Steel gains share in key markets

Market shares, total multi-storey buildings market, 1980 to 2019

The latest annual market share survey from Construction Markets confirms other reports that the construction market declined in 2019, but steel has increased its share with gains in the key sheds market and in multi-storey offices.

The survey carried out for Steel for Life is the latest in an unbroken run of independently produced reports stretching back to 1980 and shows the total market for sheds fell 1.4%, with steel’s share rising slightly to 92.2%. The total multi-storey buildings market fell 5.8% but steel increased its share of offices – which accounts for almost 30% of multi-storey buildings – by almost 2%.

There was a sharp fall in single storey conventional braced frames of almost 9%, but a wide variance in performance of sub sectors, with a fall of some 20% in retail buildings offset by a rise of almost 15% in public health buildings.

The residential market fell slightly, by 0.4%, due mainly to a fall in houses and bungalows, but steel maintained its market share. There was a small rise in low rise apartments and steel’s market share rose by a slightly larger amount. In the high rise apartments sector there was a fall in the overall market of 2.7%.

The total market for frames took in over 41Mm² of floor area in 2019, a 2.1% fall over 2018. Steel took the largest market share at over 42%.

The survey which relates to the five types of structural framing materials – insitu and precast concrete, load bearing masonry, and timber as well as steel – is based on 750 telephone interviews with architects, private house builders and public sector housing designers.