The Many Ways Steel Is Used Today- Part 1
After a life-long career in the metal building industry, I appreciate all the attributes of steel buildings. But did you ever stop to think how many uses there are for steel?
Steel is an essential part of modern living. Reliable, robust, resourceful, and recyclable, steel creates the strongest products in the marketplace today.
Steel’s versatility makes it ideal for all sorts of products. For example, sheet metal steel ranges from as fine as 38-gauge (0.00625”) to a massive 0000000-gauge (0.50”) thickness.
From automobile engines to zither strings, when durability and strength matter, manufacturers choose steel.
Scope of the Steel Industry
First, a little background on the scope of the steel industry:
- The steel industry is the second largest business in the world, surpassed only by oil and gas.
- Global steel sales reach approximately $900 billion annually.
- Last year steel producers in the U.S. shipped almost 87 million tons of steel.
CNN claims, “As the backbone of American manufacturing, the steel industry is essential to the world’s water and food supply, energy generation and national security.”
A “green” material, steel boast the largest recycling rate of any material on the planet. An amazing 97% of the total material in most steel products is reclaimable. The steel itself is 100% recyclable.
Steel Products
The following list constitutes just the tip of the iceberg in the thousands of uses for today‘s steel.
TRANSPORTATION: From bicycles and tricycles to plains and luxury cruise liners, nothing moves without steel.
Automobiles, of course, are a major steel user. Axles, body parts, engines, exhaust systems, transmissions, and wheels contain mostly steel. Even a vehicle’s seatbelt hardware is made of steel.
Thanks to technological advances in steel design and production, today’s automobiles are stronger and more dent-resistant than ever before, yet weight 25% less than ten years ago.
Steel trucks move freight and products across country. Great steel tanker trucks haul chemicals, food, and fuel where needed.
Planes use steel undercarriages. Jet engines are made of steel. Helicopters, too, use steel parts and engines.
Steel dominates other forms of transport, including bicycles, gold carts, recreational vehicles and campers, ships, and trains.
All vehicles batteries are made of steel. So are shipping containers.
AGRICULTURE: Farmers and ranchers depend on steel to support their livelihood.
Today’s modern farmer uses steel tractors. His equipment may include balers, forklifts, harvesters, plows, threshing machines, and other equipment largely made of steel.
Agricultural uses of steel include barns and other structures, farming tools, fencing wire, riding arenas, silos, stables, and storage tanks.
FOOD INDUSTRY: Did you the global food industry produces over 200 billion steel cans of food each year?
About 600 steel cans are recycled every second in the U.S.
Antibacterial stainless steel forms food production machinery. Stainless steel ranges and walk-in coolers help keep food preparation safe in restaurants.
INFRASTRUCTURE: Travel would be impossible without steel:
- Our steel cars and trucks navigate across towns and country on steel.
- Concrete roads and highways depend on steel reinforcement.
- Huge steel bridges span across, canyons, lakes, rivers, and coastal areas.
- Steel-supported tunnels whisk traffic through mountains and under rivers.
- Ribbons of steel tracks crisscross the land, guiding cable cars, subways, and trains to their destinations.
- Steel even produces our traffic signs and stoplights along the byways.
Step Up to Steel with RHINO Steel Buildings
As we approach Thanksgiving, I find myself truly thankful for steel. Without it, I do not know what course my career might have taken.
When you look at the many ways steel serves our needs, I hope you will find a new appreciation for the significant contributions of steel.
Whether you are planning an enormous import warehouse, new church, gymnasium, restaurant, aircraft hangar, self-storage facility, office building, backyard shop, retail store, or any other commercial/industrial enterprise, call RHINO first.
RHINO metal buildings erect quickly. They are beautiful to behold, economical to maintain, built to last, and the greenest building material available today. What more could you ask of a building?
For more information about constructing your own affordable steel buildings, call RHINO now at 940.383.9566.
Our professional metal buildings specialists will assist you every step of the way. They can provide free, no obligation quotes on any low-rise building project required.
Don’t miss PART 2 of this series with even more uses for steel.