Posted on 04/26/2025 7:34:03 PM PDT by texas booster
The steel scandal behind the collapse of Thailand’s State Audit Office (SAO) building has deepened after fresh test results revealed another failure by Chinese manufacturer Xin Ke Yuan Steel — marking the second time its materials have failed to meet Thai industrial standards.
Yesterday, April 23, Industry Minister Akanat Promphan confirmed the findings, citing results from the Iron and Steel Institute of Thailand (ISIT). The substandard steel sample was taken from the collapsed SAO building on April 11 and subjected to rigorous testing.
“The Chinese company’s SD40T 20-millimetre steel bar failed the mass-per-metre test, consistent with the previous results,” said Akanat.
Akanat explained that the steel in question had been produced using induction furnace (IF) technology, which has already drawn criticism for its inconsistent quality.
The minister added that the test results will be submitted to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), which is overseeing the broader investigation into the building’s collapse. However, he stressed that this new test is separate from any existing legal proceedings related to the previous batch tested on March 31.
“A fail is a fail, a pass is a pass,” Akanat said, emphasising the integrity of ISIT’s testing, which he confirmed aligns with benchmarks set by the Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI).
Interestingly, not all of the company’s steel failed. The 32-millimetre steel bar from the same source, which previously failed to meet yield strength standards, has now passed. Regardless, Xin Ke Yuan Steel is expected to provide a formal explanation to the DSI.
“This is just one part of the broader effort to crack down on zero-coin industries, those that contribute no real value to Thai society,” Akanat said, referring to companies accused of corner-cutting and compromising public safety.
The minister also revealed a wider crackdown on substandard IF steel, stating that over the past seven months, officials had seized 384.4 million baht worth of IF steel intended for use in Thai construction projects, reported The Nation.
With IF technology under the microscope, the Industry Ministry has proposed scrapping IF steel certification standards entirely, a proposal set to be discussed at the next Industrial Product Council meeting.
The controversy is raising tough questions about quality control in Thailand’s construction sector and who is building the foundations of the nation.
Bangkok SAO building collapse death toll rises to 51
A few articles about the building collapse (the only one?) during the Myanmar earthquake a month ago.
Chinesium...a real mystery metal.
And I hate to think how many how many now occupied high rises were built with it.
Chinesium...a real mystery metal.
And I hate to think how many now occupied high rises were built with it.
Should’ve used Reardon.
What if a whole bunch of ships and bridges in Asia are built from the same high quality steel?
Xi might have to shoot a few thousand engineers to achieve higher standards.
Are the Chicoms building their navy and air force out of the same material?
More Chinese cheap sh!t. In this case, deadly cheap.
“Should’ve used Reardon.”
I see that you are an Ayn Rand fan as well.
Imagine how bad the chinese steel has to be to fail the Thai industrial standards....
Xi does not care. All he cares about is the retention of his power. If he did care, corruption and fraud wouldn’t be an endemic feature of his reign.
CC
If it’s Chinese, it is guaranteed to be garbage.
Right after the quake a Thai reporter reporting in English called it Chinese Tofu architecture.
In Việt Nam tweny years ago there was a tourist scenic 4 lane highway aimed for tourists under construction from Cam Ranh to Nha Trang. By the time it was almost finished a few years later the pavement was already crumbling in sections and the cliffside sections were breaking off and falling to the water. Việt Nam canceled the Chines contractor and hired Korean. The road was completely redone in about three years. It is a beautiful drive and the only problems have been the same as you see anywhere that a road cuts through a mountain or along a cliff face, occasional but rare rock falls but the road is solid.
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