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Steel roof trusses

Roof trusses are replacing rafters as the standard choice for roof support in most residential buildings. All structures must have adequate roof support, and roof trusses deliver multiple advantages over the traditional rafter solution.

CFS Prefab 101: What is It All About?

Prefabrication can be the “central kitchen” of your operation, the place where projects run faster, smoother and with less risk. Dan Wies of Wies Offsite explains how to get started using cold-formed steel (CFS) framing.

Accelerate the Construction of Mid-Rise Buildings using Cold Formed Steel

It’s a common misconception that only low-rise buildings up to two or three stories can be built with cold formed steel. Many also think that cold formed steel (CFS) is limited to small, non-critical interior or exterior framing applications. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. The structural integrity of CFS framing suits mid-rise buildings as well.

Material estimating and quoting capabilities of CFS

In construction, greater efficiency and control over outcomes are key. A business that can maximize material yield, assure quality in every project phase, and quickly achieve compliance is poised to create a good end result.

Will Your Home Survive a Firestorm?

In the U.S., 4.5 million homes were acknowledged to be at high or extreme danger of wildfire, according to “2019 Wildfire Risk Analysis” by Verisk.

The Benefits of Building with Light Gauge Cold-rolled Steel (CRS)

The year 2020 was devastating for many Americans in various ways. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season broke an all-time record, leaving the Gulf Coast battered by 30 named storms. The total U.S. damage was estimated at around $37 billion, and Hurricane Laura left at least 28 people dead, 10,000 homes demolished, and more than 130,000 homes damaged.

Steel Joist Installation

Steel joists are open-web, lightweight steel trusses consisting of parallel chords and a triangulated web system, proportioned to span between bearing point

COLD FORMED STEEL FRAMING 101

Cold formed steel framing (also called metal studs or lightweight steel framing systems) makes the steel shapes differently than the hot rolled structural steel. The cold forming process passes steel sheets between large rollers to deform the steel, but at a lower temperature than hot rolling. The rolling process compresses and stretches the steel, hardening it in the process. Most cold rolled steel is either 33,000 psi or 50,000 psi yield strength.

LIGHT GAUGE STEEL CONSTRUCTION

Light gauge steel construction is very similar to wood framed construction in principle – the wooden framing members are replaced with thin steel sections. The steel sections used here are called cold formed sections, meaning that the sections are formed, or given shape at room temperature.

Metal Framing Has Many Advantages and is Green

In this and future posts, BuildSteel will be running outtakes from Steel—Doing It Right®, a 13-module course presented by the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry. This post reviews steel’s advantages and its sustainability.

Timber or Steel Roof Trusses

As roof trusses replace rafters as the standard choice for roof support in most multi-family residential buildings, Architecture & Design completed a quick overview of timber versus steel roof trusses.

CFS Resiliency

Resiliency has become an oft-used buzzword in the architecture and design industries as building professionals seek methods for countering increasingly intense hurricane activity, wildfires, flooding and other natural events. Natural disasters cost the U.S. a combined $136 billion in 2018 and 2019, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a sign that a growing number of extreme weather events are taking a significant economic toll

Specifying Cold-Formed Steel to Meet Project Goals

Cold-formed steel (CFS) has been available in construction for more than a century, but some specifiers, architects, engineers, and other building professionals do not yet understand the full range of the material’s benefits and applications. Lightweight, strong, noncombustible, and easy to install, it is versatile enough to address many common obstacles (such as code, time, and cost restrictions) faced by specifiers and other building professionals.

Cold-Formed Steel Floor Joist Framing Benefits

Cold-formed steel has taken the industry by storm. Even though most of us are no stranger to cold-formed steel and all of its advantages, we continuously learn how to use this material to give the structure increased personality, make the building sturdier and safer, and save the project money.

Cold-Formed Steel – What, Where & Why?

Cold-formed steel refers to zinc-coated steel sheets, strips, plates or flat bars fabricated using rolled-formed machines (press or bending brake processes) to produce cold-formed steel structural sections.

Building for Life: The Facts About Cold-Formed Steel & Durability

One of the major material advantages of cold-formed steel (CFS) framing is that it is impervious to the environmental factors that typically threaten the integrity, lifespan and stability of other framing materials. The material’s resistance to corrosion, mold and vermin, plus its dimensional stability, helps give it a longevity few other building materials can rival. Read on to learn more about cold-formed steel’s many durable attributes.

Unique Framing with Cold-Formed Steel

Cold-formed steel has taken the industry by storm. Even though most of us are no stranger to cold-formed steel and all of its advantages, we continuously learn how to use this material to give the structure increased personality, make the building sturdier and safer, and save the project money.

CFS Modular construction

As technology improves, so do construction techniques – often in ways that can be complex to understand. With so many burgeoning trends and methodologies, it can be challenging to decide which opportunities are worth the investment needed to properly evaluate and implement, and which are not.

A Comprehensive Guide to Steel Framing

Cold-formed steel (CFS) framing is rapidly becoming the material of choice for student dormitories, assisted living facilities, hotels, multi-family homes and other mid-rise buildings across the country.

Why Choose Steel Framing for Your Next Project in 2022?

Timber has long been the framing material of choice for buildings. A sturdy and familiar material, it has been used on structures all over the world for hundreds of years. However, steel framing is fast becoming a popular alternative which is increasingly being specified.

3 Tips to Construct Greener Buildings with Steel Framing

As the largest contributor to carbon emissions across the globe, the construction industry is looking to develop more socially responsible methods and structures. A trending solution: Using cold-formed steel (CFS) to frame greener structures.

Resiliency with Cold-Formed Steel

Resiliency has become an oft-used buzzword in the engineering and construction industries, as building professionals seek methods for countering increasingly intense hurricane activity, wildfires, flooding and other natural events. Natural disasters cost the U.S. $91B in 2018, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a sign that a growing number of extreme weather events are taking a significant economic toll.

Why Are We Still Building Homes Like It’s 1832?

The building method for wood-framed homes in the United States has changed little since the mid-1800s. Due to current construction methods, maintenance is often required after only a few decades for wood-framed homes.

Cold-Formed Steel and Residential Use

Have you heard the saying “In a world full of thorns, be a rose”? It means that in a world full of commonality… stand out! So, we’d like to say “In a world full of commercial steel, be a house”! Don’t just do what everyone else is doing and build your home with wood or concrete. Understand that there is another – and in many ways, a better – option available to frame your residence. Cold-formed steel is not just for commercial use anymore!

Steel Stud Bearing Walls

Pre-fabricated, structural cold-formed metal framing (CFMF) bearing walls are a trending construction system and an economical alternative to structural steel or reinforced concrete systems for mid-rise construction. CFMF wall systems are particularly desirable for 6- to 12-story multi-family apartments or condominiums, student housing, senior living, and hotels. Vertically-aligned residential demising and partition walls allow the CFMF to stack like timber-framed or concrete masonry unit (CMU) bearing wall construction. However, CFMF wall buildings are less height restrictive than timber due to steel’s higher strength and not as labor-intensive as CMU because of pre-fabrication. Additionally, CFMF systems integrate wall panels as the structural system in what would typically be non-structural, stick-built partition walls.

5 Ways Cold-Formed Steel Can Make Your Buildings Safer

Cold-formed steel (CFS) is a material that has been used in the construction industry for decades. The list of benefits to engineer and build with light steel framing steel studs, also known as cold-formed steel, is long and impressive. This material is resilient and reliable, and will easily conform to the needs of the job.

7 Reasons to Use Cold-Formed Steel for Framing

Framing is one of the most important steps in the building process; it is the frame that sets the stage for overall project results. Without a sturdy frame and a reliable foundation, a building will crumble – just like a house of cards.

Lower Costs / Higher Return on Investment

Builders, contractors and design professionals are concerned with overall system construction costs from the design phase through to the operational phase, and not simply the raw material costs of structural and nonstructural systems.

Venture Out of Your Comfort Zone with Cold-Formed Steel

Cold-formed steel brings a lot of ingenuity to the construction industry that many people simply take for granted. While it’s certainly not a new material, there are new things learned daily about the capabilities of cold-formed steel.

How Cold-Formed Steel Can Give you MORE for LESS

If you are not careful, construction can quickly become a budget-nightmare with sky-high prices for equipment, labor, and materials. In fact, materials alone can quickly kill your budget and have you second guessing whether or not it’s even possible to complete the project.

How to avoid the costly damage of dry rot and termites in your next project?

Cold-formed steel (CFS) is one of the most reliable, durable, and sustainable building materials around, making it a great option for almost any low- or mid-rise construction project, no matter where it’s located. That said, there are some areas in the United States and beyond where framing with CFS isn’t just a good idea — it’s highly advisable.

Cold-Formed Steel Roof Trusses

Quality assurance, and the sourcing of cost-effective, superior materials, is a primary concern in any modern building project. One approach that can make a substantial difference in project quality and efficiency is to use roof trusses made with cold formed steel (CFS).

The Surprising Benefits of Steel Siding

Steel metal siding isn’t new; it’s been around for almost 100 years. But thanks to a host of innovative improvements, there’s been a resurgence of interest in this surprisingly beautiful, durable, and environmentally friendly alternative to fiber cement, vinyl, and wood.

LET’S BUILD YOUR NEXT PROJECT TOGETHER.