Silos are structures used for storing grain and other bulk products. They play a crucial role in the
agricultural and food sector, guaranteeing the preservation and protection of grains from external
factors that could damage them, such as humidity, insects, rodents and temperature variations.
The choice between concrete silos or steel silos depends on various factors, including the required storage capacity, budget, location and the specific needs of farms or the food industry.
Below we will analyse the main differences between concrete silos and steel silos, and we will try
to determine which option can be considered most suitable for your needs.
Concrete silos:
Concrete silos are made using concrete reinforced with steel structures, ensuring strength and
stability. Their main features are:
Durability: concrete silos have a long life and resistance to atmospheric agents as long as the
construction and design aspects are respected, which are more complex than for steel silos.
Thermal insulation: concrete provides a greater degree of thermal insulation than steel.
Costs: concrete silos are more expensive, as are the costs of their foundations, which are much
more important and complex due to the increased weight to be supported for the same capacity.
Dimensions: concrete silos can reach greater dimensions and heights than steel silos.
Execution times: the execution times, for the foundation part and for the construction part, are
longer than for the same work for steel silos.
Demolition costs: demolition costs can vary significantly between reinforced
concrete silos and steel silos due to differences in demolition and material recycling techniques.
Reinforced concrete silos are generally more expensive to dismantle due to the need to break up the concrete and separate the steel reinforcement, which requires heavy machinery and more time. Steel silos, on the other hand, can be disassembled more easily and the steel parts can be recycled more efficiently.
Steel silos:
Steel silos, in particular those manufactured by Mulmix, are made of S450GD structural steel with
Z600 or ZM310 coating, the latter being suitable for storing food products according to EC
Regulation no. 1935/2004 (framework standard), which establishes the general requirements that
all M.O.C.A. materials and objects must comply with. They can be manufactured in various sizes and capacities, and have the important advantage of their modularity and type of construction (flat or conical bottom, on a raised steel structure).
The main features of steel silos are as follows:
Flexibility: steel silos can be easily disassembled, transported and reassembled in another location, making them ideal in situations where greater mobility is required.
Assembly: compared to concrete silos, steel silos take less time to build. Their modular
components and the simple equipment required for assembly speed up operations in this sense.
Resistance: steel silos are resistant to corrosion and wear, and have good resistance to atmospheric events, as well as greater mechanical resistance to seismic events (due to the elasticity of steel) than concrete silos.
Temperature management and ventilation: steel silos have a higher thermal transmittance than
concrete silos. Due to their type of construction, however, they are normally equipped with a larger ventilation surface, which is more suitable for ventilation and refrigeration, thus guaranteeing excellent storage conditions.
Food safety: both concrete silos and steel silos provide an excellent barrier against insects and
rodents, reducing the risk of food contamination.
Co-engineering: steel silos are easily customised in terms of size, capacity and design according to customer needs.
Furthermore, for all companies with environmental certifications, using Mulmix steel silos – made
of GD + ZM310 Zinc-Magnesium steel – helps to reduce the environmental impact, thanks to an
eco-friendly coating and a low dispersion rate of zinc in the environment.
In conclusion, for storage centres preparing to modernise their plants, steel silos remain the best
solution not only in terms of the quality/price ratio but also regarding the design phase, which
allows increasingly customised solutions, execution times and the most innovative materials.
Lately, steel mills have been investing heavily in their R&D departments and increasingly high- performing steels are already on the market: high-strength steels and innovative coatings that are ever more suitable for use in complex environments (e.g. marine environments). Furthermore, in the production phase, many steel mills are becoming increasingly green-oriented in order to supply steel products with a low environmental impact and reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
The Mulmix R&D department is highly attentive to all the new products offered by steel mills.
The company is researching innovative solutions to offer, in the coming years, to its green
customers or to all those who are sensitive and attentive not only to environmental sustainability but also to innovations.
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