About Stahlbau

Stahlbau

Stahlbau is the leading German-language specialist journal for structural steelwork, published monthly in Berlin by the Ernst & Sohn publishing house. Founded in 1928 as Der Stahlbau on the suggestion of Gottwalt Schaper, it appears twelve times a year, supplemented by special theme issues, and has been listed in the Journal Citation Report since 2008. Closely associated with the German, Swiss, and Austrian steel construction associations, it bridges science, structural design, construction practice, and product manufacturing, and is complemented by the English-language sister journal Steel Construction, the official members' journal of the European Convention for Constructional Steelwork.

Overview

Stahlbau is a monthly scientific engineering journal in German, with ISSN 0038-9145 for print and 1437-1049 for online. Its publisher is the Wilhelm Ernst & Sohn Verlag GmbH and Co. KG of Berlin, the specialist house for civil engineering literature that belongs to the internationally active John Wiley & Sons group. The editor-in-chief is Dr. Bernhard Hauke, who took over the position on July 1, 2018, from Dr.-Ing. Karl-Eugen Kurrer, who retired after 22 years leading the journal. The journal's impact factor was 0.435 for 2020 and 0.400 for 2024, reflecting its standing as a cited scientific journal in structural engineering.

The journal's program covers the whole of structural steelwork: planning and execution of structures, calculation and design methods, experimental work and research results, composite construction, steel building and bridge construction, cable and membrane structures, structural glass, masts and towers, tanks, cranes, hydraulic steelwork, fire protection, and lightweight metal construction. Published technical papers are first publications, and an internationally staffed advisory board ensures the quality and topicality of the contributions. The journal is closely linked to bauforumstahl e. V., the forum of German steel construction, the Stahlbau Zentrum Schweiz, and the Austrian steel construction association. Its readership comprises medium and large civil engineering and architecture offices, project managers and specialist planners, public clients, and managers in the construction industry, and the journal appears in a hybrid distribution alongside the printed edition. The 2026 topic preview, for example, announces issues on crane runways and crane girders, industrial and commercial buildings, and screws and connections, with a special edition for the Munich Crane Runway Day.

History

Stahlbau was founded in 1928 under the title Der Stahlbau on the suggestion of Gottwalt Schaper, appearing in the Ernst & Sohn publishing house as a supplement to the journal Die Bautechnik. In 1939 the editorship passed from August Hertwig to the Darmstadt professor Kurt Klöppel, who led the journal until 1981 and developed it into a scientific engineering journal with international reputation, contributing decisively to the reputation of German steel construction in the postwar period. In 1950 Stahlbau reappeared as a supplement to Die Bautechnik, and in 1951 it achieved the status of an independent journal title.

Klöppel was succeeded by the Berlin steel construction professor Joachim Lindner (1981-1992) and the Aachen professor Gerhard Sedlacek (1993-1995). On January 1, 1996, the journal received an in-house editorial office with Karl-Eugen Kurrer as editor-in-chief, who led its fortunes for 22 years and developed the concept for the English-language Steel Construction, founded in 2007, which is today the official members' journal of the ECCS (European Convention for Constructional Steelwork). Since June 4, 2008, Stahlbau has been listed in the Journal Citation Report of Clarivate Analytics. In 2021 the journal appeared in its 90th volume.

The 2018 editorial transition brought Dr. Bernhard Hauke, previously managing director and spokesman of bauforumstahl e. V., to the editorship of both Stahlbau and Steel Construction. Hauke, who studied civil engineering in Darmstadt and Tokyo, began his career at Hochtief Engineering as a structural designer, design manager, and researcher before leading bauforumstahl for a decade, embodies the combination of science and practice that the journal represents. He is active in numerous committees, including DIN, VDI Bautechnik, and the Institut Bauen und Umwelt.

Coverage and Content

Each monthly issue publishes first-publication technical papers across the steel construction disciplines, supplemented by reports on executed structures, short reports from civil engineering, and the journal's sections. The historical content analysis cited in the journal's programmatic writings breaks down as roughly 40 percent reports on executed structures, 30 percent on calculation and design methods, 10 percent on experimental work, and the remainder on short reports and sections, a balance that has defined the journal's character for decades. The topic previews for 2026 illustrate the range: crane runways and girders with their rails, beams, reinforcements, and monitoring; industrial and commercial buildings with modular steel frames and automated logistics; transport infrastructure from railway halls to wind power structures; and the perennial topics of connections, fire protection, and corrosion protection. Special theme issues address focused topics in depth, and the journal's digital edition appears alongside print.

The journal's self-understanding, articulated in its programmatic writings, rests on three theses: to serve the growing importance of steel construction among the structural disciplines through a composed edition of specialist literature; to deepen cooperation with the technical-scientific organizations of steel construction, university teachers, consulting engineers, and authorities, as a forum of the triad of science, industry, and administration; and to report continuously through original contributions on essential research results. The cornerstones of Ernst & Sohn's steel construction literature are the journal, the annual Stahlbau-Kalender (since 1999), the STAHLBAUSpezial issues, and the steel construction book program.

Organization and Ownership

Stahlbau is published by the Wilhelm Ernst & Sohn Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Rotherstrasse 21, 10245 Berlin, a specialist publisher for civil engineering that is integrated into the John Wiley & Sons group of New York. The Wiley integration guarantees the expansion of the English-language book program and gives the journals international distribution. The editor-in-chief is Dr. Bernhard Hauke, who also leads the English-language Steel Construction. The journal cooperates closely with bauforumstahl e. V., the community organization representing the entire supply chain from steel producers and traders to steel builders, planners, suppliers, galvanizers, and fire protection coating manufacturers, offering independent consulting and knowledge transfer as an open platform for the planning, building, and standardization of steel construction. The publishing contact for the journals includes Hans Kannewitz. Financial details of the journal are not publicly confirmed.

Digital Presence

The journal's digital home is the Ernst & Sohn portal at ernst-und-sohn.de, which presents the journal, its topic previews, media data, and sample issues; the row's website stahlbau.de is retained as listed. The digital journal edition appears alongside print, and the publisher's online shop handles subscriptions. Steel Construction maintains its own presence as the ECCS members' journal, and together the two journals unite the national and international steel construction communities of science and practice in two complementary titles. Newsletters and the publisher's news section distribute announcements on editorial changes, cooperations, and special issues. The Wiley Online Library hosts the journals' digital archives for institutional subscribers.

The Journal of German Steel Construction

For nearly a century Stahlbau has been the forum where German steel construction thinks in public: from Schaper's 1928 founding through Klöppel's postwar scientific journal to Hauke's contemporary editorship. Its monthly issues, special editions, and English sister journal document a discipline that builds the bridges, halls, and towers of the modern world, and its citation in the Journal Citation Report confirms its place in the international scientific literature.