November 21, 2008

South Africa steel bar shortage threatens construction

The South Africa Reinforced Concrete Engineers’ Association said that a shortage of steel reinforcing bars used for concrete reinforcement could seriously affect the progress of South Africa’s infrastructural development.

Mr Rod Mountford director of the association said that members of the association are reporting serious shortages of certain rebar sizes as well as their monthly orders not being supplied in full.

He said that “The construction industry is experiencing an unprecedented demand for rebar because of the large volume of major civil engineering projects currently under way, such as the 2010 Soccer World Cup stadiums and the Gautrain project, to name just two.”

Mr Mountford said that local steel mills are unable to supply the required volumes and said this was worsened by the fact that there was a global shortage of rebar. He added that “There is, in any event, a three to four month lead time for the importation of rebar, with the imported product also more expensive than locally sourced reinforcement.”