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steel framing is its flexibility. It can bend without cracking, which is another great advantage, as a steel building can flex when it is pushed to one side by say, wind, or an earthquake. The third characteristic of steel is its plasticity or ductility. This means that when subjected to great force, it will not suddenly crack like glass, but slowly bend out of shape. This property allows steel buildings to bend out of shape, or deform, thus giving warning to inhabitants to escape. Failure in steel frames is not sudden - a steel structure rarely collapses. Steel in most cases performs far better in earthquake than most other materials because of these properties.