21 Interesting Facts and Figures About Steel

Steel is laced throughout the history of mankind and is an integral element in our development as a species, from technology to medicine to building and infrastructure. It’s an incredible substance that is ubiquitous in the modern world, and society today would be very different without it. Let’s crunch the numbers and take a look at some interesting facts and figures about steel.

• A huge amount of steel is recycled – about 70% – more than paper, aluminium, plastic and glass combined.

• For everyone one tonne of steel that is recycled, about 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone is saved.

• Over 50% of all steel products present in modern automobiles did not exist a decade ago.

• About 80,000 tons of steels were used to build the Golden Gate Bridge.

• The famous ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium in Beijing, China is comprised of 42,000 tonnes of criss-crossed steel beams.

• On a hot day, the arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is made entirely of steel, can expand up to 18cm in height.

• The steelwork of the Harbour Bridge that needs to be painted is a combined 485,000 m2 – the equivalent of sixty football fields. Each coat on the bridge requires some 30,000 litres of paint.

• The amount of steel currently ‘in use’ across the world today averages out at at around 270 kg per person.

• The total amount of crude steel manufactured in 2013 across the entire globe was enough to build 160,000 Eiffel Towers.

• In 2013, enough steel was salvaged from recycled cars to make over 13 million new ones.

• The Empire State Building contains 730 tonnes of steel.

• The world’s tallest tower – Burj Khalifa, located in Dubai – contains 31, 400 metric tonnes of reinforcing steel which, if laid end to end, would extended a quarter of the way around the Earth.

• The scrap steel from 4 recycled cars is enough to frame a typical 2000 sq. ft house.

• About 75% of all major appliances are comprised of steel.

• In 1999, the recycling rate for steel cans in Australia was 40%.

• The amount of energy required to produce steel has been halved in the past 50 years.

• A steel mill that uses recycled steel reduces air and water pollution by around 70 percent.

• Steel is roughly 1,000 times stronger than iron in its purest form.

• The average computer is about 25% steel.

• 24 tonnes of steel were salvaged from the World Trade Centre in New York and used to build the USS New York, commemorating the victims of 9/11.

• Steel is 100% recyclable.

If you think steel is as incredible as we do and have any queries about building a world-class steel structure, whether it’s about supply, steel fabrication, steel drafting, or installation. Read on!