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Glite Dictionary
structural iron

structural iron

4.6
Metal shaped into parts that hold up buildings like beams and columns
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : hierro estructural
  • The bridge was built using structural iron to ensure its strength and durability.

Examples

  • It consisted of 18,038 pieces of puddled iron (a pure form of structural iron) and two and a half million rivets.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Fortunately, industrialization provided the solution to its own problem in the form of structural iron and steel.

    Academic text (2012)

  • They used structural iron for the framework of the new high-rise building.

  • The architect specified structural iron as the primary material for the construction project.

How Strong

structural steel
  • Specialized
1 3.7
structural iron
  • Specialized
4.6
wrought iron
  • Specialized
10 4.7

Surface Forms

structural iron singular
structural irons plural

Morphology

structural + iron

The noun phrase combines 'structural' (relating to load-bearing parts or structure) with 'iron' (the metal), so its meaning 'iron used for structural/building purposes' is directly predictable from the constituents. This is a regular adjective + noun composition found across languages and should be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Structural iron comes from the image of iron shaped into beams and frames that hold a building up. So it means 'iron used for building and construction purposes'.