Better Choices in Yard Ramp Material

The yard ramp industry is taking initiative and ensuring all of our practices are moving us forward. Steel is such an important asset for building durable yard ramps, and now we’re seeing that’s a great choice for many reasons. While we carry the occasional aluminum yard ramp for vans and stages, the vast majority of our yard ramps are steel.

Processing a raw metal alloy and shaping it for construction can come at another cost, and we’re not talking about profits. Pollution factors are rising at an alarmingly high rate, and we have to keep an eye on how we’re tipping the scales. If we don’t, we’ll affect greenhouse gas emissions, emissions to water, metal dust, and have an overall negative environmental impact.

But how do you measure the real impact? Sustainability experts would suggest considering indicators like carbon, energy, air, and water used and externally impacted by production byproducts. In other words, are we being mindful of what kind of footprint we’re leaving when manufacturing yard ramps?

What’s the Greener Material? Steel or Aluminum

Pound for pound, steel is better for the environment than aluminum on all four environmental indicators (carbon, energy, air, water). But it can be a little more complicated than that.

First, both steel and aluminum have something going for them that other materials, like plastics, don’t. They’re essentially recyclable forever. Steel that’s recycled from old metal cars is pretty much interchangeable with new steel, and aluminum from a soda can could end up in an airplane if the metal alloys match. Steel and aluminum also keep their structural integrity when they go through their respective recycling processes.

On the other hand, aluminum has a separate ecosystem of recyclers — aluminum can recyclers are perfect for making new aluminum cans, and yard ramp recyclers at making new yard ramps. The processes are different for these different applications, and you can’t guess what aluminum will be used for in the future, you have to know.

Sustainability best practices recommend a version of aluminum called primary aluminum, that has only been through the recycling process a certain number of times previously. This type of aluminum is more impactful than the trade-mix steel, because of all that energy needed to smelt these materials. As you find yourself looking at secondary aluminum in the mix, though, steel and aluminum have about the same environmental footprint.

Buy Yard Ramps Locally

When you keep your yard ramp shopping local, you save on environmental costs like shipping, carbon, and travel emissions. Our yard ramp distribution centers are available all over the united states, so you’re guaranteed to find one near you.

What’s the Right Move when Manufacturing Yard Ramps?

The ideas seem to compete with each other. Do we think about growing construction demands or wanting to reduce our carbon footprint? How do we find a balance between the two? The supply-and-demand of steel and aluminum products is always going up, and manufacturers can’t stay in business if they don’t follow through. What if, we keep up with the demand, but take a hard look at the processes in which we meet these demands?

Always remember, sustainability is a way of working, not just your choice of materials. You probably wouldn’t make the same product thickness, for example — in a steel yard ramp as you would in aluminum. In practical application, you’d want to re-engineer the yard ramp to take the best advantage of your material choice. Environmental impact isn’t a one-check task on the to-do list, it’s a commitment to a way of good working.

Copperloy | American Made Yard Ramps