The latest annual survey of market trends for the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) found that steel remains the structural framing material of choice.
An accompanying forecast suggests modest but steady growth in the market between 2025 and 2028.
The 2024 survey is the latest in a series going back to 1980 and is thought to be the biggest of its kind in the UK, based on interviews with over 750 architects, builders and designers.
The survey looked at non-residential multi and single storey, as well as residential buildings. The key non-residential multi-storey sector – above five storey – includes offices, retail, leisure, health and education buildings.
The survey found that the total market, based on floor area for structural frames in the UK in 2024 was down 6.7% on 2023. Constructional steel commanded a 46.7% share of the market, with 855,000 tonnes of steel erected, significantly more than any alternative material.
Structural steel continued to dominate the industrial single storey – big shed – market in 2024, taking a 94.1% share, despite a 6.9% reduction in total floor area across all materials compared to 2023.
In the multi-storey frames sector, steel accounted for 1,546,000 sqm of office floor area, which equates to 74.3% of this market. Private education, which includes student accommodation, also saw a significant growth from 2023 to 2024, with a 16.4% increase in floor area, giving steel a 64.5% market share.
The forecast predicts that total UK consumption of structural steelwork will increase to 897,000 tonnes by 2028, with growth coming across a number of sectors.
BCSA chief executive Jonathan Clemens said: “The survey shows that structural steel remains the preferred choice of the UK construction market across all the building types analysed. Steel’s inherent benefits in terms of design, functionality, speed of erection and site quality, along with the demonstrable competence of BCSA steel fabricators, have all played their part in demonstrating to clients, contractors and engineers that they make the right choice when they choose steel.
“Steel also makes an important contribution to the circular economy through reuse and recycling, which are all factors that continue to be valued by developers, contractors, designers and building users alike. This is then further demonstrated by the industry’s commitment to support the wider UK journey to net zero carbon. As such, I’m confident that future market share surveys will continue to illustrate the dominance of steel as a framing material.”
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