need for protective painting and low maintenance reduces associated costs
- Environmental benefits: no volatile organic compounds from paint or disposal of blast-cleaning debris from future maintenance
- Attractive appearance: mature weathering steel often blends pleasingly with the environment, changing and improving with age
- Speed of construction: without site painting operations, overall construction time is reduced
- Enhanced safety: painting issues are eliminated and future maintenance risks are minimised
The weathering steel, which is manufactured by British Steel in Scunthorpe and rolled into sections at its Teesside Beam Mill, has been brought to market following a rigorous research, development and testing programme.
Its unveiling comes 7 months after British Steel launched its S460M high-strength structural steel grades for the construction market.
British Steel Quality Assurance
As the only UK manufacturer of structural sections, our steel products are CE and UKCA marked and tested to the highest standards, providing quality and reassurance for the construction market. We’re ISO 9001: 2015 accredited and all material is tested to the highest standards in our independently approved ISO 17025 test houses, assuring full traceability.
Our weathering steels are produced according to EN 10025-5 and have similar mechanical properties to conventional S355 grades. We’re also Environmental and Sustainability Standard BES 6001 certified, guaranteeing commitment to responsibly sourced materials.
Find out more about our constructional steel here.
This article was originally published by British Steel.
