Study of Pre-Engineered and Conventional Steel Structure: A Review

Abstract

Pre-Engineered Buildings (PEB) have gained significant importance in recent years due to their structural efficiency, economy, and reduced construction time compared to Conventional Steel Buildings (CSB). This paper presents a comparative study between a Pre-Engineered Building and a Conventional Steel Building using STAAD.Pro structural analysis software. Both structural systems are modeled with identical geometry, span, bay spacing, support conditions, and loading parameters to ensure a fair comparison. Dead load, live load, wind load, and seismic load combinations are applied as per Indian Standard codes IS 875 (Parts 1–3) and IS 1893 (Part 1). The comparison is based on parameters such as steel consumption, bending moments, shear forces, axial forces, storey displacement, and base shear. The results indicate that PEB structures provide significant reduction in steel quantity due to the use of tapered built-up sections while satisfying strength and serviceability criteria. The study concludes that Pre-Engineered Buildings designed using STAAD.Pro are more economical and structurally efficient than Conventional Steel Buildings.

Introduction

The text presents an extensive review of research comparing Pre-Engineered Buildings (PEBs) with Conventional Steel Buildings (CSBs) for industrial and commercial construction, particularly using structural analysis software such as STAAD.Pro. With increasing demands for faster, cost-effective, and material-efficient construction, PEB systems have emerged as a strong alternative to conventional steel structures that rely on uniform hot-rolled sections and truss systems.

Across numerous analytical, parametric, and case-study-based investigations, the literature consistently shows that PEBs—designed using tapered built-up primary members and cold-formed secondary components—achieve superior material optimization by closely following bending moment distribution. This results in significant reductions in steel consumption (typically 15–40%), lower self-weight, reduced foundation loads, faster construction due to factory fabrication, and overall cost savings when compared to CSBs. While PEBs may exhibit slightly higher bending moments, shear forces, or lateral displacements in certain members due to reduced stiffness, these values generally remain within permissible codal limits.

Studies also highlight the importance of span length, bay spacing, roof slope, and framing configuration in determining the relative efficiency of PEBs. PEBs are found to be particularly economical and efficient for moderate to large spans, while alternative systems such as space trusses may become competitive for very long spans. Optimization-based and parametric studies further emphasize that careful geometric and structural configuration is essential to maximize PEB performance.

Conclusion

From the extensive review of literature on Pre-Engineered Buildings (PEBs) and Conventional Steel Buildings (CSBs), it is observed that most studies primarily focus on comparative evaluation based on steel quantity, cost efficiency, and basic structural response under dead, live, and wind loads using STAAD.Pro. While several researchers have highlighted the economic and constructional advantages of PEB systems, limited attention has been given to a unified parametric assessment considering the combined influence of span length, bay spacing, roof slope, and loading combinations on overall structural performance. Additionally, many studies analyze single-storey industrial buildings, with comparatively fewer investigations addressing multi-storey configurations or crane-loaded structures in detail. The majority of research emphasizes weight reduction and cost savings, whereas serviceability aspects such as displacement control, force redistribution, and performance consistency across varying geometrical configurations remain insufficiently explored. Furthermore, there is a lack of standardized comparison using identical modelling assumptions and load combinations under Indian Standard codes. Hence, there exists a clear need for a systematic, parametric, and codal-based comparative study of PEB and CSB systems to evaluate their structural efficiency, serviceability behaviour, and economic performance comprehensively.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Noopur Pal, Dr. Savita Maru, Prof. Rakesh Patwa. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.