Light Gauge Residential and Commercial

¶ … light gauge residential and commercial stud available and why-Is it strength? Durability? Weight that makes them the best?

The best light guage residential and commercial steels available are gauged according to load. They are strong -- anywhere from 20 guage to 12 guage in thickness, have a thicker galvanized coating, and are made from higher-strength steel. These do not -- like the regular steel -- come from lumber yards or drywall supply houses, but are made to order by a roll-former company. Their strength, durability, and weight all make them superior and better for use in construction.

What company(s) produce this stud?

The following companies produce information about this stud and produce it:

California Steel Framing Alliance (www.casfa.org)

Hawaii Pacific Steel Framing Alliance (www.hawaiisteel.com)

Light Gauge Steel Engineers Association (www.lgsea.com)

Steel Framing Alliance (www.steelframingalliance.com)

Steel Stud Manufacturers Association (www.ssma.com)

Tri-Chord Steel Systems, Inc. (www.tri-chordsteelsystems.com)

(Macerewich, http://bestdrywall.com/files/Switchingto%20Steel.pdf)

Why is it better than wood?

There are several reasons why steel is preferable to wood:

Steel framing material is far stronger than wood. It has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any residential building material .

It is safer in earthquakes since it can withstand the highest seismic rating. This is due in part to its strength and resiliency as well as to the way that it is fastened to the base of t he building it is unaffected by changes in weather and therefore won't erode, bulge, blemish, sag, or squeak (and so forth) as wood does.

It won't fuel a fire therefore in some areas a steel-constructed house may even incur lower Homeowners and builder's risk insurance easier remodeling: renovations are far easier than with wood for you can simply screw or unscrew certain parts together rather than rip apart

Consistent quality: the wall and all appurtenances are straight. There is a strength and consistency that does not appear in wood.

Conservation of resources: Steel is the most recycled material far more than wood. It is best, therefore, on the environment.

(Excalibur. http://www.excalibursteel.com/better.htm)

- What are the new innovations in steel studs? In the last say 5 years? Is it a new design? Is it something that other studs can do like contain precut holes for electrical?

In the last five years there has been an exponential growth of new connectors made for cold-formed steel. In fact, some manufacturers have separate catalogs just for selling connectors.

Manufacturers also developed new steel making techniques with, for instance, developing floor systems that had additional material at the flange, in order to increase moment capacity and provided larger, stiffened holes in the web. Other techniques were also developed for wall stud framing.

Some stud manufacturers have been putting slits in their studs to cut down on the thermal heat transfer; others have used stiffened holes for the same reason.

There are also innovative techniques in rolling the stud flange back onto the web in order to increase strength. These are just some of the innovative techniques introduced in manufacturing the steel.

One of the biggest innovations that may interest engineers is the development of software and manufacturing machinery that is used with the steel making and engineering in order to guide design and structure.

Many of these innovations can be applied to all types of steel, particularly since manufacturers can add bends, ribs, and stiffeners to steel in order to create more strength, weight, and durability. (Structure. http://www.structuremag.org/article.aspx?articleID=467)

- What are the methods for mitigating thermal bridging ? i.e. what is the best way to keep temperatures from increasing/decreasing across a stud due to conduction- will a thin piece of plastic help?

Some stud manufacturers have been putting slits in their studs to cut down on the thermal heat transfer; others have used stiffened holes for the same reason.

Some Scandinavian manufacturers employ a clinching technique that rolls the stud flange back onto the web which not only increases strength of the steel, but permits more of the web to be removed in order to reduce thermal transfer. ( Structure). Usually also, the steel can be -- and is -- sheathed with foam insulation to prevent thermal conductivity.

- What is the preferred method of wall insulation for metal studs used in 1) residential construction, 2) commercial construction Is it still batt insulation? Why?