Structural steel's ability to be designed, fabricated and erected rapidly shorten the framing system schedule, provide earlier site access for other trades and allow earlier project occupancy. Structural steel is fabricated off-site, meaning that much of the work is done before the steel shows up at the job site, whereas other materials are dependent on site access and ideal weather conditions before work can proceed.
Structural steel enhances construction productivity because of its ability to be shop fabricated while maintaining tight construction tolerances. Fabricating steel in a shop ensures a high-quality product that can be rapidly erected in the field without incurring excessive change requests. Other field-placed materials will always lag behind steel's productivity curve due to processes such as forming, shoring and cure times or the high labor demands of stick-built construction processes. And unlike other building systems, steel can be rapidly erected even during winter.
Steel's scheduling efficiency translates to cost savings by:
Reducing the overall critical path by completing the structure sooner
Reducing general condition costs with a shorter construction schedule
Increasing revenue from early occupation due to faster construction
Source: AISC