When you appoint a structural steel fabrication company, you are buying a process as much as a product. The quality of the finished frame depends on what happens at each step in the workshop. Here is how structural steel goes from drawings to finished, ready-to-erect members.
1. Design drawings
Everything starts with the structural engineer’s design: member sizes, steel grades, loads, and typical connections. In Dubai, design is commonly to European (Eurocode or BS) or American (AISC) standards, as chosen by the consultant.
2. Shop drawings
Design drawings show what the structure is. Shop drawings show how to make it. The fabricator’s detailing team produces:
- General arrangement drawings showing where every member goes, with piece marks
- Assembly drawings for each member, with plates, holes, cuts, and welds
- Part drawings for each plate and fitting
- Bolt lists and material lists
Shop drawings go to the consultant for approval. Many fabricators now detail in 3D modelling software, which helps catch clashes before steel is cut.
3. Material procurement
Steel sections and plate are ordered in the specified grade, such as S275 or S355, with mill test certificates showing chemical composition and mechanical properties. Good fabricators keep material traceable from certificate to finished member.
4. Cutting and drilling
Members are cut to length with saws, and plates with plasma, oxy-fuel, or other cutting methods. Holes are drilled or punched for bolted connections. Accuracy here decides whether the steel fits on site.
5. Fit-up and welding
Plates, stiffeners, and cleats are fitted to members and tack-welded, checked, then fully welded. Structural welding is carried out by qualified welders working to approved welding procedures, commonly referencing standards such as AWS D1.1 or the relevant EN ISO standards.
6. Inspection
Quality control checks happen throughout:
- Material checks against certificates
- Dimensional checks of assembled members
- Visual inspection of all welds
- Non-destructive testing, such as ultrasonic or magnetic particle testing, where specified
7. Surface preparation and coating
Steel is cleaned, usually by blast cleaning, then coated with the specified paint system, or sent for hot-dip galvanizing. Coating thickness is measured and recorded. See galvanizing vs painting in the UAE.
8. Marking, dispatch, and erection
Each member is marked with its piece mark, then loaded and delivered in erection sequence. On site, the erection crew assembles the structure. See how steel goes up safely on site.
9. Documentation
At handover you should receive the documents that prove the steel is what was specified: material certificates, inspection records, coating records, and as-built drawings where required.
What this means when choosing a fabricator
Ask a potential fabricator to walk you through these steps for your job. If they can show their shop drawings, QA records, and coating checks, you are in good hands. DPSC is a structural steel fabrication company in Dubai with in-house detailing, a QA/QC in charge, and our own erection crews. Send your drawings.
Need steel fabricated in Dubai? DPSC designs, fabricates, and erects structural steel from our Al Quoz workshop. Send your drawings for a quote or call +971 56 889 7671.
