I. Different in nature

1. Steel structure: a structure composed of steel materials, which is one of the main types of building structures.

2. Light steel structure: a kind of young and vital steel structure system.

II.  Different characteristics

1. Features of steel structure:

(1) The material has high strength and light weight. Steel has a high strength and modulus of elasticity. Compared with concrete and wood, the ratio of density to yield strength is relatively low. Therefore, under the same load conditions, the steel structure has the characteristics of small section, light weight, convenient transportation and installation, which is suitable for the structure with large span, high height and high bearing capacity.

(2) Steel toughness, good plasticity, uniform material, high structural reliability. It is suitable for bearing impact and dynamic load and has good seismic performance. The internal structure of steel is homogeneous and almost isotropic. The actual working performance of the steel structure accords with the calculation theory. So the reliability of steel structure is very high.

(3) Steel structure manufacturing and installation of high degree of mechanization. Steel structural members are easy to manufacture and assemble on site. The steel structure components produced by factory mechanization have high precision, high production efficiency, fast assembly speed and short construction period. Steel structure is one of the industrialized structures.

2. Features of light steel structure:

(1) Thickness ≤ 10 mm;

(2) With light weight, high strength, waterproof, shockproof, dustproof, sound insulation, sound absorption, constant temperature and other functions. The construction period is short and the construction is simple.

III. Different applications:

1. Application of steel structure: it is widely used in large workshop, stadium, super high-rise and other fields.

2. Application of light steel structure: it has been widely used in general construction sites, agriculture, commerce and service buildings, such as office buildings, warehouses, stadiums, entertainment and tourism buildings, low-rise and multi-storey residential buildings.