Metal Scaffolding

In our past 20 years of scaffolding manufacturing, 90% of scaffold products are metal scaffolds. In this article, I will give details of what is a metal scaffold, the types of metal scaffolds and the advantages, and disadvantages of each type. We also give suggestions about how to choose the right types of metal scaffolding for you. You will also get the main elements of the metal scaffold and the major commonly used metal scaffold types for construction. At last, some videos of how to set up metal scaffolds will be found as well.

Metal Scaffolding is a scaffold made of metal materials. The raw materials of the metal scaffolding are metals of steel, aluminium or irons. They are the most commonly used raw material today for scaffold products.

Metal scaffolding offers great function in construction, staging and shoring. It provides safety for workers. Allows access to different heights of the work platform and then reach high elevated areas with ease. With the incorporation of bracing, jacks and structure, metal scaffold offers great stability for remote locations and uneven ground.  It is convenient for erection and dismantling and protecting workers and tools from falling.

Strengths of metal scaffold

1. The metal scaffold is strong and high weight-bearing, good for heavy-load construction
2. The metal scaffold is safe and protects from workers and tools falling
3. Metal scaffold offers access to different heights of platforms and allows for high elevated areas with ease
4. Metal scaffolds save time and labour in erection work
5. Metal scaffolding with standard sizes and more compatible
6. Metal Scaffolding is flexible for all shapes of buildings
7. Metal scaffolding is cost-saving in the long term as it can be repeated using
8. The metal scaffold has a long lifespan

Three Types of Metal Scaffolding

In general, there are three types of metal scaffolding according to the raw material made:

1. Steel Scaffolding
2. Aluminium Scaffolding
3. Iron Scaffolding

What is steel scaffolding, What are aluminium scaffolding and iron scaffolding? What will be the advantages and disadvantages for each of them? And how to choose the right one for you? You can have answers in the following details.

What is the Steel Scaffolding  

Steel scaffolding is a type of scaffold made by the metal of steel.  Steel scaffolding material is the most common type of metal scaffold. It includes steel scaffold tubes, prefabricated steel frame scaffolding and steel modular scaffold systems. Steel scaffolding is cheap and high load compared to other metal scaffolds.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of steel scaffolding?

Advantages of steel scaffolding 

1. Steel Scaffolding Bearing the Highest Weight in the Scaffold Industry
2. Hot Dip Galvanized Steel Scaffolding Lasts More Than 50 Years
3. Steel Scaffolding Cost Is Cheap compared to Aluminium Scaffold

Disadvantages of Steel Scaffolding

1. Steel Scaffold Parts are 3 Times Heavier Than Aluminium Scaffolds
2. Steel Scaffold Need More Maintenance Than Aluminium Scaffolds
3. Steel Scaffold Is Electric Conductive Can not Use In Some Project
4. Steel Scaffold Need Extra Surface Treatment If Want Lasting Long Life
5. Painted, Coated and Cold-galvanized Steel Scaffold Are Less Life Span

For more details and types of steel scaffolding can visit my article on steel scaffolding.

What is the aluminium Scaffolding 

Aluminium scaffolding are scaffolding materials made of the metal of aluminium. The aluminium scaffold is about 3 times lighter than steel scaffolding. Thus, aluminium scaffolding is used not only in construction but also in equipment installation, repair and inspection, event and entertainment industry. The aluminium scaffold is corrosion-resistant and lightweight, thus is used for both interior and exterior scaffolding. When jointed with the caster wheels, the aluminium scaffold is called a mobile aluminium scaffold tower. It is a type of movable scaffold which is more commonly used than steel mobile scaffolds because of its lightweight and convenience.

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Aluminium Scaffolds?

Advantages of Aluminium Scaffolding  

1. Aluminium Scaffolding is 3 Times Lighter Than Steel Scaffolding
2. Aluminium Scaffold is Durable Aluminium Naturally Corrosion-Resistances
3. Aluminium Scaffolding Is Quick In Erection and Dismantle
4. The aluminium scaffold is safe with Protection Parts
5. Aluminium scaffold easy to access with stairs and ladders
6. The aluminium scaffold is easy to handle and storage
7. Aluminium Scaffold is Longer Long with Less Maintenance Needed

Disadvantages of Aluminium Scaffolding

1. Aluminium scaffolding has less bearing than steel scaffolding
2. The aluminium scaffold is not good for high-load construction
3. Aluminium scaffold costs higher than steel scaffolding

What is Iron Scaffolding 

Iron scaffolding is scaffold accessories that are made of malleable cast iron. Cast iron scaffolds are mostly small accessories for scaffolding materials, like scaffold jack nuts, tie rod nuts and other formwork accessories etc. They are not able to be welded with steel or aluminium scaffolding. But can be assembled with steel and aluminium scaffold by bolts and nuts, rivets, screws etc.

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Iron Scaffolds

Advantages of Cast Iron Scaffolding Accessories

1. Cast Iron Scaffold is cheaper than cast steel
2. Iron scaffold parts are big output in production and quicker in delivery
3. Iron scaffold is high load as cast steel

Disadvantages of Cast Iron Scaffold

1. Cast Iron Scaffold is hard but not as good as cast steel in toughness.
2. Cast Iron scaffold cannot Welded Together with Steel and Aluminium Scaffolding
3. The surface of Cast Iron Scaffold is not as smooth as cast steel and aluminium 

Which Type of Metal Scaffold is Good for You?

Each type of metal scaffold has its advantages and disadvantages. How to choose the metal scaffold for you? Following key takeaways.

When Was Metal Scaffolding First Used?

Metal scaffolding is very common today. It was born around the year of 1922. The first metal scaffold is steel tubes. Steel scaffolding tubes are used to replace wooden poles at the start. After 28 years using, tube scaffolding standards come out in the 1950s.

What are The Basic Elements of Metal Scaffolding?  

As a whole, metal scaffolding has three basic elements: metal scaffold standards, ledgers and transforms.

1. Scaffold Standards: Vertical Poles and Legs of the Metal Scaffolding
2. Scaffold Ledgers (Horizontals): Horizontal Parts Used to Connect Two Scaffold Verticals Horizontally
3. Scaffold Transforms(Braces): Metal Scaffold Parts Run Between Standards and Ledger Diagonally to Increase the Structure’s Overall Rigidity and Make the Scaffold Structure Steady without Swaying.

How Many Types of Metal Scaffolding For Construction?

 There are three most popular types of metal scaffolding for construction: Metal Tube Scaffolding, Metal frame scaffold and metal system scaffold.

1. Metal Tube Scaffolding

 Metal tube scaffolding is a type of metal scaffold formed by scaffold tubes and fittings. The scaffold tube’s diameter is normally 48.3mm, and the thickness of the metal scaffold is 3.0-5.0mm.  Lengths of the metal scaffold tubes are customized as you wanted, say from 0.3m to 6.4m(21’).

Metal tube scaffolding includes two types

•  Steel Pipe Scaffolding
• Aluminium Tube Scaffolding

Steel pipe scaffolding includes welded carbon scaffold tubes and seamless types of scaffold tubes. Welded steel scaffolds are made of steel plates and roll to a round shape in diameter of 48.3mm. While Seamless scaffold pipes are drawn from steel round bars.

Aluminium tubes for scaffolding are 5mm thick with aluminium grades of 6061 and 6082.

2. Metal Frame Scaffolding

Metal frame scaffolding is scaffolding with double-leg main frames. The frame system consists of scaffold frames, frame system cross braces, steel planks etc. All of the components are made of metal tubes and metal plates.

There are two types of metal frame scaffolding

• Steel Frame Scaffolding
• Aluminium Frame Scaffolding

Steel frame scaffolding is more popular. It includes walk-through frames, ladder frames, mason frames, H frames, A-frames(trestle), shoring frames, snap-on lock frames etc. The steel frame scaffolding is normally with surface treatment of painting, powder coating, E-galvanized(cold galvanized or zinc-plated), GI(pre-galvanized) and hot dip galvanized (HDG). Among them, hot dip galvanized steel frame scaffolding is more durable and expensive, while painted and coated GI frame scaffolding is much cheaper.

Aluminium frame scaffolding is widely used in aluminium scaffolding. It is scaffold frames and parts that are made of aluminium. There are three main types of aluminium scaffolding according to its function:

• Mobile aluminium frame scaffolding: aluminium frame scaffolding with caster wheels, is easy to move to any place around the project. It is used for both interior and exterior scaffold
• Tower aluminium frame scaffolding: aluminium frame scaffolding structure that is freestanding with a scaffold platform. It is a tall type of aluminium scaffolding that provides a stable work platform for workers at height.
• Foldable aluminium frame scaffolding: Aluminium scaffold that is easy to fold to smaller. Easy taking, store and transportation.

Metal Scaffold Systems

Metal scaffold systems are scaffolding made of metal with modular parts and connectors that can fit to each other without loose fittings.  Metal scaffold systems include steel scaffold systems and aluminium scaffold systems.

Steel Scaffold System Types

Steel scaffold modular systems are more popular. Cause it is cheap in cost, heavier duty and long life by hot dip galvanizing. There are 6 major types of steel scaffolding systems.  For each type of steel modular scaffold, you can check the details by clicking the link to my other articles.

1. Steel ringlock scaffolding
2. Steel cuplock scaffolding
3. Steel kwikstage scaffolding
4. Steel quick erect scaffolding
5. Steel quick lock scaffolding
6. Steel Twistlock Scaffolding

Aluminium scaffold system types

There are two types of aluminium scaffold systems today in the construction market.

1. Aluminium ringlock scaffolding
2. Aluminium kwikstage scaffolding

How to Set Metal Scaffolding

Here is the video of how to set metal frame scaffolding for three ties.  

The steps of Metal scaffolding set steps

1. Prepare sole boards at the position to make ground for scaffolding solid
2. Turning down scaffold base jacks at the bottom and insert into the legs of frames
3. Put the jacks and frame together on the sole boards
4. Measure the frame horizontal level by spirit level
5. Turning the base jack nut till the frame horizontally
6. Set up one side of cross braces(x brace) on lock pins of the frame and lock down the cross braces
7. Put another side of the frame by the same steps from No.1 to No. 6
8. Lock cross braces at the inner side of the frame scaffolding
9. Climb the ladder of the frame from inside of the frame scaffold
10. Put scaffold planks on the top horizontal of the frame scaffold
11. Put both frames of the 2nd layer when standing on the platform
12. Set up cross braces and platform of 2nd layer
13. Same way setting the 3rd and 4th tiers of scaffolding
14. Metal frame scaffold is sturdy and safety