Top Three Things You Didn’t Know About the Steel Industry

Back in the 19th and 20th centuries, the steel empire was an unstoppable Goliath with the businessmen at its forefront becoming as rich and famous as star sports players today. While the days of Carnegie and J.P. Morgan may be past us, the steel industry is just as burgeoning as ever. Commercial metal buildings and cars are still a vital part of American life and it’s interesting to see just how integral they have become to different areas. Here are three things you may not know about the steel industry:

1. Vehicles are Becoming More Abundant

With the economic slump the nation is going through and the availability of public transport, one might think that the market for vehicles would be shrinking. However, the steel industry still finds much business in this sector. About seven percent of Americans now own at least one recreational vehicle and some own even more, all of which exist due to commercial metal building. The steel industry is reaching out to recreational boats as well, since UV damage is so prominent in the sunny places where the boats tend to be used the most. Metal boats aren’t as susceptible to that sort of damage, so they are gaining popularity. This popularity isn’t limited to just vehicles though…

2. Metal Buildings are Rising in Popularity

Commercial metal buildings are becoming a much more common sight throughout America, especially in the agricultural sector. Steel barns, horse barns, and other farming structures can benefit a lot by being made of metal. After all, commercial metal buildings don’t rot, don’t leak as easily, don’t break as easily, and don’t catch fire. Structures in the style of commercial metal buildings are found even in suburbs in the form of things like metal carports. A carport is a sort of pavilion that can be built in the place of a garage and were popularized in the 1930s by Frank Lloyd Wright when he told a client that, “A car is not a horse; it does not need a barn.” This is still true today and many homes come equipped with steel carports in place of garages. What is perhaps the most important fact about these commercial metal buildings isn’t that they are popular, however, but rather what they are made of…

3. It’s Renewable!

The steel industry has received a bad rap by environmentalists for damaging the environment, but that isn’t an entirely complete picture. After all, so much of the steel that is used to make vehicles and commercial metal buildings is obtained from recycled materials! Americans recycle more steel each year than aluminum, glass, paper, and plastic put together. While not everything the steel industry does is great for the environment, it certainly can’t be said that they aren’t doing anything. What in your life has been most impacted by the steel industry?