The short answer: Steel fabrication explained — the processes, techniques, and industries involved. Written by Varlowe's fabrication team in Wolverhampton with over 20 years of experience
The steel industry is one of the world's most important industries, producing about half of all manufactured goods worldwide.
According to UK Steel, the UK steel industry produces approximately 7 million tonnes of crude steel annually, directly employing around 33,000 people and supporting a further 50,000 jobs across the supply chain. Steel remains the backbone of construction, manufacturing, energy, and infrastructure in the UK.
Steel Fabrication is the process of cutting, bending, and assembling steel to create a steel structure or product. The process begins with the structural steel as its raw material. When all of the component parts are fabricated and assembled together, the result is a steel structure or component.
Fabricated steel components are used across many industries. They can be found in commercial properties (hospitals, offices and schools), industrial properties (warehouses, storage facilities) and leisure (sports stadiums, shopping centres).
Take a look at our steel fabrication page for more information about our steel fabrication service.
Steel Fabrication is a multi-stage manufacturing process. It involves a variety of processes.
Cutting is used to cut the raw steel materials into sections. Common steel cutting processes include:
Bending is used to shape the cut material into the required configuration. Common steel bending processes include:
Assembly combines the separate components into the finished structure. Common steel assembly processes include:
Structural steel is a steel construction material that is produced with a particular cross-section. It is used as part of a building or other structure. Structural steel is produced by rolling or extruding steel at very high temperatures.
Structural steel sections are standardised, meaning that they are available in standard shapes and sizes. The most common shapes include:
Steel is an alloy of iron. Its composition can be modified to produce different properties. There are hundreds of grades of steel, but the most common types used in fabrication are:
Achievable tolerances in steel fabrication depend on the process. Structural steelwork fabricated to BS EN 1090 tolerances can achieve positioning accuracy of ±3 mm on standard structures, with tighter tolerances possible for precision components. CNC-machined components achieve much tighter tolerances — typically ±0.1 mm for general machining, down to ±0.01 mm for precision work.
Key quality standards in steel fabrication include:
Varlowe Industrial Services holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and employs coded welders qualified to BS EN ISO 9606. Read more about our coded welding capability.
Welding is the process of joining two or more pieces of metal by using heat, pressure, or both to fuse them together. It is the primary method for creating permanent, high-strength joints in steel fabrication. Read our full guide: What Is Welding?
Coded welding refers to welding carried out by a welder who holds a formal qualification to a recognised standard. For structural and pressure applications in the UK, the primary standard is BS EN ISO 9606. A coded welder's qualification certificate documents their tested range of materials, positions, and thicknesses. Read our full guide: What Is a Coded Welder?
CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining is a precision manufacturing process in which a computer controls the movement of cutting tools to produce components to tight tolerances. While steel fabrication deals with cutting, forming, and assembling steel structures, CNC machining is used for producing precision components — shafts, flanges, brackets, and bespoke parts. Read our full guide: CNC Machining Explained.
Steel fabrication is used across virtually every sector of industry and construction. Common applications include:
When selecting a steel fabrication contractor, key factors include whether the company holds relevant quality accreditations (ISO 9001:2015), whether their welders are coded to BS EN ISO 9606, their workshop capacity and equipment, their experience with the materials and standards your project requires, and their track record on comparable projects. Varlowe holds ISO 9001:2015 and employs BS EN ISO 9606 coded welders.
To discuss a project or speak with one of our engineers, get in touch with the Varlowe team — we're happy to help with enquiries of any size.
Steel fabrication is the process of cutting, bending, forming, and assembling steel to create structures, components, or products. The process uses structural steel as raw material and may involve welding, bolting, or riveting to join the fabricated sections. The output ranges from individual components such as brackets and frames to complete structural assemblies for buildings, plant, and industrial infrastructure.
Steel fabrication typically involves three main stages: cutting (sawing, plasma cutting, flame cutting, laser cutting), forming (press braking, roll bending, tube bending), and assembly (welding, bolting, riveting). Finishing processes such as shot blasting, painting, and galvanising may also be required depending on the application and environmental exposure.
Structural steelwork in the UK must be fabricated to BS EN 1090, which specifies execution classes and tolerances. Welding quality is governed by BS EN ISO 5817. Welders must hold qualifications under BS EN ISO 9606. Companies should hold ISO 9001:2015 for quality management. Varlowe holds ISO 9001:2015 and employs coded welders qualified to BS EN ISO 9606.
Welding is one of several joining methods used within the broader fabrication process. Fabrication covers the complete process of making a steel component or structure — cutting, forming, and assembling. Welding is the primary method of creating permanent joints in fabrication, but components can also be joined by bolting or riveting depending on the application.
Yes. Varlowe Industrial Services provides steel fabrication from their Wolverhampton workshop, including structural steelwork, pipework fabrication, bespoke components, and coded welding. They hold ISO 9001:2015 and employ BS EN ISO 9606 coded welders for structural and safety-critical applications.