Steel Structure Design Services

Design inputs usually include plans, elevations, sections, use, span, bay spacing, height, loads, materials and project location. Industrial buildings may also need crane, equipment and expansion information.

Incomplete inputs can change the structural system, member sizes, connection details and fabrication scope later in the project.

Design defines the system, calculations and design responsibility. Detailing converts approved design intent into models, member information and material lists. Shop drawings support cutting, assembly, welding and inspection.

The three stages can connect, but the contract should confirm who calculates, who details, who approves shop drawings and who authorizes changes.

Portal frames, frames, trusses or spatial structures are selected against span, height, live loads, wind, cranes and equipment vibration. The same floor area can require very different steel quantities under different loads.

Projects with future expansion, heavy equipment or multi-storey use should reserve interfaces early to avoid later strengthening.

Beam-column connections, bracing, diaphragms, stiffeners, bolts and welds affect not only structural behavior but also weld access, assembly sequence and shipping splits.

Complex joints, thick-plate welding and many site connections need earlier coordination between design, detailing and fabrication.

The delivery scope can be assessed for calculations, 3D models, member drawings, connection details, material lists and erection information. Model depth, drawing language, file format and review points should be agreed before work starts.

Design, fabrication and site teams should use the same released revision.

Design changes should follow approved documents and record the affected scope and drawing revisions. Changes to materials, sections, connections or foundations must reach procurement, fabrication and dispatch.

Revision control keeps every party aware of the current issued document.

The design responsibility, review interface and applicability of local codes depend on the project location and contract. Design output does not replace statutory review, and detailing does not replace structural design responsibility.

FindingSteel supports detailing, fabrication, inspection and export delivery through its Foshan base and more than 20 years of industry experience; the design scope remains subject to project documents.

Provide architectural drawings, structural conditions, use, span, height, loads, materials, codes, location and required delivery milestones. Existing models or structural drawings should also be shared.

FindingSteel operates a 25,000 m² Foshan base with an annual design capacity of 40,000 tonnes and serves export projects in 50+ countries.