COLUMNS · COST GUIDE
Steel Column Repair Cost: Estimate an FRP Jacket per Foot
Steel column repair cost depends mostly on how much steel is lost, the size and length of the repair, access, and whether the column can stay in service. An FRP jacket repair is priced per linear foot of column: a 12 in. jacket comes to about $125 per foot of laminate, before grout and any shear transfer devices. Estimate your column.
Key takeaways
- Priced per foot: an FRP jacket costs by the linear foot of column, and grows with the jacket diameter.
- Section loss sets the scope: above 50% loss, shear transfer devices and a separate estimate are needed.
- Downtime is the hidden cost: repairs done in service avoid outages that can outweigh the repair.
- Repair usually beats replacement: no shoring, demolition or new connections.
- Fix it early: corrosion keeps removing steel, and cheap fixes that trap moisture cost more later.
Estimate your steel column jacket cost
Enter the diameter of the FRP tube that will wrap your column. The estimator returns the approximate laminate cost per linear foot of column. Multiply by the length of the damaged zone for a jacket number, then add grout and, for severe loss, shear transfer devices.
Steel Column Repair Cost Estimator
This pricing is for a PileMedic® jacket used like FRP formwork, without vertical bars or horizontal hoop bars. Enter the diameter of the tube you would wrap around your column.
Laminate only, and approximate. Not included: grout, bottom seal, ShearWrap™ or ShearClamp™ units for severe section loss, bars, spacers and labor. Enter the tube diameter, not the column size: spacers hold the jacket off the steel to leave room for grout, so the tube is larger than the column (on piles it is typically 4 to 6 in. larger). For a total with spacers and GFRP bars (6 spacers every 2 ft and 6 bars), use the PileMedic® cost estimator. Section loss above 50% needs its own estimate. Your engineer’s design sets the final number.
Section loss above 50%, or want a detailed breakdown?
GET AN FRP CONSULTATIONNeed spacers and GFRP bars in the number too? The PileMedic® cost estimator adds them for a given repair length.
How much does steel column repair cost?
There is no single average price for a steel column repair, because each one is the sum of that column’s materials, labor, engineering and access, priced at local rates. Two columns of the same size can differ widely if one is dry and indoors and the other is underwater with half its flange gone.
For reference, Prof. Mo Ehsani estimated the cost to strengthen a typical concrete building column with a PileMedic® laminate shell at well below $10,000 in February 2023. A steel column repair with the same jacket adds shear clamps or other load transfer devices where section loss is severe. See the worked design in strengthening concrete columns.
The FRP itself costs more per pound than steel or concrete. The repair often costs less overall because the materials are light, need no ties, are installed with hand tools and can often go on with the column in service.
Want a priced estimate for your columns?
Send the column sizes, measured section loss, repair length and photos. Our team will recommend the right QuakeWrap® system and provide specifications for your engineer.
What drives the cost of a steel column repair?
Four things set most of the price: the extent of the damage, the materials, labor, and any engineering or fabrication. The table shows how each one moves the number.
| Cost driver | Why it matters | Lower cost when | Higher cost when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section loss | Sets how much capacity the repair must restore | Loss is light or local | Loss is above 50%, needing shear transfer devices |
| Column size | Each foot of jacket is two wraps plus an 8 in. overlap, so it grows with diameter | Small sections, tight jacket | Large or irregular sections |
| Repair length | Many repairs cover only the deteriorated length | Damage limited to one zone, such as the base | Full-height repair |
| Access | Equipment, lifting and working room | Light materials carried by hand or in an elevator | Cranes, scaffolds, tight spaces or equipment around the base |
| Service and outages | Downtime often costs more than the repair | Work done with the column in service | Shutdown, shoring or an outage |
| Water and exposure | Wet, tidal or underwater work is slower | Dry, indoor columns | Underwater work, especially underwater welding |
| Hot work | Welding needs skilled welders and may be restricted | No-weld methods | Welding where hot work is restricted |
| Number and sizes | Custom parts for each column add fabrication | Many columns of the same size | Many sizes, each custom-fit |
| Engineering and permits | Design, review and approvals | Standard details | Historic buildings with preservation requirements |
Section loss above 50%
Severe loss is the biggest single swing. Grout does not bond well to steel, so once much of the section is gone the repair needs bolt-on ShearClamp™ or ShearWrap™ units to move load from the old steel into the new core. That is why the estimator above excludes them and asks for a separate estimate.
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Labor, engineering and permits
Labor varies with location and the contractor’s experience, and methods that add new steel ride the steel market. Every structural repair also needs an engineer. For residential work, Angi puts a structural engineer’s assessment at $350 to $800 and permits at $150 to $2,000 (October 2025). Commercial, bridge and industrial work costs more to design and permit.
How do repair methods compare on cost?
The method changes what you pay for. Welding is labor and inspection heavy, collars are fabrication heavy, and FRP jackets are mostly material with light labor. For how each method works, read steel column repair methods compared.
| Method | Main cost items | Time and disruption |
|---|---|---|
| Welding repairs | Skilled welders, new steel sections, inspection, coating | Hot work; slow and costly underwater |
| Added steel rods or adjustable columns | Steel, fabrication, installation | Moderate; may need temporary support |
| Bolted steel collars | Custom fabrication for each column, heavy installation | Fast to bolt on, but corrosion can continue unseen and return the cost later |
| Reinforced concrete jacket | Formwork, bars, concrete | Curing time; adds several inches |
| Concrete-filled FRP jacket | Laminate, epoxy, spacers, bars and shear clamps, grout | Light materials and hand tools; often done in service |
| Foundation strengthening | Underpinning, drainage, excavation | Needed when the footing, not the column, is the problem |
| Column replacement | Shoring, demolition, new column, connections | Highest cost and longest downtime |
Is repairing a steel column cheaper than replacing it?
Usually, yes. Replacing a column means shoring the structure, cutting out the old member, fabricating and setting a new one with new connections, and often shutting down the space or equipment it supports. A repair restores the existing column and often avoids the outage.
Downtime is often the real cost. On one utility project, nearly sixty corroded substation columns were repaired with FRP jackets while the substation stayed energized, avoiding a costly outage (read the case).
Why does prompt repair cost less?
Corrosion does not stop on its own. Each year of delay removes more steel, so a repair that only needed a jacket can grow into one that needs load transfer devices, shoring or a new column. The 2016 NACE IMPACT study estimated that using available corrosion control practices could save 15% to 35% of the cost of corrosion.
Cheap fixes that do not stop the cause can cost more later. In the 2015 utility paper, bolted steel collars hid corrosion that kept going inside the columns and gave a false sense of security. They also had to be custom-made for each column and were heavy to install. The owner switched to sealed FRP jackets.
What do you need for an accurate quote?
An accurate price needs the facts that drive it. Send these, and the quote can be specific instead of a range:
- Column sizes and shapes: round, square tube, H or wide-flange, with dimensions.
- Measured section loss: ultrasonic thickness readings and where they were taken. See how to assess and repair a damaged steel column.
- Length to repair on each column.
- Access: indoor or outdoor, dry or wet, equipment around the base, lifting limits.
- Service needs: whether the column or what it supports must stay in service.
- Photos and drawings if you have them.
How to keep steel column repair costs down
- Inspect and measure regularly. Catching loss while it is local keeps the repair short.
- Repair only the damaged length. Many repairs cover only the deteriorated zone, often the base.
- Avoid hot work where you can. No-weld methods skip welder crews, fire watches and underwater welding.
- Seal out the cause. A repair that keeps moisture and oxygen off the steel avoids paying twice.
- Group similar columns. One jacket size across many columns cuts fabrication and setup.
Steel column repair cost FAQs
How is an FRP jacket repair on a steel column priced?
By the linear foot of column. Each foot of jacket is two full wraps plus an 8 in. overlap, so cost rises with the jacket diameter. Grout, bars and shear clamps for severe section loss are added, and loss above 50% needs its own estimate.
How much does an FRP jacket cost per foot?
The estimator on this page gives about $125 per linear foot of laminate for a 12 in. tube and about $200 for a 20 in. tube. Grout, bars, shear transfer devices and labor are extra.
How much does it cost to replace a structural column?
There is no reliable single figure. Replacement adds shoring, demolition, a new member, new connections and often an outage, which is why repair is usually cheaper. Get a price from an engineer and contractor after an inspection.
Is repairing a steel column cheaper than replacing it?
Usually. A repair restores the existing column without shoring, demolition or new connections, and it often avoids taking the structure or equipment out of service.
Can the historical value of a building affect the cost?
Yes. Preservation requirements can call for specialized techniques and materials that keep the original look, and approvals add time. FRP repairs can be painted or hidden, which often helps.
Does the estimate include grout and labor?
No. The estimator covers the FRP laminate only. Grout, bottom seal, bars, spacers, ShearWrap™ or ShearClamp™ units and labor are priced separately.
Sources
- Angi, How Much Does Steel I-Beam Installation Cost? Updated October 13, 2025.
- NACE International (now AMPP), IMPACT: International Measures of Prevention, Application, and Economics of Corrosion Technologies, 2016.
- Mo R. Ehsani, An Economical Solution for Strengthening Concrete Columns, Concrete International, February 2023.
- M. Ehsani and G. McGhee, Repair of Corrosion-Damaged Substation Structures, ASCE Electrical Transmission and Substation Structures Conference, 2015.
- QuakeWrap, Inc., Steel Column Repair Cost guide and estimator, March 2024.
Get a Price for Your Steel Column Repair
Tell us about the columns and the damage. Our team will recommend the right QuakeWrap® system and give your engineer the specifications to price it.