Economics

A study was recently conducted by the University of Kansas for the FHWA and Kansas DOT that evaluated the initial and life-cycle costs of epoxy-coated reinforcing steel.

This study found that the initial cost of decks with epoxy-coated steel was $196/yd² compared with $189 for decks containing uncoated reinforcing steel.

Thus, the incremental cost was only $7/yd².

Over a 75-year life and using a discount rate of 4 percent, the life-cycle costs for the decks containing epoxy-coated reinforcing steel was presented within the study to be $237/yd² compared with $444/yd²for decks containing uncoated reinforcing bars. The life-cycle cost savings from the use of epoxy-coated bars compared with uncoated bars was $207/yd².

Using this data, the ROI for use of epoxy-coated bars was found to be {($207-$7)/($7) x 100} = 2857%.

Epoxy-coated reinforcing steel is a solid and sound investment in durable concrete structures.