Whether you are an electrician, or a workman, or even a construction worker, the ladder is ever important. A ladder helps make the work easier and get it done in a quick time. That is why ladders tend to be one of the most useful and versatile things around. But the real challenge lies in determining the right ladder for use. Whether you go for the aluminum ones or the steel ones or even the wooden ones.
Wooden ones are generally not used in commercial and industrial usage and thus we focus on the aluminum and the steel step ladders. Let’s check out which one is better between these two.
Aluminum Step Ladder
Aluminum step ladders are one of the most popular step ladders you’ll see around. They are widely used around for home works, for repairs, electrical works, and to climb out to reach the higher ceilings. They have been around since the 19th century when aluminum was discovered and have been used for its economic nature and ease of use. They are extensively used for their ease of use, affordability, and portable nature. Let’s see out in detail the advantages and disadvantages of the aluminum step ladder.
Advantages of Aluminum Step Ladder
- Lightweight and Portable: Aluminum ladders have a lightweight nature to their side. They have been preferred due to their ease of moving around and their portable nature. You’ll be better placed to move around an aluminum ladder as opposed to the steel ladder when compared. This is why aluminum ladders were widely used.
- Economical: Aluminum ladders are economical. Although back in the 19th century when it was discovered it was primed as precious as gold. But as aluminum started getting used for home building and more, the price became an economical one. It’s still one of the cheaply available components around and is thus cheaper than the steel. You can easily get an aluminum step ladder at a fraction of the cost of the steel ones.
- Rustproof: Steel materials get rusty over time as they are prone to air moisture. If you were to put the steel step ladder for quite a long time in an airy environment, it will develop rust. This can degrade the performance of the ladder and make it weak. As for the aluminum ones, they will never be prone to rust. This gives them an upper hand when it comes to being rust-free.
- Maintenance-free and environment friendly: Aluminum ladders are maintenance-free and will not corrode or even rust with time. They are great picks as the material is also environment friendly. Aluminum step ladders have a low lifetime cost and tend to be good for usage.
Disadvantages of Aluminum Step Ladder
- Lack of strength: If you were to test the aluminum ladders against the steel step ladders you’ll find that the aluminum step ladders lack the strength of the steel. They tend to be clumsy and can break down under the pressure of high loads. This is why they are not used for industrial usage where huge loads and pressure are needed.
- Not compatible with all metals: Aluminum step ladders are not compatible with all types of chemicals and can corrode or get damaged when used with other chemicals. If you are someone who works with chemicals over time, then it would be wise to go for the steel step ladders and not the aluminum ones.
Steel Step Ladder
Steel has been the go-to option for most construction-related works and platforms. They have been widely used for the most of 20th century. This is down to their high resilient feature and durability. It is also great for heavy-duty usage works. Let’s check out their advantages and disadvantages down below:
Advantages of Steel Step Ladder
- Durability and strength: Steel step ladders are extremely durable. Steel in itself is one of the prime and durable materials in the world and is widely for its extensive tensile strength. Steel can last for a long time and is great for industrial usage, something that aluminum step ladders cannot provide.
- Chemically Compatible: Steel tends to be chemically compatible with a host of chemicals. This means you can use a steel step ladder even in the area where you will have to use chemicals. This allows you to continue working without having to worry about the ladder.
- Sturdy: When it comes to steel products, they tend to be sturdy. Even if you look across apart from ladders steel products tend to be sturdier and heavier. This gives them a good grip on the foundation and helps keeps the balance. When you have to use stairs to reach a high area, having a sturdy base and foundation is most important. Steel step ladders have that sturdiness and can give a good grip for you.
- Designed for heavy-duty usage: Steel step ladders are designed for heavy-duty usage and can offer you benefits even in heavy works. They are predominately used for tougher tasks and offer good strength, balance, and support than aluminum ones. If you are into heavy-duty usage, simply opt for the steel step ladders.
Disadvantages of a Steel Step Ladder
- Expensive: Steel step ladders are expensive compared to aluminum ladders. The material, i.e. steel is priced at an expensive range than aluminum and hence the ladders also tend to cost high. This invests steel step ladders an expensive affair for many.
- Needs regular maintenance: One thing that we know about the steel step ladders is that they tend to go rusty and corrosive if left unattended. This is why steel step ladders need constant monitoring and check.
Wrapping Up
Steel step ladders and aluminum ladders both are widely used around by people based on their needs and requirements. Many steel step ladders may offer greater functionality and they opt for the same while many find aluminum ones a good pick. We advise picking the right step ladder based on your requirement levels.
I’m Hina Khan, working as a writer at Worldblaze.in blog. I love dancing and listening punjabi music. Here I’m sharing all the interesting stuffs that will definitely entertain you.