With demand expected to rise to 897,000 tonnes by 2028, key growth sectors – driven by green energy infrastructure and healthcare projects – could shape the future of structural steel in the UK
Steel has retained its position as the structural framing material of choice in 2024, according to the latest survey from independent market research consultants Construction Markets. An accompanying forecast suggests modest but steady growth in the market between 2025 and 2028.
Commissioned by the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA), the 2024 survey (the latest in a series going back to 1980) is based on interviews with more than 750 architects, builders and designers. The survey looks at non-residential multi and single storey, as well as residential buildings.
The survey reveals that the total market, based on floor area for structural frames in the UK in 2024, was down 6.7% compared to 2023. Constructional steel commanded a 46.7% market share, with 855,000 tonnes of steel erected, more than any alternative material.
The forecast says total UK structural steelwork consumption is expected to increase to 897,000 tonnes by 2028, with growth across several sectors.
BCSA’s chief executive officer, Jonathan Clemens, says key growth sectors are at the mercy of the new government and investor confidence. “The greatest opportunities lie in the plans to increase green energy supply for the UK, which will need a great deal of infrastructure to support it, and steel is best placed to deliver the different structures and building types involved. The New Hospital Programme (NHP) will provide significant opportunities for constructional steel if the Government starts to deliver the project to meet its target of 40 new hospitals by 2030.”
Structural steel continued to dominate the industrial single-storey 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 also saw significant growth from 2023 to 2024, with a 16.4% increase in floor area, giving steel a 64.5% market share.
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