14

14.1

Residential Construction

GENERAL REMARKS

Cold-formed steel structural members have been used for housing for many
years (Fig. 14.1). The primary advantages of cold-formed steel are price stability, light weight, high strength and stiffness, uniform quality, ease of prefabrication and mass production, economy in transportation and handling, fast
and easy erection and installation, noncombustibility, and the fact that it is
termite-proof and rot-proof.
During recent years, the use of cold-formed steel framing in residential
construction has been on a rapidly increasing scale. In the United States, about
15,000 steel homes were built in 1993 and 75,000 in 1996.1.282,13.14 It is expected that by the year 2002 this number may increase five-fold.
The major structural components used for housing are wall studs, floor and
ceiling joists, roof rafters, roof and floor trusses, decks, and panels. Since
1960, numerous projects have concentrated on the research and development
of cold-formed steel products for housing (Refs. 1.21, 1.241.28, 1.30, 1.39,
1.72, 1.113, 1.114, 1.2821.285, 1.2971.301, 5.107, 5.138, 5.139, 8.88,
14.1). However, the lack of prescriptive building code requirements has prevented cold-formed steel from gaining wider acceptance among home builders
and code officials. To remedy this situation, a four-year project was conducted
by the National Association of Home Builders Research Center to develop a
prescriptive method for residential cold-formed steel framing.1.280 This project
was sponsored by the American Iron and Steel Institute, the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the National Association of
Home Builders (NAHB). In 1997, provisions of the prescriptive method were
adopted by the International Code Council (ICC) for its One- and Two-Family
Dwelling Code.
14.2

PRESCRIPTIVE METHOD

The prescriptive method is a guideline for the construction of one- and twofamily residential dwellings using cold-formed steel framing.1.280 It provides
a prescriptive approach to build houses with cold-formed steel. This method
standardizes C-Sections with lips for structural members and C-sections without lips for track sections. These requirements are supplemented by construction details and design tables.
619

620

RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION

Figure 14.1 Cold-formed steel framing used for housing. (Elliott Steel Homes, Inc.,
Loveland, CO )

In this method, the materials are limited to ASTM A653, A875, and A792
steels with specified yield points ranging from 33 to 50 ksi (227 to 348 MPa).
The material thickness varies from 0.018 to 0.097 in. (0.46 to 2.46 mm).
Design examples are given in the Commentary.1.281

14.3

AISI RESIDENTIAL MANUAL

To satisfy the needs of design and construction information, AISI published

a Residential Steel Framing Manual for Architects, Engineers and Builders
in the early 1990s.1.277 This Manual presently contains (a) Residential Steel
Construction Directory, (b) Introduction to Steel Framing, (c) Fasteners for
Residential Steel Framing (d) Low-Rise Construction Details and Guidelines,
(e) Residential Steel Beam and Column Tables, (f) Fire Resistance Rating of
Load Bearing Steel Stud Walls, (g) Builders Perspectives, (h) Truss Design
Guide, (i) Shear Wall Design Guide, (j) Thermal Resistance Design Guide,
(k) Durability of Cold-Formed Steel Framing Members, (l) Prescriptive
Method and Commentary, (m) Builders Steel Stud Guide (n) Design Guide
CF Steel Beams with Web Penetrations, (o) Monotonic Tests of CF Steel

14.4

FRAMING STANDARDS

621

Shear Walls with Openings, (q) Combined Axial and Bending Load Tests/
Fully Sheathed Walls, and (r) Final Report on L-Shaped Headers.
14.4

FRAMING STANDARDS

In 1997, the AISI Construction Market Committee established a new Committee on Framing Standards to develop and maintain consensus standards
for residential and light-commercial cold-formed steel framing under the
Chairmanship of Jay Larson and Vice-Chairmanship of Steve Fox.14.2 The
Committees mission is to eliminate regulatory barriers and increase the reliability and cost competitiveness of cold-formed steel framing through improved design and installation standards. The initial goals of the Committee
are to develop (a) Base Standard, (b) High Wind Standard, (c) High Seismic
Standard, (d) General Provisions Standard, and (e) Truss Design Standard for
residential and light-commercial construction. In addition, the North American Steel Framing Alliance was formed in 1998, headed by Donald
Moody.13.10 This new organizations mission is to enable and encourage the
practical and economic use of cold-formed steel framing in residential construction. Its goal is to achieve sustained annual residential construction market shipment of cold-formed steel framing products equal to 25% of the total
residential market, in tons, by the year 2002.