Checking bases and bolts first.
Before any steel arrives we check the bases, levels and holding down bolts against the drawings. A bolt group that is out is far easier to sort now. Steel is then delivered, offloaded and laid out in order.
Services / Steel erection
Site installation and steel erection for builders, contractors, farms and factories across Norfolk, Suffolk and East Anglia. Columns stood, beams lifted in, bolted up, lined and levelled.
Fabricate and erectRAMS for site work
Based in Norwich. Covering Norfolk and Suffolk.
Structural steelwork installation
Steel erection is won or lost before the lift.
A frame that goes up square and plumb starts with bases and holding down bolts that are right.
Swift Fabrication provides steel erection and site installation of structural steelwork from our Norwich workshop. Our steel erectors install steel frames, beams into existing buildings, mezzanines, portal frames, agricultural buildings, platforms and stairs.
We erect the steel we have fabricated, and we can quote to erect steel supplied by others. Send us the engineer's drawings and tell us about the site: access for delivery, ground conditions, what plant can reach and who else is working there. We then plan the sequence and the lifting around the job.
See structural steel fabrication
The site sequence
Steel frame erection, from bases to final bolts.
Every site is different, but the order of work is much the same. We agree the sequence, the plant and the price with you before we start.
Standing and lifting the steel.
Columns are stood on packs and braced. Beams and rafters are lifted in with plant suited to the job, a telehandler, crane or MEWP, with hire arranged as needed. Connections are bolted up as each piece lands, left snug for now.
Lined, levelled, then tightened.
With the frame standing, we line, level and plumb it, adjusting packs and bracing until it is right. Only then are the bolts finally tightened. We tell you when the bases are ready to be grouted.
Our steel or steel supplied by others
Steel we made, or steel you bought in.
Most of the steel we put up is steel we have fabricated in our Norwich workshop. We know every connection before it reaches site, and it arrives marked up in the order it is needed for the build.
We can also quote to erect steelwork supplied by others. Send us the general arrangement and connection drawings, the steel list and the delivery plan. If anything on the drawings looks hard to build, we will say so before we price it.
Risk assessments and method statements are provided for site work. Tell us your site rules and we will confirm what we can supply.
Steel beams into existing buildings
Beams for knock-throughs.
Not every job is a new frame. Builders call us for steel beam installation in houses, shops and units: RSJs over knock-throughs, goalpost frames for rear extensions and box frames for wide openings. Where access is tight, beams can be spliced to carry in.
We agree with your builder who is propping, who is setting padstones and when the opening will be ready. We also install mezzanines, platforms and stairs inside working factories and stores.
Explore machinery installation in NorfolkAcross East Anglia
Steel erectors in Norwich and beyond.
From our Norwich base we erect steel across Norfolk and Suffolk, whether that is a farm building near Dereham or Diss, or a unit in Thetford, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Ipswich or Bury St Edmunds. We work alongside main contractors and builders.
Send the engineer's drawings, the site address and a few photographs of the access. Tell us the programme, who is doing the groundworks and whether steel is already ordered. The estimate is free and the price is agreed with you before we start.
See all the areas we coverSteel erection questions
What to know before you book steel erectors.
Will you erect steel made by others?
Yes. We can quote to erect steelwork supplied by another fabricator. We need the general arrangement and connection drawings, a steel list and delivery details. We price it once we have seen what is involved, the same as our own steel.
Do you supply the crane or telehandler for the lift?
We plan the lifting and arrange suitable plant hire to suit the job, whether that is a telehandler, a crane or a MEWP for access. If your site already has plant and an operator, tell us and we will plan around it.
How long does steel erection take?
It depends on the number of pieces, the access, the plant needed and whether the bases are ready. A beam into a house is a short visit. A portal frame building is a longer programme. We give you realistic dates once we have seen the drawings.
Do you provide RAMS for site work?
Yes. Risk assessments and method statements are provided for site work. If your site calls for a particular standard or welder coding, tell us and we will confirm what we can supply.
Steel erection, East Anglia
Get a free estimate for steel erection.
Send us the drawings and tell us where the site is. We will talk through access, lifting and programme, then give you a free estimate for the work.