Building Safety Compromised by Non-Standard Beam Imports

Non-standard imported beams have compromised the safety of over 60% of buildings constructed in Iran, the head of National Iron & Steel Union said.

“Some traders exploit the consumers’ lack of knowledge of technical details and sell them light instead of heavy beams,” Mohammad Azad was also quoted as saying by Foolad News.

The importers are in fact misusing the difference between Iranian and foreign steel standards.

According to Azad, based on the Iranian standard, each W14 beam is required to weigh 150-155 kilograms, while most of the imported W14 beams are at least 25 kilograms lighter.

The beams’ subpar standard makes them much less resistant to earthquakes and it seems most of the buildings, which collapsed during the Sunday quake in Kermanshah Province, used low quality beams as part of the Mehr Housing Scheme–a large-scale construction program initiated in 2007 by the former administration to provide two million low-income people with housing units through free land and cheap credit.

Reports indicate that more than 30,000 houses in the area were damaged and at least two villages were completely destroyed.

The 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck villages and towns in the mountainous area of Kermanshah that borders Iraq. Fourteen provinces in Iran felt the quake. Hundreds of people died and thousands more were injured.

Iran is crisscrossed by major fault lines and has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years, highlighting the need for improved material and house building standards.