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O F S T R U C T U R A L S T E E L
ROBERT R. BONENFANT, JR. - JULY 2008
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION 2. 3. TYPES AND METHODS OF MEASUREMENT
Steel Beam Sections and Dimensions Large Quantities Versus Small Economies of Scale Union Labor Versus Non-Union Labor Geographical Location Supply and Demand of Steel Height of Building Site Conditions Experience of Erection Crew Renovation Project Versus New Construction Connection Details Moment Connections Beam Penetrations Main CSI Division Specific Sub-Division/Specification Section Brief Description of Structural Steel
RATIOS AND ANALYSIS MISCELLANEOUS AND PERTINENT INFORMATION 9. GLOSSARY 10. REFERENCES
7. 8.
4. 5. 6.
OVERVIEW OF LABOR, EQUIPMENT, INDIRECT COSTS AND MARK-UPS SAMPLE TAKE-OFF AND PRICING SHEETS SPECIAL RISK CONSIDERATIONS
Material Pricing Escalation Surcharges Fuel Costs Value of the Dollar Lead Times
1. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this technical paper is to provide a basic understanding of how to prepare an estimate for structural steel beams and columns. This paper will focus on how to do a quantity survey of steel members, bent plate (pour stops), shear studs, connections, steel floor and roof decking, and price accordingly. The paper will not address AESS, diagonally braced frames, open web steel joists, trusses, steel tube, steel stairs, grating and other miscellaneous components that may be part of a building system. In addition, ancillary trades such as cementitious spray-fireproofing and intumescent fireproofing will not be considered in this technical paper. The intent of the paper is to isolate on a few key aspects of a structural steel framed building and not all possible components. Please note that CSIs 2004 MasterFormat edition has been used.
The standard unit of measurement for steel beams and columns is tons. The formula for calculating tons of steel will be: Wt. (Tons) = (L x Wt.) / 2,000 L = Length of Beam of Column Wt. = Unit Weight of Beam or Column in Pounds 2,000 = Conversion Factor from Pounds to Tons The unit measurement for floor and roof deck is square feet (SF). Area (SF) = (L x W) x 1.15 L = Length of Building in Feet W = Width of Building in Feet 1.10 = Excess Factor for Seams (10%)
The unit measurement for pour stop is Tons. Wt. (tons) = (P x Wt.) / 2,000 P = (L + W) x 2 if rectangular or square building and measured perimeter (P) if irregular shaped L = Length of Building in Feet W = Width of Building in Feet Wt. = Unit Weight of Beam or Column in Pounds 2,000 = Conversion Factor from Pounds to Tons The unit measure of shear studs is Each. Shear Studs (Each) = Quantity Count from Structural Steel Drawings x 1.05 1.05 = Excess Factor for Defective or Broken Studs (5%)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
A steel framed building is an alternative to a concrete framed building. The steel framed building is equally a good choice as a concrete framed building. They each have distinct building materials, practices and benefits that have to be carefully weighed, as timing and situation will dictate the best choice. However, steel is a material that has the highest strength-to-weight ratio and is very ductile. Steel is also shop fabricated and therefore has a higher quality control as its produced in a controlled environment. Steel beams and steel columns are used to structurally frame a building so that it supports the exterior faade, roof, interior construction, mechanical and electrical systems of the building and of course the personnel, furnishings and equipment that will occupy the building. The structural steel framed building also includes components such as steel floor decking, steel roof decking, steel joists, bolted connections, welded connections, base plates, slab pour stops, braced framing, moment connections, and other miscellaneous cold-formed metals to complete the steel framing system. Again, for the purposes of this paper I will only focus on a few of these components.
Structural steel drawings will be provided that shows plan views, column schedules, and connection details. The plan drawings will show beam lengths and sizes with shear stud counts and cambering and the column schedules will show column heights and sizes. Detail drawings will also show items such as beam penetrations, moment connections, base plates, deck opening framing, HVAC support framing, and other special framing conditions. The following charts will show some typical steel sections, specifications, dimensions and welding symbols.
HEIGHT OF BUILDING
The height of the building will dictate the type of crane to be used on the project. Smaller projects may be able to use a mobile wheel-mounted or track-crawler crane. Tall buildings will need a tower crane that will require concrete pad foundations and electrical power requirements.
SITE CONDITIONS
The site conditions and constraints will also dictate the type crane that will be utilized. Tight sites in city areas will need tower cranes versus the ability to use mobile cranes in open sites assuming heights arent an issue.
CONNECTION DETAILS
A project that utilizes welded connections takes longer to erect than with bolted connections. In addition, the fieldtesting of welded connections will also add time to the schedule. Curtainwall support connections will add to the cost as well as precast panel connections. Therefore, its important to know what the faade of the building will be so connection detail costs can be accounted for.
BEAM PENETRATIONS
Beam penetrations are cutouts made in the steel beams so that mechanical piping and ductwork can pass through. There will be unreinforced and reinforced beam penetrations depending on the size of the opening. Sometimes the architectural, structural, and mechanical drawings are coordinated enough to allow the Engineer to show on the plans where a portion of these beam penetrations may occur. The beam penetrations shown on the plans that can be fabricated in the shop will have a much lower cost than the beam penetrations that will have to be provided for in the field. There will inevitably be beam penetrations that will need to be cutout and reinforced in the field at a higher unit cost.
EQUIPMENT
The equipment utilized will be mobile cranes or tower cranes. Tower cranes will be predominantly utilized on high buildings in tight city quarters.
INDIRECT COSTS
Tower cranes also require concrete pad foundations to be set on and also require electrical power service. Safety costs for perimeter cabling needs to be considered along with other temporary construction costs to provide a secure and safe working environment. Other indirect costs to consider are sales tax, payment and performance bonds and liability insurance.
MATERIAL
Take-off the lengths of each different size beam and column. Next Ill multiply the length of each beam and column by its respective weight. From the sum of all these beams and columns Ill then calculate the total tonnage. The shear studs will be counted for each beam and a total tallied. The perimeter of the floor plates will be calculated in order to figure the length of pour stop. The area of the floors will be calculated to determine the decking quantity. And lastly, the connections will be figured by calculating percentages of the total steel tonnage.
LABOR
Since the steel is fabricated in the shop the labor portion refers to the erection crew. Generally, its assumed that for erection a crane can pick between 35 and 60 pieces a day. Assuming the average is 45 picks per day, and using common sizes of beams and columns that would probably equate to around 30 tons erected per day.
Floor 2nd Floor SOMD 3rd Floor SOMD 4th Floor SOMD Roof SOMD Total Weight:
Un LB LB LB LB
Un TN TN TN TN
25,920 LB
12.96 TN
Subtotal of Steel Tonnage Steel Tonnage Base Plates Column Splices Miscellaneous Details Total Weight: Min. % 2.00% 4.00% 4.00% Max. % 3.00% 5.00% 5.00%
160.07 TN Min. Wt. Un Max. Wt. Un 3.20 TN 6.40 TN 6.40 TN 4.80 TN 8.00 TN 8.00 TN 20.81 TN Total Wt. Un
Unit Wt. (plf) Height (vf) Len (lf) 82 61 61 53 12 12 12 12 192 192 192 192
Un LB LB LB LB
Total Weight:
49,344 LB
24.67 TN
90.00
90.00
8,100
810
8,910 8,910 SF
Ste e l Be a m s Ta ke -Off Typical for 2nd floor through the roof (4 levels) 2nd floor Qty 8 4 8 8 22 Size W24x55 W36x135 W21x44 W8x10 W16x31 Le ngth 30 30 30 10 30 Unit Wt. 55 135 44 10 31 Tota l Wt. (lbs.) Tota l Wt. (tns.) 13,200 16,200 10,560 800 20,460 61,220 6.60 8.10 5.28 0.40 10.23 30.61
35,640 SF
GSF
32,400
Ite m 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
De scription Structural Steel Beams & Columns Bent Plate at Pour Stops Connection Steel Shear Studs - 3/4"x5" Steel Floor Deck - 3"x18 Gauge Steel Roof Deck - 3"x20 Gauge Direct Construction Cost
Qty
Un
Equip Un Pr Equip Tota l Tota l Cost $ $ $ $ $ $ 200.00 $ 29,422.00 $ $ $ $ $ $ 29,422 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 485,463 42,768 104,050 20,496 86,873 26,730 766,380 153,276 919,655
$/SF $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 14.98 1.32 3.21 0.63 2.68 0.83 23.65 4.73 28.38
147.11 tons 12.96 tons 20.81 tons 5,124 each 26,730 sf 8,910 sf
Subtota l We ight: 3rd floor Qty 8 4 8 8 22 Size W24x55 W36x135 W21x44 W8x10 W16x31 Le ngth 30 30 30 10 30 Unit Wt. 55 135 44 10 31
20.00%
Tota l Wt. (lbs.) Tota l Wt. (tns.) 13,200 16,200 10,560 800 20,460 61,220 6.60 8.10 5.28 0.40 10.23 30.61
Subtota l We ight: 4th floor Qty 8 4 8 8 22 Size W24x55 W36x135 W21x44 W8x10 W16x31 Le ngth 30 30 30 10 30 Unit Wt. 55 135 44 10 31
When estimating the cost of structural steel there is significant risk to mitigate. These risk items include the following:
Subtota l We ight: Roof Qty 8 4 8 8 22 Size W24x55 W36x135 W21x44 W8x10 W16x31 Le ngth 30 30 30 10 30 Unit Wt. 55 135 44 10 31
MATERIAL COST
The cost of structural steel is increasing, as theres a huge global appetite for steel currently underway. Contributing to this escalation is also the fact that steelmakers are paying large premiums for raw materials from mining companies and passing this cost onto the consumer. Raw material costs have recently contributed to 50% of the steel cost where a short time ago they traditionally accounted for roughly 15% of the steel material cost. Steelmakers are now trying to acquire mines to provide raw materials for their own companies in order to be more self-sufficient.
Tota l Wt. (lbs.) Tota l Wt. (tns.) 13,200 16,200 10,560 800 20,460 61,220 244,880 6.60 8.10 5.28 0.40 10.23 30.61 122.44
ESCALATION
Escalation is a significant cost factor when putting a steel bid together. Your project may not require the steel to be on-site for many months to a year, if not longer. Many steel contractors will not even try to guess what steel prices may be at that time because of price volatility. In order to level the playing field for the steel contractors during a bid you may have to forecast as best you can the projected future steel cost and carry an escalation allowance. This strategy should be discussed should be discussed with the Owner.
SURCHARGES
Surcharges are added to the steel material costs because the material cost is volatile and it gives the steel supplier more flexibility to lower and raise his price. This practice eliminates the need to constantly adjust a fixed price so that you can appear to remain competitive.
FUEL/ENERGY COSTS
The cost of a barrel of oil is hovering around $140/barrel and the average cost of gasoline in the U.S. right now is about $4.00/gallon. Fuel and energy costs are making steel more expensive to produce and ship steel.
will take the total steel tonnage and divide by the total building square footage (assuming the ground is a slab-ongrade) and expect to get a unit weight of between 11 psf and 15 psf. If my tonnage is not in this range I will investigate further to determine why the structure is seemingly light or heavy. Having a structure with inadequate steel strength is one issue and having a structure with excessive weight may be inefficiency in beam usage leading to an unnecessarily higher cost. In regards to shear studs I would also divide the total building square footage by the total quantity of shear studs and expect this number to be in the range of 6-8 sf per stud (or 0.13 0.17 studs per sf). If not, Ill make adjustments to make sure that I carry enough shear studs in the estimate. The following logic chart below is a sample calculation used to check the validity of the estimate. I have shown how to complete a logic check on the structural steel beams, columns, bent plate, and connections to see if the unit weight of the structural steel system is in the projected range. I have also shown how to complete a logic check on the shear studs to make sure there are enough for the composite slabon-deck system. I have performed a quick check on the structural steel erection cost to see if it is in-line with my estimate. As you will the erection estimate at $161,821 is close to what I calculated in the estimate at $176,077. This again is a logic check to make sure that the numbers in the estimate are a reasonable cost for the scope of work.
Weight Columns Beams Bent Plate Connections Total Weight Building (SF) Unit Weight (PSF) 49,344 244,880 25,920 41,619 LB LB LB LB
Okay: The unit weight of steel for the structure falls in the range of 11-15 psf at 11.2 psf. Since this is an office building I would expect it to be closer to 11#. Shear Stud Logic Check
Okay: The quantity of shear studs falls in the range of one (1) stud per 6-8 sf of floor area. We're at one (1) stud per 6.3 sf of floor area for the structure.
GLOSSARY
Un 48 Each 200 Each 248 Each 147.11 Tons 0.59 Tons 51 Pieces 5 Days
Item Steel Columns Steel Beams Total # of Beams & Columns Total Weight of Beams & Columns Average Weight of Steel Member If Pick 30 Tons Per Day Production = Duration of Steel Erection Crew Unit Cost ($/Ton) Crew Daily Cost (30 Tons Per Day) Total Steel Erection Cost Check Cost From Estimate
Qty
$ $ $ $
A36 ASTM Steel Designation AESS Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel OST On-Screen Take-off SOG Slab on grade SOMD Slab on metal deck BIM Building Information Modeling Moment Connection A rigid or semi-rigid column to beam connection Shear Stud A metal stud welded to the top of a beam in a composite slab on deck Intumescent Referring to fire retardant paint on architecturally exposed steel Camber An arch fabricated in the beam so that designed loads acting on the beam limit the deflection of the beam. The intent is to have a level floor.
REFERENCES
Means Estimating Handbook AISC Manual of Steel Construction