Reclaimed Steel Stockholder Explains The Amazing Benefits of Reclaimed Steel

Image courtesy of Flavie Lowres.

Reclaimed steel could save you big-time on your home extension, both in terms of cold hard cash and carbon footprint. Yet it’s possible that no one would ever know you’re using it. Unless you tell them, that is.

We spend a lot of time on Building Renewable talking about the “visible” side of sustainable building. We bring you information on the sustainability of timber flooring, the breathability of lime plaster, and the U-values of various types of wall. But there is a sustainable building material that quietly does its job, holding up the structure of many buildings, that most people never give a second thought to.

It’s the steel.

If you’re planning a typical rear extension, a “knock-through” to create an open-plan kitchen, or a loft conversion, you are almost certainly going to need structural steel beams. In the industry, these are often called RSJs (Rolled Steel Joists) or Universal Beams. Historically, steel has been the “carbon sin” we all just accept because it’s strong, predictable, and necessary. We tell ourselves it’s fine because steel is “recyclable.”

But after sitting down with Roy Fishwick, the Managing Director of Cleveland Steel, I’ve realized we’ve been looking at the issue all wrong. There is a world of difference between recycling steel and reusing it – and for the average homeowner, that difference could be the single biggest carbon saving you ever make.

The Man Who Hates Waste

Roy Fishwick isn’t a newcomer to the green building scene, though he might shrug at the “eco-warrior” label. He’s been with Cleveland Steel for 35 years, a business that has been championing the circular economy since long before it was a buzzword.

“Our business has been around for 53 years,” Roy tells me. “Back at the start, reusing and finding ‘cheap’ alternatives was ingrained within a lot of businesses. Our yard was based next to a guy who sold reclaimed timber; sadly, his business disappeared years ago when cheap softwoods became the norm. We have managed to thrive as we offer a cheap alternative, and reuse and repurposing has been our model from day one.”

For Roy, this isn’t about following a trend; it’s a personal principle. He talks about road planings and second-hand buildings with the same enthusiasm a chef might talk about locally sourced ingredients. “Aversion to waste is a strong personal principle,” he says. “What we do repurposes waste.”

The 95% Carbon Shortcut: Reuse vs. Recycling

Here is the statistic that should make every eco-conscious builder stop and take note: Reusing a steel beam saves 95% of the carbon of a new one.

We often get lulled into a sense of security by the word “recyclable.” We think that if we throw a steel beam into a furnace, melt it down, and make a new one, we’ve done our bit. But melting steel requires an astronomical amount of energy. Even though steel is one of the most recycled materials on earth, the process is still carbon-intensive.

“We do not recycle at all,” Roy clarifies. “Recycling involves melting the product down and making something new. We take existing product, plucked from various waste streams and demolition, and rework and retest it so it can be used as new. This saves 95% of the carbon of new material and over 60% of the carbon of recycling.”

If you’re trying to build a low-carbon home, choosing a reclaimed beam over a new one is the ultimate “low-hanging fruit.” It’s a decision made once at the structural phase that outweighs almost any other eco-tweak you can make later in the project.

The “Is It Safe?” Hurdle: Demystifying the Technical Side

I know what most of you are thinking. I can hear it now: “But what will my structural engineer say? Will Building Control let me use second-hand steel? Is it… rusty?”

This is the “intimidation factor” Roy is determined to dismantle. The word “reclaimed” often conjures up images of twisted, rusted metal pulled from a scrap heap. The reality at a specialist stockholder facility is much more clinical.

Visuals vs. Performance

“Clients have to understand that in some cases reusing material will result in a lower cosmetic standard, and some enjoy the fact their material tells a story,” Roy says. “It is important to understand though that often after we have recovered and cleaned the material it cannot be distinguished from new.”

The Certification Process (The “Pedigree”)

But looks aren’t the point, integrity is. For our international readers, particularly in the USA, it’s worth noting that the UK has strict Building Control regulations (similar to local building codes/inspections) that ensure every part of a structure is safe. To satisfy these, you need proof.

Every piece of steel Cleveland Steel receives is catalogued and uniquely numbered, providing full traceability. It then goes through a testing regime that is often more rigorous than the one used for new steel.

“We test material in independent laboratories, using all of the tests that are conducted on new steel,” Roy explains. “This tells us all of the properties that the steel has, from strength to weldability. Building control are only interested in materials being fit for purpose and our testing proves that for reused steel to the same standard as new.”

When you buy a beam from a reputable stockholder, you aren’t just getting a piece of metal; you’re getting a “pedigree” – a full test certificate that gives your architect and engineer total peace of mind.

The Domestic Advantage: Why Small Projects are Winning

Interestingly, while “mega-projects” in cities like London are starting to catch on to steel reuse, Roy believes the domestic sector – people like you and me – actually has the advantage.

On a massive commercial site, the process gets bogged down by layers of bureaucracy: main contractors, sub-contractors, quantity surveyors, and insurance agents. On a home extension, the “waters don’t get muddied.”

“A motivated client usually gets what they want and it’s much easier if you are in direct contact,” Roy notes. If you are the person paying the bills and you tell your builder you want reclaimed steel, the barriers start to disappear.

To make this even easier, Roy is currently working to develop a “Domestic Buyer’s Guide.” While the guide is still in development, it’s something we are incredibly excited about. It’s designed to be an easy-to-follow manual that you can hand to your builder or building inspector to show them exactly how the process works and why it is safe. We’ll be sure to share the link here as soon as it’s live.

The “Price Tag” Myth

Usually, when we hear the word “sustainable,” we brace our wallets for a premium. Roy says that in the world of steel, the opposite is often true.

“For homeowners it should be cost neutral at the least. We often find that it offers a significant saving,” Roy says.

The secret lies in the flexibility of the domestic build. On a massive skyscraper, every millimetre is fixed. But on a kitchen extension, if your engineer specifies a certain weight of beam and the stockholder has a slightly different size that is just as strong, a quick “yes/no” from your engineer is usually all it takes to swap it out and save money.

How to Get Started: A Homeowner’s Cheat Sheet

If you’re at the start of your building journey, don’t wait until the builder is on-site to start thinking about steel. Here is the best first step you can take:

• Tell your Engineer Early: Before they start their calculations, tell them you want to incorporate reuse.
• The “Grade” Secret: This is a bit of technical “insider info.” Most modern engineering software defaults to a steel grade called S355. However, older, reclaimed steel is usually S275. “For most beam applications, i.e., horizontal pieces, the grade is not important, only the size,” Roy explains. “Get your design done in S275. If you can’t get reuse, you can still use S355 new steel.”
• Check the Stock: Once you have a preliminary design, talk to a specialist stockholder, such as Cleveland Steel if you’re in the UK. If they have a beam that is slightly larger or heavier than what you planned, ask your engineer if they can make it work. Often, the alternative works perfectly and saves you money.

A Quick Guide to UK vs. USA Terms

For our readers across the pond, here is a quick translation of some terms used in this article:

• RSJ / Universal Beam: Often called an I-beam or W-shape beam in the USA.
• Building Control: Equivalent to your local Building Department or Code Enforcement.
• Stockholder: Similar to a Steel Service Center or specialized distributor.

Final Thoughts: A New Legacy

Roy’s vision of the future is one where “waste” is no longer a dirty word, but an asset. While supply is currently a restriction, Roy estimates that even in a “Utopia,” reuse could probably only meet about 20–30% of global demand, the momentum is shifting.

“We are already seeing momentum and also advantages for ‘green’ schemes going through planning,” he says. Building regulations don’t have carbon targets yet, but as we push toward Net Zero, it’s only a matter of time.

Ultimately, using reclaimed steel is about more than just carbon stats. It’s about building a home that respects the materials we already have. When your extension is finished, you could have a shiny new beam hidden behind the plasterboard. Or, you could have a piece of industrial history that saved the planet several tons of CO₂ before it even arrived at your front door.

Stay tuned for the launch of the Domestic Buyer’s Guide. It’s going to be a game-changer for the residential sector.