I should like to clear up any confusion that the 鈥淪potlight on steel鈥� article (11 July, page 64) may have caused

Structural or sectional steel, the subject of the article, is not the same as reinforcing bar (rebar), the subject of the photograph.

While the lead times for sectional steel may be increasing to 19 weeks and beyond, for rebar the lead times have remained at an average of five weeks. UK-manufactured rebar, made from UK recycled metal, is not subject to the global volatility of the raw materials needed for steel sections. Reinforced concrete construction presents a far more stable and economic option.

It is disingenuous to tar rebar with the same photographic brush as structural steel.

Postscript

Graham Mackenzie, chair, British Association of Reinforcement

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