Wooden poles vs Steel poles

There is always going to be an in depth discussion on whether telegraph poles, transmission poles or telephone poles should be made of steel or wood. If you examine the advantages and disadvantages then this decision should be simple, or is it?

Wooden poles blend into their environment and are pleasing to the eye. Telegraph poles and telephone poles can be found on all residential roads and look far more pleasing than a galvanised steel pole, this can certainly be said when installed in the countryside. Wooden poles have a greater ultimate load which enables them to bend and curve in severe weather conditions whereas steel poles are rigid and fixed causing them to buckle under pressure. An advantage which many will see to be the most significant is that wooden poles are on average 100% cheaper than their steel counterparts. When a company is ordering close to 10,000 transmission poles and creosoted wooden poles this can be a huge saving.

We now need to take a look at the advantages of steel poles. A steel pole is manufactured to specification; this means that any size can be produced within reason. High voltage transmission poles need to be on average 30 meters, these wooden poles are 200 years old and are virtually impossible to find, if located they are normally government protected. Steel poles can be manufactured in less than 15 days if all the necessary raw materials are in place compared to a lead time of 6 months if the wooden poles are not in stock. This obviously enables contracting projects to be arranged and carried out in a very quick turnaround period. There are various grades of steel, these grades vary in their strength. The highest strength steel is far more robust than a medium sized wooden pole, however this type of steel is hard to find and extremely expensive.

From the above you can see that both wooden poles and steel poles have their own advantages and disadvantages. The choice of which to use is obviously that of preference, circumstance and of course cost.