U.S. Steel Framing Market Size & Share Analysis - Trends, Drivers, Competitive Landscape, and Forecasts (2025 - 2032)

U.S. Steel Framing Market Dynamics

Advancement in Galvanized and Coated Steel Are Key Trends in Market

• Innovations in galvanized and coated steel enhance durability by making the material more resistant to corrosion caused by moisture, chemicals, and extreme weather.
• The extended life of steel frames reduces the need for replacements and minimizes the wastage of materials.
• The U.S. government’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) promote sustainable construction and domestic manufacturing.
• Coating steel with materials such as polyvinyl chloride and polyester further improves aesthetic value by enabling a wide range of finishes and colors.
• This reduces maintenance expenses, extends the life in outdoor applications, and ensures the integrity of structures against natural events, such as hurricanes, extreme winds, tornadoes, and earthquakes.

Focus on Sustainable Construction Drive Market

• Steel is the sustainable because it can be recycled completely without any loss of strength.
• In the U.S., the growing trend among builders to seek the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications drives the demand for sustainable building materials, such as green steel.
• Constructing with steel frames produces less waste than doing so with wood.
• Factory-made steel components are easy to cut in specific sizes, hence reducing wastage on site.
• Modern production methods for steel have increased energy-efficiency and sustainability, with numerous steel plants having adopted electric arc furnaces (EAF).
• They use recycled steel and burn much less carbon compared to traditional blast furnaces.
• The growth of the market is due to the increasing demand for buildings that achieve net-zero emissions and energy efficiency.

U.S. Steel Framing Market Segmentation Analysis

Insights by Type

The wall bearing category held the largest market share, of over 45%, in 2024 due to its vast use in low-rise residential and commercial structures. It has ideal for buildings where walls support the floor and roof and fewer steel columns. Its affordability, simplicity, and strength make it a popular choice in low-rise housing and small commercial projects, as the demand for affordable residences and prefabricated construction rises.

The skeleton category will have the highest CAGR during the forecast period due to its strength, flexibility, and suitability for high-rise buildings. The number of high-rise buildings is growing in most U.S. cities due to the surging demand for multi-storey commercial buildings, condominiums, and mixed-use developments. These structures require strong and lightweight framing Skeleton steel framing enables the construction of tall buildings without the need for interior bearing walls.

These types were analyzed:

• Skeleton (Fastest-Growing Category)
• Wall Bearing (Largest Category)
• Long Span
• Trusses
• Girders
• Arches
• Rigid Frames

Insights by Material

The light gauge category held the largest market share in 2024, of 60%, and it will also witness the highest CAGR, of 5.2%, over the forecast period. This is due to its wide application in residential and commercial construction. It is mainly used in wall-bearing steel framing for low-rise residential structures as it efficiently bears the weight of floors and roofs. Additionally, skeleton steel framing is finding rising acceptance in multi-storey buildings. The demand for budget-friendly, lightweight, high-strength building materials that are also sustainable and energy-efficient propels the market growth in this category.

These materials were analyzed:

• Cold-Rolled
• Hot-Rolled
• Light-Gauge (Largest-Fastest Growing Category)

Insights by End Use

Building & construction has the largest market share, of over 70%, in 2024 as steel is widely used for structures and buildings because of its strength, durability, design flexibility, low weight, weather resistance, and sustainability. These qualities make it ideal for commercial buildings, private housing, bridges, and infrastructure. The growing demand for high-rise buildings, along with prefabricated and green constructions, drives the usage of steel frames. Additionally, the government initiatives for civil construction, including roads, bridges, and public facilities, support the sale of steel frames.

These end uses were analyzed:

• Building & Construction (Largest-Fastest Growing Category)
  • Residential
  • Commercial
  • Industrial
  • Infrastructure
• Transportation
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Locomotive
  • Marine
• Energy Generation
  • Nuclear
  • Wind Power
• Others

U.S. Steel Framing Market Regional Outlook

South held the largest market share, of over 35%, in 2024, due to the rapid urbanization, high construction activity, and growth in commercial and residential investments. The necessity for steel framing is also high due to the warm climate and frequent occurrences of hurricanes in the region. Steel gives enhanced durability and resistance to extreme weather conditions over wood framing.

Northeast has the highest CAGR during the forecast period because of the increasing importance of sustainable construction, government initiatives for green buildings, and strong focus on multi-family housing. The high importance of steel frames is attributed to space constraints and high building density in cities such as New York and Boston. The strength, flexibility, and support of steel frames for high-rise construction make them popular.

The regions and countries analyzed for this report include:

• Northeast (Fastest Growing Category)
• West
• Midwest
• South (Largest Category)

U.S. Steel Framing Market Share

The market is fragmented due to the large number of small-to mid-sized players. The steel market may be consolidated, but a large number of small companies procure the steel and make frames of different shapes and lengths out of it. Moreover, while a few major players supply these products in bulk for large-scale products, the regional and local players cater to small-scale projects, such as individual houses or warehouses.

U.S. Steel Framing Market News

• In July 2024, Nucor Corporation acquired Rytec Corporation for USD 565 million in cash. Rytec specialized in high-performance commercial doors, extending Nucor's presence in the non-residential construction sector.
• In December 2023, Nippon Steel Corporation said it would take over U.S. Steel for USD 14.9 billion.