Steel erection is a sequence, and the order matters more than the speed. This is how a PSC crew takes a building from the first column to handover — the same nine steps on a single-span warehouse and on a five-storey process structure, scaled to the lifts involved.
The sequence
- 01
Base check before the crane arrives
Anchor bolts are cast by the main contractor. Before the first lift we check the bolt positions and levels against the setting-out drawing and report any deviations, so packs and corrections can be agreed up front.
- 02
Columns
Columns are lifted, set on the levelled packs, plumbed and temporarily guyed. The first braced bay is completed before the frame grows in either direction.
- 03
Rafters
Rafters are assembled at ground level where the span allows, then flown as one piece — fewer lifts at height and a straighter ridge.
- 04
Bracing
Roof and wall bracing, flange braces and sag rods go in bay by bay so the structure is stable as it is erected, not only when it is complete.
- 05
Purlins & girts
Secondary steel is fixed with the laps, cleats and bolt torques the manufacturer specifies. Crane beams, canopies and stair steel follow in the same pass.
- 06
Alignment & bolt check
Plumb, line and level are checked across the frame and connection bolts are torqued and marked before any sheet goes on.
- 07
Roof & wall sheeting
Sandwich panels or single-skin sheets, with the insulation, closures, gutters, flashings, skylights and louvres that make the envelope weathertight.
- 08
Mezzanine deck
Mezzanine beams, joists, deck sheet, edge trims and shear studs are installed in sequence with the frame, ready for the concrete topping.
- 09
Inspection & handover
A joint walk-through with the main contractor, snag items closed, and the building handed over.
Before the first lift
The erection drawings, bolt lists and the manufacturer’s erection manual are reviewed by our estimating and site team before mobilisation. From these we can prepare a method statement and lifting plan to the main contractor’s site requirements: crane type and positions, lift sequence, temporary bracing, access and fall-protection arrangements.
- Main contractor’s anchor-bolt positions and levels checked against the setting-out drawing and reported
- Crane positions checked against ground conditions, pits and live services
- Delivery sequence agreed with the PEB supplier so steel arrives in erection order
- Site induction and toolbox talk for the crew to the main contractor’s rules
What we need from you
GA drawings and a BOQ are enough for a proposal. For the erection itself, the approved shop drawings, the bolt lists, the anchor-bolt setting-out drawing, and the site’s access and craneage constraints let the crew plan the lifts properly.