The state of steel in 2023

For several decades, Steel & Tube has been one of New Zealand’s most prolific providers of steel. From structural products to flooring, roofing, nuts, bolts and almost everything in between, the company has been at the industry’s cutting edge for almost 70 years, and shows no signs of slowing down soon.

A mainstay in the sector since 1953, in recent years Steel & Tube has invested in several acquisitions, diversifying its product range into irrigation, metal floor decking and fastenings – and it still has its eye on the horizon.

So what else is in the future of both the company and the industry, and what trends are informing this? ArchiPro spoke to Steel & Tube (S&T) National Specification Manager Roofing & ComFlor Victoria Elvin, who discusses the role of S&T in the world of steel in Aotearoa, recent high profile projects the company has worked on, and steel trends worth keeping an eye on.

Royal Mint Experience using Rimex Architectural Steel.

ArchiPro: What are the benefits of being a supplier of almost everything related to steel?

Victoria Elvin: My particular expertise is mostly in long run metal roofing and profiled metal suspended flooring – products that can be used in almost every project, whether it’s residential or commercial.

Let’s say we’re working on a large multi-storey apartment building. Aside from the Reinforcing and foundation works, we can supply ComFlor steel floor decking product. This is stud-welded to the structure of the building, increasing stability. ComFlor’s seismic performance is the key reason why ComFlor was extensively used for projects in the Christchurch rebuild. It’s also very fast to construct and cost effective.

But while ComFlor will be the ‘macro’ product we supply for this apartment building, we can also provide all of the ‘micro’ products that are no less important but aren’t as obvious – things like nuts, bolts, purlin structures, seismic restraints, as well as all the trays and frames that carry the services in the building.

We do stainless steel handrails, and we even do the architectural products – the decorative stainless steel you see in lifts, very hardwearing and can also be provided in beautiful coloured and textured finishes. In some of our projects, it’s actually the cosmetic steel that is our primary contribution – this is the case in one of our most recent projects, the Aotea Centre refurbishment.

Comflor installation on multi-level commercial building.

AP: Can you tell me more about S&T’s involvement in the Aotea Centre project?

VE: In the recent renovation of the Aotea Centre, Rimex architectural stainless steel range was used to create a beautiful façade that seems to change colour while you’re looking at it, which is really quite impressive.

Steel & Tube also collaborated on the complicated re-roofing project with very large smokestacks at the eaves, which then needed to be flashed to divert water. Getting this all to work was not easy.

So the Steel & Tube Technical team collaborated with all parties to brainstorm what needed to be done to achieve cost effective, weathertight and aesthetically pleasing solutions.

This is what we do: we're there to be the resource that architects use to make sure that their projects come through design to the build stage cleanly, simply and functionally – and ideally within their budget.

The Euroline roofing profile.

AP: Have you noticed any trends in the steel industry within the last few years?

VE: I would say in the last 10 years there’s been an increase in the use of long run metal roofing – for roofing, of course, but also for wall claddings.

This can be seen with many Kāinga Ora projects that are being built, and we are the designated steel supply for Kāinga Ora renovation work. In decades past, a typical state house would be clad in weatherboard – but now we’re seeing a lot of long run profiled metal being used for cladding.

I think this is because the market is crying out for cost effective, easily accessible, New Zealand-made materials that can be manufactured and delivered in a timely manner. So long run profiled metal roofing and cladding is definitely having a bit of a surge at the moment.

And it’s not just state housing, of course – it’s also being used in other residential projects, as well as commercial and industrial buildings too.

Learn more about Steel & Tube and its steel offerings.