A pleasure to do business with

ZAMIL STEEL
Pre-Engineered Buildings
January 1999

PRE-ENGINEERED STEEL BUILDINGS VS. CONVENTIONAL STEEL BUILDINGS

in low-rise building construction

PRE-ENGINEERED STEEL
BUILDINGS (PEBs)
Structure Weight Pre-Engineered Buildings are about 30% lighter
through the efficient use of steel. Primary framing
members are tapered (varying depth) built-up plate
sections with large depths in the areas of highest
stress.

CONVENTIONAL STEEL
BUILDINGS
Primary steel members are selected from standard hot
rolled "I" sections, which are, in many segments of the
members, heavier than what is actually required by
design. Members have constant cross-sections
regardless of varying magnitude of the local stresses
along the member length.

Secondary members are light gage (light weight) cold- Secondary members are selected from standard hot
formed (low labor cost) "Z" or "C" shaped members. rolled "I" and "C" sections, which are heavier.

Design Quick and efficient: since PEBs are mainly formed of Each conventional steel structure is designed from
standard sections and connections, design time is
significantly reduced. Basic designs are used over and
over.

scratch by the Consultant, with fewer design aids

available to the Engineer.

Specialized computer analysis and design programs

optimize material required. Drafting is also
computerized using standard details that minimize
project custom details.

Substantial engineering and detailing is required on

every project. Generalized computer analysis
programs require extensive input/output and design
alterations.

Design, shop detail sketches and erection drawings

are supplied free of charge by the manufacturer.
Approval drawings are usually prepared within 2
weeks.

Extensive consultant time is devoted to design and

drafting, as well as co-ordination and review, often at
a significant expense.

PEB engineers design and detail pre-engineered

buildings almost every day throughout the year
resulting in faster and more efficient designs.

Each project is a separate case, engineers need more

time to develop the designs and details of the unique
structure.

Consultants in-house design and drafting time is

considerably reduced, allowing more time for coordination and review, and increased margins on
design fees.

More complicated design requiring extensive design

and drafting time from Consultants.

Delivery Average 6 to 8 weeks.

Foundations Simple design, easy to construct and light weight.
Erection Simplicity Since the connections of the components are
standard, the learning curve of erection for each
subsequent project is faster.

Average 20 to 26 weeks.
Extensive, heavy foundation required.
The connections are normally complicated and differ
from project to project, resulting in longer learning
curves of erection for new projects.

Periodic free-of-charge erection support at the site is

usually provided by PEB manufacturers.

Erection Cost and Both costs & time of erection are accurately known,
Time based upon extensive experience with similar
buildings.

Typically, they are 20% more expensive than PEB. In

most of the cases, the erection costs and time are not
estimated accurately.

PEBs are often erected by specialized PEB builders

with extensive experience in the erection of similar
buildings, offering very competitive rates. PEB
builders usually have a stock of standard components,
in their camps, enabling them to complete jobs on
time should any shortage or site damage occur to
materials.
The erection process is easy, fast, step by step and
with hardly any requirement for equipment.

Seismic The low-weight flexible frames offer higher resistance

Resistance to seismic forces.

Erection is slow and extensive field labor is required.

Heavy equipment is often needed.
Rigid heavy weight structures do not perform well in
seismic zones.

PRE-ENGINEERED STEEL BUILDINGS VS. CONVENTIONAL STEEL BUILDINGS

in low-rise building construction

PRE-ENGINEERED STEEL
BUILDINGS (PEBs)
Overall Price Price per square meter may be as much as 30%
lower than conventional steel.

Architecture Outstanding architectural design can be achieved at

low cost using standard architectural features and
interface details. Traditional wall and fascia materials,
such as concrete, masonry and wood, can be utilized.

Sourcing and Building is supplied complete with cladding and all

Co-ordination accessories, including erection (if desired) from one

CONVENTIONAL STEEL
BUILDINGS
Rigid heavy weight structures do not perform well in
seismic zones.
Special architectural design and features must be
developed for each project, which often require
research and thus resulting in much higher costs.
Many sources of supply; project management time is
required to co-ordinate suppliers and sub-contractors.

single source

Cost of Change PEB manufacturers often stock a large amount of

Orders basic raw materials that can be flexibly used in many
types of PEB projects.

Substitution of hot rolled sections, that are

infrequently rolled by mills, is expensive and time
consuming.

Change orders are easily accommodated at all stages

of the order fulfillment process. Little or no material is
wasted even if a change order is made after
fabrication starts.

Change orders that are made, after hot rolled sections

are shipped for fabrication, often result in
redundancies to a lot of hot rolled sections, which
ultimately results in more cost to the enduser.

Building Designed to fit the system, with standardized,

Accessories interchangeable parts, including pre-designed flashing

Every project requires special design for accessories

and special sourcing for each item. Flashing and trims
must be uniquely designed and fabricated.

and trims. They are mass produced for economy and

are available with the building. They have been tried
in thousands of existing buildings

Future Expansions All project records are kept in electronic format

indefinitely, making it easy for the owner or designer
to obtain a copy of his building records at any time.

It would be difficult to obtain project records, after a

long period of time. It is required to contact more
than one party, involved in the project, to obtain
accurate information.

Future expansion is simple, easy and cost effective.

One supplier can co-ordinate changes.

Future expansion would be more difficult and, more

likely, costlier.

Responsibility Single source of supply results in total responsibility

by one supplier, including design liability. PEB
manufacturers can be relied upon to service their
buildings long after they are supplied to protect their
reputation.

Performance All components have been specified and designed

Multiple responsibilities can result in questions of who

is responsible when components do not fit properly,
insufficient material is supplied, or materials fail to
perform, particularly at the supplier/contractor
interface. The consultant carries total design liability.

specifically to act together as a system, for maximum

efficiency, precise fit, and peak performance in the
field.

Components are custom designed for a specific

application on a specific job. Design and detailing
errors are possible when assembling the diverse
components into unique buildings.

Experience with similar buildings, in actual field

conditions worldwide, has resulted in design
improvements over time, which allow dependable
prediction of performance.

Each building design is unique, so prediction of how

components will perform together is uncertain.
Materials which have performed well in some climates
may not do so in other environments.

Global Experience Zamil Steel is a global supplier of pre-engineered

Normally, suppliers of conventional steel are oriented

to their local markets with experience in local climatic
conditions only.

buildings to over 50 countries. The company has

acquired vast experience in the performance of PEBs
in different climatic conditions.
Make ZAMIL STEEL your Global Partner.

THE PRE-ENGINEERED BUILDING CONCEPT

The primary framing system
In conventional steel buildings, mill-produced
hot rolled sections (beams and columns) are
used. The size of each member is selected on the
basis of the maximum internal stress in the
member.
Since a hot rolled section has a constant depth,
many parts of the member (represented by the
shaded area), in areas of low internal stresses, are
in excess of design requirements.

Frames of pre-engineered buildings are made

from an extensive inventory of standard plates
stocked by the PEB manufacturer. PEB frames
are normally tapered and often have flanges and
webs of vaiable thicknesses along the individual
members.
The frame geomentry matches the shape of the
internal stress diagram thus minimizing material
waste and reducing the total weight of the structure.

The secondary framing system

Z shaped roof purlins and wall girts are used
for the secondary framing. They are lighter than
the conventional hot-rolled C shaped sections
in conventional steel buildings.
Nesting of the Z shaped members at the frames
allows them to act as continuous members along
the length of the building. This doubles the
strength capacity of the Z shaped members at
the laps where the maximum internal stresses
normally occur.

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www.zamilsteel.com

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