Is steel less expensive than concrete?

Steel is far more expensive per tons than concrete. But when used as reinforcement in concrete the steel is generally less than 1% of the cross-sectional area of the concrete. Even in concrete columns, the steel content is often less than 4%.

Steel is a stronger material than concrete alone for steel construction using I beams and steel universal columns when of equal cross section, with good strength in both tension and compression, compared to concrete, which has only a moderately good strength in compression, with its limited strength in tension usually ignored for design purposes in reinforced.