This original structural steel schedule was found in Architectural Forum article written by architect R.H. Shreve, published in June of 1930.
The schedule, created by steel subcontractor Post and McCord Construction, divides the total amount of steel required into individual orders and schedules these orders in accordance with material sourcing, manufacturing, delivery and erection capabilities.
The steel demand for the Empire State Building was so large that two manufactures were needed to keep up with factory capacity and raw material supply. Manufacturers American Bridge Co. and McClintic Marshall Co., both of Pittsburgh, alternated sections of the total building.
The 51,900 tons of steel is broken up by level. All steel was hoisted from street level using a series of derricks and tiers.
Steel columns were most often manufactured in two story segments to account for transportation and erection limits.
The total 84 stories of the Empire State Building (excluding mooring mass) was broken into two story tiers to coordinate ordering. The two stories reflect the premanufactured column heights.
Columns and beams were premanufactured before being shipped to site. To expedite erection, the steel members were labeled with specific locations that corresponded to a column grid and level. The delivery location, derrick number, level, and location in plan was all specified at manufacturer to avoid wasted time on site.
Post and McCord scheduled due dates for structural engineer Homer G. Balcom, of Starrett Brothers, to complete shop drawing for the steel manufacturers.
The delivery date scheduled took into account manufacturer production speed, transportation by ship, rail, and truck. Due to a lack of storage space on site, steel members were erected within 72 hours of delivery.
Erection of the steel members was completed by Post and McCord Construction. The process consisted of two crews: a derrick crew and a rivet crew. The rivet crews were composed of 3 men that only worked with each other through the whole construction duration.
