Enabling Scalable Structural Steel Reuse Across Reverse Supply Chains in Circular Construction: A Multi-Case Analysis

Steel production contributes significantly to global resource consumption and accounts for nearly 8% of worldwide CO2 emissions. As the construction industry moves toward decarbonization, the reuse of structural steel has emerged as a highly impactful strategy for reducing embodied carbon and extending material life cycles. However, most end-of-life structures are still demolished using conventional methods that prioritize recycling for scrap value rather than recovering reusable steel components, resulting in the loss of high-quality material and reduced environmental and economic benefits. Despite growing interest in circular construction, systematic analyses of real-world structural steel reuse projects remain limited. This restricts the understanding of the practical conditions required for scalable implementation. Moreover, there is a lack of structured approaches for identifying the factors influencing deconstruction and large-scale structural steel reuse across reverse supply chains. This study addresses these gaps by developing a framework of factors affecting efficient deconstruction and structural steel reuse, identified through a thematic analysis of the literature and structured around structure attributes, business attributes, value chain activities, project management, and regulations. Fifteen case studies were analyzed: two from North America, twelve from Europe, and one from Asia. A structural steel reuse classification model is introduced to support cross-case comparison of coordination demands, implementation barriers, and scalability potential within reverse supply chains. The results demonstrate that reuse pathways differ substantially in coordination requirements, implementation complexity, and scalability outcomes. They further indicate that the dominant challenges to structural steel reuse are no longer primarily technical, but instead stem from system-level coordination gaps, limited information availability, and insufficient integration across reverse supply chains. Based on these findings, targeted solutions are identified, including improved dismantling strategies, enhanced documentation systems, dedicated storage infrastructure, and stronger regulatory alignment. This study provides a structured analytical approach and practical recommendations to support decision-making, stakeholder coordination, and the scalable implementation of structural steel reuse.