Project scope

Looking for some structural steel in London? At MAH Steel we are Kent steel fabricators, but due to our convenient location just across the M25, we also work in London a lot. This job was located in Chinatown, Central London. Let’s take a look at our step-by-step steel fabrication process.

Efficiently managing tight time frames and delivering steel quickly are our specialties

A regular customer needed structural steel for a refurb project. They placed an order early in the week and then we booked the steel to arrive within 2 working days. Operating under tight deadlines and quick steel delivery are our areas of expertise, hence why we’re well known as a leading London steel supplier. We excel in working under time constraints and ensuring rapid steel delivery, and this project wasn’t an exception.

The steels were popular sizes and we held them in our large stock facility. This way we were able to process the job very quickly indeed to a high level of specification.

We selected the appropriate steel from the stock facility and transported for steel cutting. At this point our team checked the steels against the cutting list and then sawn them to the precise lengths.

Steel fabricators in London

After that, we started the actual steel fabrication process. We moved the steels to the fabrication area, where our fabrication team checked them again. This check was to ensure the steels had been cut at the correct length, before initiating the fabrication process.

Our steel fabricators cleaned up the cut ends. Then they put butt splice plates on the ends of the cut, prepared them and tack-welded into place. Butt splice plates serve to reinforce and connect two structural members end-to-end in construction and engineering applications. Made typically of steel, these plates ensure precise alignment between the connected elements. By enhancing the joint’s strength and distributing loads evenly, butt splice plates increase the overall stability and load-carrying capacity of the structure while improving fatigue resistance. Splice plates are designed to give a more secure connection to steel structures, and are always custom fabricated.

The fabrication was then checked by our in-house QA team, to ensure accuracy to the order.

The next stage was for the steels to be fully welded to specification. After that, the steel drilling began, the steels were then checked again by the in-house QA team to ensure that holes, plates and fabrication specifications were adhered to the engineer specification and that they line up exactly as required.

(Steel) finishing touches

The next phase is sand blasting and painting! We painted the steels using the correct thickness of paint in microns. Then, we hung the steel beams in the yard to dry. In this case it was phosphate primer. A steel phosphate primer is a type of primer specifically formulated for use on steel surfaces. It contains phosphoric acid or phosphates, which chemically react with the steel substrate to form a protective layer known as iron phosphate. This layer enhances adhesion between the primer and the steel surface, providing excellent corrosion resistance and promoting paint adhesion. Steel phosphate primers are commonly used in industrial applications, such as automotive, marine, and metal fabrication industries, where protecting steel surfaces from rust and corrosion is crucial. Additionally, they serve as an effective base coat for subsequent layers of paint, ensuring a durable and long-lasting steel finish.

Steel Delivery and Erection in London

Again, the QA and loading teams checked the steel and ensured that all steel was fabricated correctly to the instructions. We like checking a lot! It saves errors. Once this was complete, then bolts, steel to steel fixings, nuts, washers and packing plates were are added to finally complete the job, ready for loading and delivery to Chinatown.

The steel was then loaded on to our 30 metre hiab lorry, ready to reach the destination in London’s West End. The driver checked the load ready for a 5am start. Finally, the steel was delivered to site and placed where the customer needed it, through the doorway!