A steel frame is a structural system used in building construction that consists of a skeleton made from steel beams, columns, and other components to support the primary loads of the structure, including dead loads, live loads, and environmental forces.[1] This framework allows for the creation of open interior spaces without the need for load-bearing walls, enabling flexible architectural designs in low-rise, mid-rise, and high-rise buildings.[2]

The origins of steel frame construction trace back to the late 19th century in the United States, where innovations in steel production, such as the Bessemer process, made high-strength steel widely available for structural use.[3] Pioneered in Chicago around 1884 by engineer William LeBaron Jenney in the Home Insurance Building—widely regarded as the first skyscraper for its use of an innovative metal skeleton frame—this method marked a shift from load-bearing masonry and cast-iron construction, allowing buildings to exceed 10 stories while reducing material weight and foundation demands.[4] By the early 20th century, steel frames became standard for commercial and industrial structures due to standardized shapes like wide-flange beams defined in ASTM A6, governed by codes from organizations such as the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).[5]