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7 Key Questions For Structural Steel Fabricators

15 November 2021

close up of worker fabricating steel

Before beginning a commercial or domestic construction project, you need to ensure you choose a reputable and reliable structural steel fabrication company to work alongside you. Structural steel is preferred to many other materials due to its strength and durability, but you need a specialist company to collaborate with you to get the most out of it. Buy A Beam helps to connect customers with local steel fabricators, so here are our tips for finding the right steel fabricator for you.

Things to Ask Steel Fabrication Companies

The success of your project relies on much more than using the correct type of steel; it’s the service, support and results of your chosen structural steel fabricator that makes all the difference. Due to the complicated nature of steel fabrication, one minor glitch can spell disaster, so you should select your fabricator carefully.

Here are some questions to consider asking them.

1. Do they fabricate their own steel?

Take the time to check that any structural steel fabricators you’re considering using have an in-house team that’s available to design and craft products, including:

If the steel fabricators have their own facilities, they will have more control over the quality and speed of their fabrication processes. This should mean your steel will likely have been given the right care and attention before being supplied.

2. What previous steel fabrication experience do they have?

Asking fabrication companies how long they’ve been in business can help you understand how well established they are. Working with a team that has years of steel fabrication experience means they are likely to have completed a wide range of projects, developing a broader skillset that they can use to complete your order.

3. What is their fabrication process?

Don’t feel awkward about wanting to ask fabricators about their processes - any good steel supplier will happily be transparent about how they work. The right structural steel fabrication company will collaborate with everyone involved to provide an excellent service, including helping with the conceptual designs and ensuring all safety checks and precautions are taken into account.

4. Are they UKCA or CE certified?

For years, CE markings have been used in the UK to indicate steel products that are compliant with EU standards. Since the start of 2021, UKCA markings have been introduced to meet updated standards, and they will completely replace CE markings in the UK from the end of 2022 onwards.

Therefore, when requesting structural or stainless steel fabrication, you need to ask potential collaborators whether they’re UKCA or CE certified. Any fabricated steel component that has a structural effect on a building is legally required to meet CE and UKCA mark standards.

5. What is their current capacity?

Any issues that fabricators have with their capacity will make it much harder to deliver your steel products to a high standard. If you’re using small steel fabricators, they may not have the equipment or the workforce to meet high supply demands, and larger companies could have long waiting lists. Ensure that you discuss the specifics of your project so that any special requirements for your steel can be made available, and you’re not going to be late meeting project deadlines.

6. Do they finish in-house or outsource/subcontract?

As well as making sure you find steel fabricators that have their own in-house fabrication facilities, you should also ask whether they can finish the steel in-house according to your requirements. Finishing techniques are better done locally than when outsourced, so if steel fabricators have the equipment to complete these finishing processes in-house, your project could be completed sooner and to a higher standard.

7. What equipment do they use?

Every fabrication project is slightly different, so you need to check that your chosen fabricators will be able to complete your order correctly. If you have any queries, ask for a tour of the facilities, and you’ll be able to see the fabrication services they can provide. This should help you gain peace of mind about the success of your project and enable both parties to discuss any special requirements that the fabrication task requires.

Buy Steel Online from Local Steel Fabricators

When selecting between structural steel fabricators, it’s essential to look beyond how expensive they’ll be - you need to balance experience, demand and capacity, and asking the seven questions mentioned above makes that a lot easier.

To browse steel fabricators near you, try using Buy A Beam today. Our online web store connects you with local suppliers to order steel online, reducing the initial quote timescales and giving you instant prices thanks to our built-in online steel calculator.