Concrete and steel buildings, for example, vary widely between costs, materials, requirements, and long-term results. These buildings can serve many of the same purposes with the ability to store, house, protect, and function. But, there is a clear winner when you consider the ecosystem and your project goals.

Read on to explore a comparison of prefab metal buildings with concrete buildings in search of the best building for your particular project. Learn how you can save the environment and reduce costs through steel.

Becoming Eco-Friendly? How Steel and Concrete Buildings Compare

The concern over whether a building serves a larger environmental purpose grows each year. Making sure that your building is doing its part by minimizing material and building costs while reducing required material remains only part of the battle. Instead, becoming eco-friendly can be a matter of simply choosing to go with metal. See these comparisons:

Material Costs

• Concrete: Concrete makes itself available in nearly every corner of the world as a cost-saving and strong material, but it is no match for the savings, speed, and strength that steel presents.
• Steel: Steel is often used as the main component for buildings because it surpasses concrete's strength-to-weight ratio, takes fewer hours to completely produce, and therefore saves money on production costs. In addition, steel in the US is recycled.

Building Costs

• Concrete: You will need a skilled professional or contractor to get a concrete project up and running. You will spend great loads of money on the payroll as you wait for the project to bring itself out of ideation into practical terms.
• Steel: When using prefab metal buildings, you never have to worry about building costs adding up around you when you can get the project on the ground quickly. You'll need help with fewer specialized skills while minimizing risk.

Long-Term Costs

• Concrete—In some respects, concrete seems like a solid choice for saving on costs down the road. By blocking temperature swings, drafts, and other conditions, you might think you are going to save. But, in reality, concrete buildings require considerably more maintenance than steel and metal prefab buildings.
• Steel—Steel lasts. If you choose metal for your next building, you'll receive the same strength and speed that concrete affords with the added benefit of not needing as much maintenance. Especially if you choose insulation in your steel prefab building, you'll also not need to worry about temperature swings.

Why Steel Buildings are Better for the Environment?

As you may know, concrete only recycles up to a certain point. In fact, only 50 percent of its used material doesn't end up in a landfill. Moreover, cement gives off carbon dioxide, contributing to about 5 percent of gas emissions overall every year. These statistics might concern you, and consider even more eco-centric possibilities for each material below.

• Concrete—Concrete does not get recycled economically, meaning tons of concrete waste accumulating and being dumped around the world. Because it also produces greenhouse gases and often ends up in the landfill, there are much better options for the environment when we look at steel.
• Steel—Unlike concrete, steel is completely and 100 percent recyclable and reusable. Few realize that it never loses its value regardless of the number of uses. But, many enjoy that recycled steel costs much less than fresh steel. In addition to that, steel is easy to handle and reused even by the non-technical.

From here, you can see a clear winner for the construction of buildings from steel or concrete with an eco-friendly edge. Steel buildings are not only cheaper, faster, and stronger than concrete buildings, but they also outperform them when it comes to environmental protection and green awareness. Metal building kits could be the new way to support a healthier planet!

Steel Buildings Still Beating Concrete for Various Projects

When it comes to projects, you will have to make strategic choices about which material you choose. You might think that the playing field is even between steel and concrete, but for most applications, it's clear that steel and metal prefab buildings are better.

From the outset, the design and ideation process for creating and visualizing the building is much easier and requires less technical skill that costs mightily. Then, when you consider the customization and planning phases of actually outfitting the building appropriately and preparing the site for installation, you see that steel is quicker and simpler as well. After construction and permits are all said and done, there remains whether your steel or concrete building can stand the test of time and the elements. Here again, steel shows itself as the cheaper and more environmentally friendly way to ensure the longevity of the building and keep it as an ongoing investment.

In short, you'll gain benefits from steel and metal that you simply will not receive as part of a concrete building plan. Steel is more cost-effective and easier to install yourself. It saves on energy as well as insurance while staying almost completely maintenance-free. Then, as you reduce fire risk, make things 100 percent recyclable, and fully customize your building, you'll also see the countless advantages of steel and metal. Even when you look at the long-term or the short-term, the benefits of steel are clear.

Steel buildings are easier to design, build, and install in every possible way because of the extraordinary material that steel is and the craftsmanship that goes into prefab building plans.

Benefit from Metal Buildings by Global Carport

Considering that you have seen the benefits and the clear advantage of steel over concrete, you may be ready to start exploring your options in the steel and metal prefab market.

Global Carport offers premium metal buildings through an experienced team. They give superior service, the best prices, and the smoothest customization and ordering process. With free delivery and professional installation, you'll want for nothing.

Contact Global Carport about their expertly-made, high-quality metal buildings today at (800) 918-7432.