Steel structure manufacturer since 2009 · 8 fabrication bases in China
Services
Structural steel fabricated to your drawings, with the risks named up front
You send IFC drawings and a specification. We detail, fabricate, test, coat and pack every member, and ship the records with it. This page covers what can go wrong in fabrication and how each risk is controlled.
300,000 t
Annual capacity, as published
8
Bases in South China
Q420GJC
Thick plate, Zengcheng
40 t
Single truss piece, Meihua
Scope
Where our work starts and stops
| Item | GGSteel | You or your engineer |
|---|---|---|
| Structural design and member sizes | — | Engineer of record |
| Connection design | If delegated to us (see Engineering) | Or fully shown on your drawings |
| Shop drawings | GGSteel | Review and approve |
| Material purchase and traceability | GGSteel | — |
| Fabrication, welding, NDT | GGSteel | Witness at hold points |
| Coating | GGSteel | Specify the system |
| Packing, loading, export documents | GGSteel | — |
| Erection | Optional | Your erector, or ours |
Inputs
What to send for a fixed price, and what happens if it is missing
| Input | If missing, we must assume | Price risk |
|---|---|---|
| General arrangement and member schedule (DWG or IFC, not only PDF) | Dimensions scaled from PDF | High |
| Steel grades and impact test temperature | Q355B, +20 °C impact | Medium |
| Through-thickness (Z) requirement for thick plates | None | High on heavy nodes |
| Connection details or design forces | Standard connections, priced as estimate | High |
| Weld grade or execution class, NDT rate | GB weld grade 2, 20% UT | Medium |
| Coating and fire protection specification | Primer only | High |
| Delivery zones and dates | One shipment | Low |
Member types
Each member type has its own main risk
| Member | How we make it | Main risk | Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welded H beams and columns | Plates cut, assembled on an H line, flange welds by SAW, straightened | Flange tilt, web buckling on thin webs | Roller straightening; tilt measured per member |
| Welded box columns | Four plates; internal diaphragms; corner welds by SAW; closing diaphragm welds by electroslag | Twist; diaphragm misplaced; lamellar tearing | Jig assembly, balanced welding, UT of plate and joints |
| Plate and transfer girders | Deep webs, stiffeners, cambered profile | Camber loss after welding | Camber cut into web; measured on the floor |
| Trusses and space frames | CNC pipe profiling, jig assembly | Splices and supports do not meet on site | Trial assembly; match-drilled splices |
| SRC and composite members | Steel cores with rebar holes, couplers, studs | Clash with rebar | Rebar modelled with the steel |
| Secondary steel | Roll-formed purlins, girts, bracing | Short or mixed bundles | Packing list from the BOM |
Process
Ten steps, with the record each one leaves
01
Material
Certificates matched to plates; heat numbers logged.
02
Cutting
CNC flame or plasma; bevels per WPS.
03
Fit-up
Gaps, alignment and preheat checked before welding. Hold point.
04
Welding
Qualified welders on qualified procedures; weld map kept.
05
Correction
Straightening and heat correction within code limits.
06
Drilling
CNC drilling from the model.
07
NDT
At the rate set by the weld grade. Hold point.
08
Dimensional check
Per member, against the shop drawing.
09
Blast and coat
Sa 2½, then the specified system.
10
Pack
Marked, bundled and photographed by zone.
Capabilities
Fabrication limits
Limits depend on the base, the crane and the transport route. We confirm them against your drawings before quoting.
Ask every supplier: at which base will my order be made, and what is the crane capacity in that bay? Group-wide maximums do not tell you what your order gets.
| Item | Limit |
|---|---|
| Welded H web depth | 200–3,000 mm |
| Box column section | 300 × 300 to 1,800 × 1,800 mm |
| Plate thickness | 6–100 mm |
| Single piece | Up to 24 m, 60 t |
| Trial assembly length | Up to 90 m |
| Hole drilling | Φ12–60 mm, 3D CNC |
Limits published on the previous website; to be confirmed in writing by the factory before use.
Lead time
When the clock starts, and what moves it
The clock starts at approval
Fabrication time counts from approved shop drawings and material on site, not from the order date.
Thick and special plate
Z-grade or high-strength plate can take longer from the mill than standard grades. Typical: 3–6 weeks.
Release by zone
Approving drawings zone by zone lets the first zone start while the rest are still in review.
Capacity booking
Large orders are split across bases by member type. We tell you which base makes what.
Changes
What a drawing change costs at each stage
| Stage when the change arrives | Effect | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Before shop drawings | None | Included |
| During shop drawing review | Redraw time | Logged; usually no charge |
| After approval, before cutting | Re-detailing; possible material re-order | Cost and delay quoted before we proceed |
| After cutting or welding | Scrap or rework | Cost and delay quoted; your written approval needed |
| After shipping | Site modification | Site fix procedure and price proposed |
Nothing changes silently. Every change gets a number, a cost and a date before work continues.
Subcontracting
What we make ourselves, and what we buy in
Buyers worry that their order will be passed to an unknown workshop. We name every outside supplier in the ITP before production starts.
- Main members: fabricated at GGSteel bases
- Hot-dip galvanizing: partner plants under our inspection
- Bolts and fasteners: purchased with certificates
- NDT: own staff or accredited lab, to confirm
- No subcontracting of main members without your written consent
Evidence
What these projects demanded of fabrication
SRC box columns with rebar holes
Box columns and H beams for SRC frames across three towers and a podium.
CGN HQ
About 7,000 t of Q420GJC
Core H columns, special-shaped composite columns for a 241 m tower.
Zengcheng
Laos
Can you fabricate to AWS D1.1, EN 1090-2 or AS/NZS 5131?
We fabricate to the execution requirements your specification names, with procedures qualified to that code. Certification status for EN 1090 and AS/NZS 5131 is to be confirmed.
Do you buy steel from a named mill?
Yes, if your specification requires it. Otherwise we buy from mills whose certificates meet EN 10204 3.1, and the mill appears on each certificate.
Can you substitute an equivalent grade if the specified one is short?
Only with your engineer’s written approval. We propose the substitute with its standard and test values first.
What is the smallest order you take?
50 t of steel or 2,000 m² of building area. Smaller packages can ship with a larger order.
Can I visit during production?
Yes, at any hold point or by appointment. Live video tours are also possible.
Fixed price from drawings
Send the drawings and the specification
You get an RFI list in 2 working days and a quote by member type.
- BOM by member type
- Assumptions listed
- Lead time from approval