Cold Rolled vs Hot Rolled
The Technical Bit
Steel is now probably the most widely used material for commercial and industrial construction, and there are two types of Steel Frames to choose from – Hot Rolled or Cold Rolled.
Steel is manufactured using two different methods – hot rolling and cold rolling. The criteria that determines whether steel is Hot Rolled or Cold Rolled is the temperature it is rolled at:
Hot rolling is carried out at a temperature of around 1,000 degrees Centigrade using a process which prevents the steel from hardening whilst it is being worked. The exact finished tolerance of Hot Rolled steel will alter as it cools down to room temperature.
Cold rolling is carried out at room temperature, which means no cooling is necessary. This means the tolerance of the steel does not alter and it will not break as easily as Hot Rolled Steel. Although developed over 50 years ago, Cold Rolled Steel has only been used extensively for construction over the past 20 years as its true versatility has been explored.
So when should Hot Rolled Steel & Cold Rolled Steel be used?
The simple answer is that Hot Rolled steel tends to be used for large clear span or tall buildings, and particularly where a building is used to store bulk material or where the frame is required to carry additional loads, such as overhead cranes etc.
As Hot Rolled steel sections tend to be thicker, they are better suited for this purpose.
Cold Rolled steel
Cold Rolled steel is particularly well suited for use in prefabricated buildings with spans of up to 24 metres, with a maximum eaves height of around 6 metres; dependent on the other dimensions of the building. Foundations for Cold Rolled Steel Frame Buildings also tend to be more shallow and therefore more cost effective than for Hot Rolled Steel Frame Buildings.
All of our Cold Rolled Steel Frames are Pre-Galvanised, ensuring a long design life of your new building and protecting your investment for many years to come. National Steel Buildings can supply and erect a range of Cold Rolled Steel Frame Buildings throughout the UK, why not give us a call, drop us an email or use our interactive quote tool and we will be more than happy to provide you with a tailored quotation to suit your needs.
Hot Rolled steel
Hot Rolled Steel Frames tend to lend themselves better to more bespoke building designs, maybe where a building needs to be tapered or something other than just square or rectangular. Hot Rolled Steel Frames are also better suited for potentially corrosive environments, such as Cattle Sheds or perhaps to house a Heated Swimming Pool.
Hot Rolled Steel Frames can be painted to a standard colour of your choice or they can be Post-Galvanised for an even more robust finish.
National Steel Buildings can supply and erect a range of Hot Rolled Steel Buildings throughout the UK, why not give us a call, drop us an email or use our interactive quote tool and we will be more than happy to provide you with a tailored quotation to suit your needs.
