Chaparral Steel Delivers World-Leading Sheet Piling Efficiencies

Hammer & Steel is now stocking Chaparral Steel's PZC series of sheet piling, the latest generation of increasingly efficient sheet piling sections. Chaparral Steel has taken PZ sheet piling and made it wider, lighter and, at the same time, stronger. The sheet piling sections, with the trademark name PZC, have the traditional ball and socket interlock that contractors in the United States prefer, notes Stan Baucum, director of sales for Midlothian, Texas based Chaparral.

PZC sections offer several advantages by combining the strength of European sections and lighter weight with the best interlock system available. The ball and socket system is two-and-a-half times stronger than Larssen interlocks from Europe. Additionally, PZC is easier to thread and easier to drive than European sections and is more durable, making it the best choice for rental applications.

"Chaparral Steel's PZC 13 and PZC 18 steel sheet pile sections are the most efficient of any section produced throughout the world as measured by section modulus relative to weight per square foot of wall. Because of the driving width and ability of Chaparral to provide these sections "paired", they can also be the most economical sheets to install of any produced in the industry," notes Bob Laurence, vice president of Hammer & Steel.

Chaparral Steel makes a full line of sheet piling sections, including heavy duty PZ 35 and PZ 40 Z sections as well as PS 27.5 and PS 31 "flat" sheets.

The company is currently the most efficient producer of heavy Z sheet pile sections (PZ 35 and PZ 40), and plans to expand on these capabilities in the coming months by producing heavier sections of PZC, which will be designated PZC 26 and PZC 36. Production of PZC 26 is expected to begin mid-year, Baucum says, and Hammer & Steel will also stock those sections.

Hammer & Steel has PZC sections available for sale or rent from its stocking locations in St. Louis, Houston, Minneapolis and New Orleans. "Our stocking levels are second to none in the industry," Laurence says. Piling can also be ordered for direct shipment from mill rollings to minimize job site delivered costs.

"We're committed to sheet pile, including producing new and improved products which bring increased value to our customers."

Stan Baucum, Director of Sales
Chaparral Steel

Chaparral is the second largest producer of structural steel products in North America, operating mills in Texas and Virginia. The company uses mini-mill technology, in which recycled scrap steel is melted in electric arc furnaces and continuous casting systems form the molten steel into a range of products. The two mills have a combined annual rated production capacity of 2.8 million tons.

"Chaparral Steel's PZC 13 and PZC 18 steel sheet pile sections are the most efficient of any section produced throughout the world."

Bob Laurence, Vice President
Hammer & Steel

The company manufactures more than 230 different types, sizes and grades of structural steel and bar products, which it sells throughout North America and Europe. The high-efficiency plant in Petersburg, Va., completed in 1999 at a cost of more than $600 million, was the first modern sheet pile mill built in years in the United States. "We're committed to sheet pile, including producing new and improved products which bring increased value to our customers. And we're committed to promoting steel against competing products such as concrete and timber," Baucum says.

Chaparral Steel is proud to be associated with Hammer & Steel, he adds. "Joe and Bob are very honest and trustworthy. You can count on them to do what they say. That's how we like to build our relationships."