Quality controls must be introduced into the UAE's commercial steel building supply chain to ensure that reinforced steel products arriving on sites are exactly as specified, according to a UK body.

Ben Bowsher, executive director of Cares, the UK Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steels, said a certification system must be employed in the UAE to ensure steel cutting and bending companies source from reputable steel mills.

Poor quality steel, or steel which is cut and bent incorrectly, can lead to severe delays on metal building sites, as parts are tested onsite or replaced, he warned.

"In the construction industry it's not always easy to ensure you get the steel that you specified. You can have faults all the way down the supply line," said Bowsher."You won't see a building fall down because of it, but you can certainly have costly delays while testing is done. If the results come back wrong, sometimes construction will have to be altered."

And, as you might expect, this delay would have to be tacked on to any steel building prices/costs, something all clients wish to avoid.