Data Center Steel Procurement: A Buyer’s Guide

Data centers are built fast and built in repeats. A campus can mean several buildings to the same design, each on a schedule where a late delivery holds up the next trade. For the person buying the steel, the job is to get the right material to the right building at the right time, with the paperwork QA/QC will ask for.

This guide walks through the steel a data center build buys, how to package and phase the order, and what to send a supplier so the quote comes back complete.

What steel a data center build buys

Most of the steel on a data center job falls into a handful of scopes:

• Shell and core framing. W-⁠Beams, HSS columns, channels and angles for the building frame, braced or moment frames, and roof framing. Joists and steel deck usually come from specialty manufacturers under their own packages.
• Equipment platforms and dunnage. Steel for generator, chiller and cooling equipment platforms, switchgear and transformer supports, rooftop dunnage for mechanical units, and equipment screens.
• Electrical and cable support. Support channel, brackets and hanger plates for cable tray and busway runs, including the support grids above the data halls.
• Embeds and base plates. Embed plates, base plates and the anchor bolt plans that place them, which go to the concrete contractor ahead of the steel.
• Miscellaneous metals. Stairs, ladders, guardrails, bollards and checker plate covers.
• Site and campus work. On-site solar (ground-mount and carports), canopies and site structures.

On most jobs these scopes split across several bid packages. Structural steel, miscellaneous metals, electrical supports and equipment platforms often go to different subcontractors. Knowing which package you are buying for keeps the bill of material clean and keeps two vendors from quoting the same steel.

Package the order before you price it

Start from the IFC drawings (issued for construction) and the specifications. Most steel sits in Division 05 12 00 (Structural Steel Framing) and 05 50 00 (Metal Fabrications). Electrical supports often sit in Division 26 05 29 (Hangers and Supports for Electrical Systems).

Then build the BOM so it can be bought in pieces:

• By size, grade and length. That’s the form a supplier prices and a mill or service center ships.
• By building, data hall or level. That way each phase can be released and priced on its own.
• Long-lead items flagged early. Heavy or less common W-⁠Beam sizes, large HSS, plate in unusual thicknesses or grades, and anything that has to be galvanized take longer to arrive than stock sizes.
• Repeat details marked as repeats. A campus often reuses the same equipment platform, support frame or bracket from building to building. Treat these as standard parts and they can be released again for the next phase without a new takeoff.

Putting material and processing (cutting, drilling, coping, bending, galvanizing) on one purchase order removes a handoff between vendors, and with it a place where schedules slip.

Phase deliveries to the build sequence

A data center rarely needs all its steel at once. Deliveries that follow the build sequence keep the laydown area clear and the crews working:

• Release by area. Release by building, data hall, level or erection sequence, matched to the schedule’s required-on-site dates.
• Tag for the crew. Bundle and tag by piece mark and area, with a packing list in every load, so the crew pulls only what it needs.
• Plan the site. Agree delivery windows and site logistics early: gate hours, site access, crane availability and where trucks can unload.
• Control revisions. Data center designs often change late, as equipment selections firm up. Keep drawings under revision control and re-release only the parts that changed.

Paperwork QA/QC will ask for

Set the documentation requirements in the purchase order, not at delivery:

• Mill test reports (MTRs) with heat numbers traceable to the material shipped.
• Coating certificates: for hot-⁠dip galvanized steel, the galvanizer’s certification to ASTM A123 (fabricated products) or A153 (hardware). For galvanized sheet, the coating designation, such as G90 under ASTM A653.
• Submittals: shop and erection drawings and product data, approved before material is released.
• Embodied-carbon data: some owners, hyperscalers in particular, now ask for Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to track embodied carbon. If an EPD is required, say so in the bid package so it can be requested from the producing mill.
  • Buy Clean California Act: sets embodied-carbon limits for structural steel on state agencies’ public works. It does not apply to private data centers unless the owner or the contract adopts it.
  • CALGreen: the state’s green building code now carries embodied-carbon measures for larger new nonresidential buildings. One way to comply is with product EPDs for materials including structural steel. Check the current code text for the size thresholds that apply to your building.

Coordinate anchors, embeds and seismic supports early

In seismic regions like California, equipment anchorage and supports follow ASCE 7 Chapter 13 through the building code. They are designed by the engineer of record or a delegated engineer; the supplier details and fabricates to that design and doesn’t create it.

Three things protect the schedule:

1. Get anchor bolt plans and embed layouts out first. The concrete goes in long before the steel, and a missing embed is an expensive fix.
2. Close connection and support questions in RFIs before release. It’s cheaper than recutting parts in the field.
3. Plan the approvals. Miscellaneous steel such as stairs is often handled as a deferred submittal, and shop fabrication can need special inspection unless the fabricator is approved by the building official. Find out early what your jurisdiction requires, so approvals don’t stall a release.

What to send for a quote

The more complete the package, the tighter the quote and the fewer RFIs later:

• Drawings and specifications: IFC drawings and the specifications, with addenda.
• Scope: the scope letter or bid package, so it’s clear what is in and what is out.
• Quantities: a BOM or takeoff, if you have one.
• Schedule: the phasing plan and required-on-site dates.
• Delivery: delivery addresses and site constraints.
• Coatings: finish and coating requirements (galvanized, primed or bare).
• Documentation: MTRs, certificates and EPDs, if required.
• Contact: a name for RFIs.

Terms you’ll see on a data center job

• IFC set: the drawings issued for construction, the basis for a firm quote.
• Bid package: one scope (structural steel, misc. metals, electrical supports) issued for bids, with its own scope sheet.
• Submittal: shop drawings and product data sent for approval before fabrication.
• Release: the go-ahead to fabricate and ship one building, data hall or sequence.
• Piece mark: the label on each member that ties it to the erection drawings.
• Dunnage: a steel frame that carries equipment above a roof or slab.
• Data hall: the rooms that hold the servers, often built and released one at a time.
• Powered shell: the building and its power delivered before the owner fits out the data halls.

How Mona Steel fits

Mona Steel supplies structural steel, equipment platform and dunnage steel, cable and busway support channel, embeds, base plates and laser-cut brackets for data center builds. We quote from IFC drawings, bid packages or BOMs. Our detailing team prepares shop drawings, anchor bolt plans and CNC files when the package needs them. Material and processing go on one PO, with phased deliveries tagged by piece mark and MTRs on every shipment. From our Anaheim, California headquarters we deliver across California and ship to data center projects nationwide, including Texas, Arizona and Nevada.