AISC 303-10

Code of Standard Practice

f or Steel Buildings
and Bridges

April 14,2010

Supersedes the March 18, 2005 A ISC Codeo/ Standard Practice

for Stee! Bui!dings and Bridges an d ali previous versions.

Prepared by the American lnstitute ofSteel Construction

under th e direction ofthe AISC Committee
on the Code ofStandard Practice.

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION

One East Wacker Orive, Suite 700, Chicago, lllino is 60601
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AISC © 20 10 1
by
American lnstitute of Steel Constru ction 1
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Al/ rights reser ved. This book or any part therec¡( m11s1 no/ be reprod11ced in cmy form
111itho1111he writlen permission ofihe p ublisher. The A!SC lago is a registered 1rademar k 1
ofA ISC.

The information presented in this publication has been prepa red in accordance with
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recognized engineering principies and is for gener al information only. While it is
believed to be a ccurate, this inforrpation should not be used or relied upon for any
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specific application without competent professional examination nnd verification of
its accuracy, s uitability, and npplicability b y a licensed profess ional engineer, 1
designer, or architect. The publication of the material contained herein is not
intended as a representation or warranty on the pnrt of the American lns titute of 1
Stee l C onstruction or of any other pers on named herein, thnt this information is
s uitnble for any general or particular use or of freedom from infringement of any 1
patent or patents. Anyone makin g us e of this informi1tion ass umes nll liability
aris in g from s uch use. 1
C aution mu st be exercis ed when relyin g upon oth er sp ecifications and cod es 1
developed by other bodies and in corpora ted b y referen ce herein since such materia l
may be modified or am end ed from time to time s ubsequent to the printing of this 1
editio n. The lnstitute bears no respons ibility for s uch material other than to r efer to
it and incorporate it by referen ce at the time of the initial publication of this edition. 1
Printed in the United States of Ameri ca
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Code ofS1a11dard Pracncefor Steel 811ild111gs 0111/ Bridges. Apnl 14.20 1O 1
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16.3-iii

PREFACE

As in any industry, trade practices have developed among those that are involved in the
• design, purchase, fabri cation and eréction of structural steel. This Code prov ides a use ful
framework for a common understand ing of the acceptable standards when co ntracting for
structural steel. As such , it is useful for owners, architects, engineers, general contractors,
construction managers, fabricators, steel detai lers, erectors and others that are associated
with construction in structural steel. Unless specitic provisions to the contrary are
contained in the contract documents, the existing trade practices that are contained herein
are considered to be the standard custom and usage of the industry and are thereby
incorporated into th e relationships between the pa1iies to a contrae!.
The Symbols and Glossary are an integra l pa1i of this Code. In many sections of
this Code, a non-mandatory Commentary has been prepared to provide backgrou nd and
further explanation for the correspo nding Code provisions. The user is encouraged to
consult it.
Since the first edition of this Code was published in 1924, AISC has
continuously surveyed th e structural steel design community and construction industry to
determine standard trade practi ces. Since then, this Code has been periodically updated to
reflect new and changing technolog)óand industry practices.
The 2000 edition was the fifth complete revision of this Code since it was first
published. Like the 2005 editi on, the 201 Oed ition is nota complete rev ision but does add
important changes and updates. It is the result of the deliberations of a fair and balanced
Committee, the members hip of which included structural engineers, architects, a code
ofticial, a general co ntractor, fabricators, a steel detailer, erectors, inspectors, and an
attorney. The following changes have been made in this revision:

• The scope in Section 1.1 has been revised to cover buildings and other structures in a
rnanner that is consisten! with how buildings and other structures are treated in AJSC
360 (the AISC Spec[fication for Struct11ral Steel Buildings). A similar and
correspo ndin g revision has been made in Secti on 1.4.
• The list of referenced docum ents in Secti on 1.2 has been editorially updated.
• Section 1.9 has been added to emphasize th at not all tolerances are explicitly covered
in the Code, and th at tol erances not covered are not to be assu med as zero.
• Clarificatio n has been added in Section 2 that base plates and bearing plates are
considered structural steel if they are attached to the structural frame, but not if they
are loose item s that do not attach to the structural steel frame.
• Editori al improvements have been rnade in the Comrnentary to Section 3. 1 to
improve upon the list of item s that should be provided in the contrae! docurnents, as
well as to li nk column differential shortening and anticipated deflections to
inforrnation that has been add ed in the Comm entary to Sectio n 7. 13.
• Explicit requirements have been added in Section 3. 1.2 as "option 3" fo r when
connection desig n work is delegated by the Structural Engineer of Record (SER) to
be performed by another engineer. Provisions coverin g conn ection design by the

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AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
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SER (option 1) and selection or compl etion of basic tabular connect ions by a steel
detailer (o ption 2) also have been revised for consistency wilh and distinction from 1
opti on 3. Additionally, the defined term substantiating connection in.forma/ion has
been added to the Glossary, and revisions also have been made in Section 4 to 1
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correspo nd with the add ition of option 3 in Section 3.1 .2.
Information has been added to -the Cornmentary in Seclion 4.1 to summarize the
importance and benefits of holding a pre-detailing conference to open lines of
communication and develop a common understanding about the project.
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• Sectio n 4.7 has been added to address requ irements fo r erection drawings.
• Section 6.4.3 has been modi fied to better address incidental cam ber in trusses. 1
• Info rmati on has been aclded in the Com menta ry lo Sect ion 7.10.1 to better describe
the provisions that relate to special erection conditi ons or other consiclerations tha l 1
are req uired by the clesign concept, as well as to hi gh light special considerations in
the erection of canti levered members. 1
• The intent in Section 7.13. 1.2(d) has been clarifi ed in the text as well as with the
relocation of supporting Commentary. 1
• The intent in Section 10.2.5 has been editorially clari fied fo r groove welds in bull
joints and outside comer j oints. 1
• The document has been editorially revised fo r consistency with curren! terms and
other related docum ents.
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The Committee thanks Glenn Bishop, the Co un cil of Ameri can Structural Engin eers
(CASE), and its Guidelines Co111111 ittee for their assistance and partnership in th e
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development of Section 3. 1.2 in this editicin of the Code. Also, the Committee thanks
Rex l. Lewis and Home r R. Peterson, 11 fo r th eir conlributions as members of the 1
Committee fo r part of thi s cycle of development, and honors Comm ittee member
Leo nard R. Middleton, who passed away cluring this cycle. 1
By th e AISC Committee on the Code of Standard Practice, 1
James A. Stori , Chairman James L. Larson 1
Barry L. Barger, Vice Chairman H. Scott Metzger
William A. Andrews Do nald G. Moo re 1
Paul M. Brosnahan David B. Ratterman
Richard B. Cook David l. Ruby 1
William B. Cooper Rex D. Smith
William R. Daviclson Thomas S. Tarpy , Jr. 1
Theodo re L. Droessler James G. Thompson
Donald T. Engler Michael J. Tylk
Lawrence G. Griffis Michael A. West
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D. Kirk Harman Charles J. Carter, Secretary
Yiji Kuruvil la Amanuel Geb remeskel, Asst. Secretary 1
Keith G. Landwehr
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Glossary ................................... ..................................................................................... vii

• Section l. Genera l Provisions .......................................................... ............................. .
1.1. Scope ..................... ....... ... ........ .... ..................................... .................................... .... .
1.2. Referenced Specifications, Codes and Standards .... ........ ....................................... ..
1.3. Units ........ ............... .. ........................ ...... ............... ............. ....................................... 2
1.4. Desig11 Criteria .................................................................................................. .. ...... 3
1.5. Responsibility for Design .......................................................................................... 3
1.6. Patents and Co pyrights ................ ........................ .......................................... ............ 3
1.7. Existi11g StrLrctures ......... .. ......... .......... .. ....... ............................................................. 3
1.8. Means, Methods and Safety of Erection ........................... ........................................ 4
1.9. Tolerances ......... ............ .............. .. ..... ..... ... ..... ........... ............................................... 4
Section 2. Classifica t ion of Mate r ials ..................................................... ...................... 5
2. 1. Defi nition of Structural Steel .. ........... ................ ........... ........................................... . 5
2.2. Other Steel, lron or Metal Jtems ........ ....................................... ............ .................... 6
Section 3. Design Drawings ancl Specifications ........................................................... 9
3.1. Structural Design Drawings and Specifications ............................................... ......... 9
3.2. Architectural , Electri cal and Mechanical Design Drawings and Specifications ..... 15
3.3. Discrepancies ....................................... ... .. ...... .. ....... ... ...... ......................... ..... ........ 15
3.4. Legibi li ty ofDesign Drawings .. ..................... .................................................... .. ... 16
3.5. Revisions to th e Design Drawings and Specifi cations .................... ........................ 16
3.6. Fast-Track Project Del ivery ................................ ...... .. .. .................. ....... .. ..... .......... 17
Section 4. S hop and Erection Drawings ..................................................................... 18
4. 1. Owner Responsibility ........... .. ...... .. ................... ......................................... .. .......... . 18
4.2. Fabricator Responsibil ity ... ............................ ....... .................................... ... .... ....... 19
4.3. Use ofCA D Files and/or Copi es ofDesign Drawings .................... ....... ................. 20
4.4. Approval ............ ....... .............. ....................... ................ ..... .............................. ... ... 21
4.5. Shop and/or Ereclion Drawi ngs Nol Furnished by the Fabricator ................. ......... 23
4.6. The RFI Process .... .... .. ... ............................................................................ ............. 23
4.7. Erection Drawings ....................... ....... ...... ... ............... .............. ................. .. ... ......... 24
Section 5. Materials ...................................................................................................... 25
5.1. Mi li Materials ................................... ............. .. ... .................................. ................... 25
.5 .2. Stock Materials .............................. ........ ........ .................... ............ .. ............ ........... 26
Section 6. Shop Fnbrication ancl Dclivery .................................................................. 28
6.1. Identification of Material .......... ................... .. .... .. ... .. .............................................. 28
6.2. Preparation of Materi al ... ... ..... ... ..... ..... .............. .... ...... ....................... .................... 29
6.3. Fitting and Fastenin g ............. ....... ......... ....... .......... ......... .... ... ........... ... ................... 29
6.4. Fabricatio n Tolerances .................................................................................. .......... 30
6.5. Shop Cleanin g and Painting ....................................................... ....... ................... .. . 33
6.6. Marking and Shi ppi ng ofMaterials .......................... ........................ ... .... ... .... ....... . 35

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6.7. Delivery ofMaterials .. ............. ................. .. ............................................................ 35
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Section 7. Erection ........................................................................................................ 37
7.1. Method of Erection .... ....... ...................................................................................... 37 1
7.2 . Job-Site Conditions .................... ...................... .............. .... ..................................... 37
• 7.3. Foundations, Piers and Abutment~ .................................................. .. .............. ........ 37 1
7.4. Lines and Bench Marks ...... ..................................................................................... 38
7.5. lnstallation of Anchor Rods, Found ation Bolts and Other Embedded lte ms ..........
7.6. 1nstallation of Bearing De vices ................................................................. ..............
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7.7. Grouting ........................ ... ............................................. ........... ............................... 40
7.8. Field Connection Material ...... ................................ ................................................. 40
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7.9. Loose Material .. .................. .................................... ...... ..... .................. .. ................. 41
7.10. Temporary Suppo1i ofStructural Steel Frames .............................................. ....... 41 1
7.11. Safety Protecti on ................................................................................................... 44
7.1 2. Structural Steel Frame Tolerances .................. ...................................................... 45 1
7.1 3. Erection Tolerances ........................... .................. .................................. ..... ........... 46
7.14. Correction of Errors ............................................................ .. ................................ 56 1
7.15. Cuts, Alterations and Holes for Other Trades .......................... ........... .................. 56
7.16. Handling and Storage ...... ................ ............................. ......................................... 56 1
7.17. Field Painting ................................................................................. ................... .... 57
7. 18. Final Cleaning Up ................ ................................................................................. 57 1
Scction 8. Quality Co ntrol ........................................................................................... 58
8.1. General ..................... ..................................... ............. ......... ....... ................ ..... ....... . 58 1
8.2. lnspection ofMill Material .................... .............................. .... .......... ...................... 59
8.3. Non-Destructive Testing ................... ..... .................................... ....... ...................... 59 1
8.4. Surface Preparation and Shop Painting lnspection ........... .. ..................... ... ..... ....... 59
8.5. lndependenl lnspection ........ ....... ............................................................................ 59 1
Scction 9. Co ntracts ..................................................................................................... 61
9.1. Types of Contracts .................................................. .. ...... ........................................ 61 1
9.2. Calculation of Weights ....................................................... .. .......... ....................... .. 61
9.3. Revisions to the Contrae! Documents ............... ....... ............ ............ ....................... 62 1
9.4. Contrae! Price Adjustrnent .................................................................................. .... 63
9.5. Schedu ling .................. ... .. ... ................................... ... ............................ ................. .. 63 1
9.6. Te rms of Payment ............ .................................... ...... ............................................. 64
Section 10. Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel ............................................... 65
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10.1 . General Requ irements ..................................................................................... ...... 65
10. 2. Fabrication ............. ...... ...................... ......... .......... ......... ... .. .. ............................... . 65 1
10.3. Del ivery o r Materi a Is ............................................................... ......... ........ ............ 66
10.4. Erection .. .... ...... .. .. .......... .................................................................. ....... .............. 67 1
Appendix A. Digital Building Product Modcls ........ ..... ...................... ........................ 68 1
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GLOSSARY

• The fo llowing abbreviations an d terms are used in this Code. Where used, terms are
italicised to alert the user that the tenÍ, is defined in this Glossary.

AASHTO. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Adjustable ltems. See Section 7 .13.1.3.

AESS. See architectura//y exposed str11ct11ra/ stee/.

AISC. American Institute of Steel Construction.

Anchor Bo/t. See anchor rod.

Anchor Rod. A mechanical device that is either cast or drilled and chemically adhered,
grouted or wedged into concrete and/o r maso nry fo r the purpose of the subsequent
attach ment of strnctura/ stee/.

Anchor-Rod Group. A set of anchor rods that receives a single fabricated structura/ stee/
shipping piece.

ANSI. American National Standards lnstitute.

Architecl. The entity that is professionall y qualified and duly licensed to perform
architectural servi ces.

Architectural/y Exposed Structura/ Stee/. See Section IO.

A REMA. American Railway Engineering and Main tenance ofWay Association.

ASME. America n Society of Mechanical Engineers.

ASTM. American Society for Testing and Materi als.

A WS. American Welding Society.

Bearing Devices. Shop-attached base and bea ring plates, loose base and bearing plates
and leveling devices, such as leveling plates, leveling nuts and was hers and level ing
screws.

CASE. Co unci l of American Stru ctural Engineers.

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C/arijication. An inter pretation, of the design dra1vings or spec(fications that have been
relea.sed far construction, made i n response to an RFI or a note on an approval
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drawing and providing an explanation that neither revises the information that has
been re/easedfor constmction nor alters the cost or schedule of performance of the 1
work.
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!he Code. this Code. T hi s document, the A ISC Code of Standard Prac1ice .for Steel
B11ildings and Bridges as adopted by the American l nstitute of Steel Construction. 1
Co/umn line. The grid line of column centers set in the tield basecl on the climension s 1
shown on the structural design drm11ings and usi ng the bui lding layout provided by
the owners designated represe111ative fo,· constrnction. Column offsets are taken 1
from the column line. Th e column fin e may be straight or curved as shown in the
structural design drawings. 1
Connection. An assembly of one or more joints that is used to transmit forces between
two or more members and/or co nnection elements.
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Contrae/ Documents. Th e documents that define the responsi bilities of the parties that 1
are involved in bidd ing, fabricating and erecti ng struc111ral stee/. T hese documents
normally incl ude the clesign draivi!1gs, the spec(fications and the contrae!. 1
Design Drc11vings. The graphic and pictorial portions of the contrae/ doc11111ents showing 1
the design , location and di mensions of the work . These documents general ly include
plans, elevations, sec tions. detai ls, schedules, diagrams and notes. 1
Embed111e111 Drmvings. Drawings that show the location ancl placement of items that are 1
installecl to receive s/ruc/ural steel.
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EOR, Engineer, Engineer of Record. See slmc/11ral engineer o/record.
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Erection Bracing Drawings. Drawings that are preparecl by the erector to illustrate the
seq uence of erection , any requirements for temporary suppo rts and the requirements
for raising, belting an d/or weld ing. These drawings are in acldit ion to the eret·/ion
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d1·a111ings.
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Erec1ion Drawings. Field-installation or member-p lacement drawings that are prepared
by the .fabricator to show the location and attachment of the individual shippi ng 1
pieces.
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Ereclor. The enti ty that is responsibl e for the erection ofthe s1mc111ral .1'/eel.
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Eslablished Column Line. The actual tie ld l ine that is mos t representative of the erected
column centers along a line of col umns placed using the dimensions shown in the 1
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structural design dra111ings and the lines and ben ch marks established by the owner's
designated representalil'e far conslr11clion, to be used in applying the erection
tolerances give n in this Code for colu mn shipping pieces .
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Fabrica/O/'. Th e entity that is responsible fo r fab ricating the Sl/'UC/11ral sleel.

Hazardo11s Materials. Components, compounds or devices that are either encountered

during the perfo rm ance of the contract work or inco rporated into it containing
substances that, not withstanding the application of reasonab le care, presenta threat
of harm to persons and/or the envi ronment.

Inspector. The 0111ner 's testing and inspection agency.

MBMA. Metal Building Man ufac turers Assoc iation.

Mil/ Material. Steel mili products th at are ordered expressly for the requirements of a
specific proj ect.

Owner. The entity that is identi fied as such in the contrae/ documents.

O,vner 's Designated Representative jo,· Conslruction. The oivner or th e entity that is
responsible to the 01vner for the overall construction of the project, including its
planning, quality, and completion. This is usually the general contractor, the
construction manager or si milar authority at thejob si te.

Owner 's Designated Represenlative far Design. The owner or the ent ity that is
responsible to the oivner for the overall structural design of the project, including the
struc/ural steel frame. This is usually the stn1c/ural engineer o/record.

Plans. See design drcnvings.

RCSC. Research Council 0 11 Structural Con nections.

Releasedfor Constmclion. The terrn that describes the status of contrae/ docu111en1s that
are in such a condition that the fabricalor and the erector can rely upo n th em for the
pe rformance of their work, including the ordering of material and th e preparation of
shop and erection draivings.

Revision. An instruction or directive provid ing information that differs from information
that has been releasedfor conslr11clion. A revision may, but does not always, im pact
the cost or schedule ofperfo rm ance ofthe work.

RFI. A written request for info rm ation or clarification generated during the construction
phase of the project.

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SER. See structural engineer o,/record.

Shop Drcnvings. Drawings ofthe indi vi dual structura/ stee/ shipping pi eces th at are to be
produced in the fabri cation shop.
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SJ/. Steel Joist lnstitute.

Spec[fications. The portion o f the contrae/ cloc11111e111s thal consists o f the wri tten
req uirements for materials, standards and workmanship.

SSPC. SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings, which was formerl y known as the
Steel Structures Painting Counci l.

Standard Struc/ura/ Shapes. Hot-rolled W-, S-. M- and HP-shapes, chan nels and angles
listed in ASTM A6/A6M ; structural tees split from th e hot-rolled W-, S- and M-
shapes li sted in ASTM A6/A6M; hollow structural sections produced to ASTM
A500, ASO I, A6 l 8 or A847; and, steel pipe produced to ASTM A53/A53M.

Stee/ Detailer. The entity that produces the shop and erec1ion dra1vings.

S1mc111ra/ Engineer o.l Record. The°licensed profe ssional who is respo nsible fo r seal ing
the contrae/ doc11ments, whic h indicates that he or she has performed or supervised
the analysis, design and document preparation for the structure and has knowledge
o f the load-carrying structural system.

Strnc111ra/ Steel. The elements of the structural frame as given in Section 2. 1.

Substantiating Connection l1?f'or111a1ion. ln form ati on submitted by the .fábricator, if

requested by the oivner 's designated represen1a1ive .f'or design in the conlrac1
doc111nen1s, when op ti on (2) or option (3) is clesignated fo r connections per Section
3. 1.2.

Tier. The s1ruc111ra/ stee/ framin g defin ecl by a colum n shi pping piece.

Weld Sho111-Thro11gh. In archi1ec111ral/y exposed srn1cl11ra/ .1·1ee/, vis ual indication of th e

presence of a weld or welds 0 11 the side o f the member opposite th e weld.

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CODE OF STANDARD PRACTICE

FOR STEEL BUILDINGS AND BRIDGES

•
SECTION l. GENERAL PROVISIONS

l. l. Seo pe
This Code sets forth criteria fo r the trade practices involved in steel buildings,
bridges, and other structures, where other structures are defined as those
structures designed, fabricated, and erectecl in a manner similar to buildings,
wi th build ing-like vertical ancl lateral load resisting elements. In the absence of
specific instructions to the contrary in the contrae/ doc11111e11ts, th e trade
practices that are defined in this Code shall gove rn the fabrication and erection
of structuml stee!.

Commentary:
The practices defined in this Code are the commonly accepted standards of
custom and usage for structura/ stee/ fabrication and erection, which generally
represent the most efficient• approach. This Code is not intended to define a
professional standard of care for lhe owners designated representative Jor
design, change the duties and responsibilities of the owner, contractor, architect
or structural engineer of record from those set forth in the contrae/ documents,
or assign to the owner, architect or struct11ra/ engineer ~l record any duty or
authority to UJ1dertake responsibility inconsistent with the provisions of the
contraer doc11111ents.

This Code is not applicable to steel joists or metal building systems. which are
addressed by SJI and MBMA, respectively.

1.2. Referen ced Specifications, Codes and Standards

The fo llowing doc uments are referenced in this Code:

AAS HTO Specification-The 20 1O AA SHTO LRFD Bridge Design

Spec!fications, 5'" Edition.
AlSC Seismic Provisions-AISC 34 1-10, the 20 10 AISC Seismic Provisions.for
Str11ct11ra! Stee! B11i/dings.
AISC Specification-AISC 360- 1O, th e 20 1O AISC Spec/ficationfor Structura/
Stee/ 811i!dings.
ASME 846. 1- ASME 846.1 -02, Surface Texture (Surface Roughness,
Waviness and Lay).
A REMA Specification- The 201 O AREMA Manual for Rai!way Engineering,
Volume II-Str11c/11res, Chapler 15.

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ASTM A6/A6M-09, Stundard Spec(/ication far General Requirements for

Rolled Stn1ct111·ci/ Steel Bars. ?lates, Shapes. 011(/ Sheet Piling
ASTM ASJ/ASJM-07, Standard Spec{/icationfor Pipe. Steel, 8/ack and Hot-
Dipped, Zinc-Coated, Welded and Seamless.
ASTM AJ25- 09, Standard Speci/ication for St/'1/ctural Bolts, Stee/, Heat
• Treclled. 120/I 05 ksi Mjninmm Tensile Strength .
ASTM AJ25M- 09, Standard Specijication for High-Strength Bolts for
Str11ct11ral Stee! Joints (Me/ríe).
ASTM A490-08b, Standard Specification for Heat-Treated Steel Str11c111ral
Bolts, 150 ksi Mínimum Tensile Strength.
ASTMA490M- 08, Standard Specffication far High-Strength Stee/ Bolts.
Classes I O. 9 and I O. 9. 3.for Stmctural Steel Joints (Metric).
ASTM ASOO/ ASOOM- 07, Standard Specijicatio11 for Cold-Fonned We!ded
and Seamless Carbon Steel Structurnl Tubing in Rounds and Shapes.
ASTM ASO 1-07, Standard Spec(/ication for Hot-Formed Welded and
Seamless Carbo11 Stee/ St/'llct11ra/ Tubing. No melric equi valen! exists.
ASTM A6 l 8/A6 l 8M- 04, Standard Spec!ficationfor Hot-Fonned Welded and
Seamless High-Strength Lo1v-A 1/oy Structurnl Tubi11g.
ASTM A847/A847M-05, Standard Spec{/ication for Co/d-Formed We/ded
and Sea111/ess High-Strength. low-Alloy St/'llct11ral Tubing ivith lmproved
A rmospheric Corrosion Resistance.
ASTM F 1852/ F l 852M- Ol Standard Spec(licarion .far "Twist-0.ff' Type
Tension Control Structuml Bo/1/ Nu1/ Washer Assemblies. Steel, Hea/
Trea/ecl, 120/ 105 ksi Minir111111¡ Tensile S!rength.
A WS D 1. 1- The A WS D 1. 1 S1rnclura/ Welding Code-Stee/, 2008.
CASE Document 1 1-An Agree111ent Between Stmctural Engineer of Record
and Contmctor far Trc111.~/er of Computer A ided Drafiing (CAD) .files on
Eleclronic Media, 2000
CASE Document 962-The Naliona/ Pracrice Guidelines for the Strnctural
Engineer o.f Record, Fourth Edi tion, 2000.
RCSC Specifi cation- The Spec(fication for Strnctural Joints Using High-
Slrength Bolts, 2009.
SSPC SP2-SSPC S111face Prepamtion S¡;ec!/icalion No. 1, Hunc/ Too/
C/eaning, 2004.
SSPC SP6-SSPC S111fuce Prepuration Spec{liwtion No. 6. Co111111ercial 8/a.1·1
Cleaning, 2004.

1.3. ll nits
In this Code, the values stated in eith er U.S. customary units or metric units
s hall be used. Each system shall be used independently ofthe o ther.

Commentary:
ln this Code, dimensions, weights and other measures are g iven in U.S.
customaiy units with rounded or rationalized metric-unit eq uivalents 111

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brackets. Because the values stated in each system are not exact equivalents, the
selective comb ination ofvalues from each ofthe two systems is not permitted.

1.4. Design Crite ria

For buildings ancl other st1\1ctures, in the absence of other design criteria, the
provisions in the AISC Speci fication shall govern the design of the str11crural
sreel. For bridges, in the absence of other design cri teria, the provis ions in the
AASHTO Specificatio n and AREMA Specification shall govern the design of
the struct11ra/ stee/, as applicable.

1.5. Responsibility for Design

1.5.1. When the 011'11er 's designated represenlative for design provides th e design,
design dra111ings and ~pec(/ications, the fabricator and the erector are not
responsible fo r the sui tability. adequacy or building-cede confo rmance of the
design.

1.5.2. When the owner enters into a direct contract with thefabricator to both design
and fabricate an en tire, completed steel structure, the fabricator shall be
respo nsible for the suitabiltty, adequacy, confo rm ance with owner-establ ished
performance criteria, and build ing-code conformance of the srruct11ral sree/
des ign. The owner shall be responsible for the suitabili ty, adequacy and
bui lding-cede conformance of the non-stmct11ral steel elements and shall
establish the performance criteria for th e structura/ stee/ frame.

1.6. Patents and C opyrights

The en tity or entities that are responsible for the specification and/or selection of
proprietary structural designs shall secure ali intellectual property rights
necessary fo r the use of those designs.

l. 7. Existing Structu res

1.7.1. Demolition and shoring of any part of an ex isting structure are not with in the
scope of work that is provided by either the .fabricator or the erector. Such
demolition and shoring shall be performed in a ti mely manner so as not to
interfere with or de lay the work of the.fabricator and the erector.

1.7.2. Protection of an existin g structu re an d its contents and equi pment, so as to

prevent damage from normal erection processes, is not within th e scope of work
th at is provided by eith er theJabricator or the erector. Such pro tection shall be
perfonned in a tirnely manner so as not to interfere with or de lay th e work of the
Jabricator or the erector.

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1.7.3. Surveying or fie ld dirnensioning of an existing structure is 1101 within the scope
of wo rk that is provided by either th e fabricator or the erector. Such surveying
or field di rn ensioning, which is necessary for the cornpletion of shop and
erection drawings and fab rication, shall be performed and furnis hed to the
fabrica/ar in a timely manner so as not to interfere with or de lay the work of the
• fabrica/ar o r the erector .

1.7.4. Abatement or remova l of ha::arclous materia/.1· is not within the scope of work
that is provided by either the fabricator or the erector. Such abatement or
removal shall be performed in a timely ma nner so as not to interfere with or
de lay the work of thefabricator and the erector.

1.8. Means, Meth ods and Sa fety of Ercction

1.8. 1. The erector shall be responsible for the rn eans, rneth ods and safety of erection
of the str11ct11ral steel frame.

1.8.2. The structura/ engineer of record shall be responsi ble for the structural
adequacy of the design of the structure in the completed project. The strncturul
engineer of record shall not be responsible for the means, methods and safety of
erection of the str11c111ral stee/ frame. See also Sections 3.1.4 and 7.10 .

1.9. Tolera nces

Tolerances for materials, fab ri cation and erecti on shall be as sti pulated in
Sections 5, 6, 7, and 10.

Commcntary:
Tolerances are not necessarily specified in this Code for every possible variation
that cou ld be encountered. For most projects, where a to lerance is not specified
or covered in this Code, it is not needed to ensure that the fabricated and erected
structura/ steel complies with the requirements in Section 6 and 7. lf a special
des ign concept or system component requires a tolerance that is not specified in
this Code, the necessary tolerance should be specified in the contract
documents. If a tolerance is not shown and is deemed by the jabricator and/or
erector to be importan! to the success ful fa brication and erection of the
structural steel, it shou ld be req uested from the owner's designated
representative far design. The absence of a tolerance in this Code fo r a
particular condition does not mean that the to lerance is zero; rather, it means
that no tolerance has been established. In any case, the defaul t tolerance is not
zero.

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SECTION 2. CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIALS

2.1. Definition ofStructunll Steel

• S1ruc111ra/ sleel shall consist of the elements of the structural frame that are
shown and sized in Lhe siructural design draivings, essential to support the
design loads and described as:

Anchor rods that wil l receive slmclura/ s1ee/.

Base plates, if part of Lhe s1mc/11ra/ slee/ frame.
Beams, incl udin g built-up beams, if made from sta11dard s1r11c111ra/ shapes
and/or plates.
Beari ng plates, ifpart of th e struct11ra/ steel frame.
Bearings of steel for gi rders, trusses or bridges.
Bracing, if perman ent.
Canopy framing, if made from standard struct11ra/ shapes and/or plates.
Columns, including buill-up columns, if made from standard struc111ral
shapes and/o r plates.
Connection materials for framing stmc111ral stee/ to s1r11cl11ral sleel.
Crane slo ps, if made from standard s1nic111ra/ shapes and/o r plates.
Door fra mes, if made f,0111 slandard stmc111ra/ shapes and/or plates and if
part of the stmclura/ steel frame.
Edge angles and pi ates, if attached to th e s1r11ct11ra/ steel frame or steel
(open-web) joists.
Embedded struc/11ral s/ee/ parts, other th an bearing pi ates, that wil I receive
stm clural stee/.
Expansion joints, if attached to the struct11ra/ slee/ fram e.
Fasteners for connectin g struc/11ral stee/ items: permanent shop bolts, nuts
and washers; shop bo lls, nuts and washers for shipment; fi eld bolts,
nuts and washers for permanent connections; and, perrnanenl pins.
Floor-openin g frames, if made from standard struclllra/ shapes and/or
plates and attached to the struct11ral slee/ frame or steel (open-web)
joists.
Floor pi ates (checkered or plain), if attached to th e struclura/ s/eel frame.
Girders, including built-up girders, if made from slandard struc/ural shapes
and/o r plates.
Girts, if made from standard s1ruc111ral shapes.
Grillage beams and girders .
Hangers, if made from slandard stmctural shapes, pi ates and/or rods and
framing s1ruc1ural stee/ to struc/ura/ stee/.
Leve ling nuts and washers.
Leveling plates .
Leveling screws.
Li ntels, if attached to the struc111ra/ sleel frame.
Marquee framing, if made from standard slructura/ shapes and/or plates.

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Mach inery supports, if 111ade from standard str11ct11ral shapes and/or plates
and attached to the strnctural stc:e/ frarne.
MonoraiI ele111ents, if rnade from standard strnctural shapes and/or pi ates
and attached to the str11ct11ral steel frame.
Posts, if part of th e structuraf stee f frame.
• Purl ins, if made from vandard struct11ra/ shapes .
Relieving angles, if attached to the struc111ral steel frame.
Roo f-opening fra111es, if made from standard s1r11cturaf shapes and/or
plates and attached to the stl'llcturof stee/ frame o r steel (open-web)
joists.
Roof-screen support fram es, if made from standard str11ct11ra/ shapes.
Sag rods, if part of the str11ct11ral stee/ frame and connecting structural .1·teef
to strnctural steel.
Shear stud connectors, if specified to be shop attac hed .
Shims, if permanent.
Struts, if permanent ancl part of the stl'llctural stee/ frame.
Tie rod~, if par! of the struc111ral s1ee/ fram e.
Trusses, if made from standard strnctura/ shupes and/or bui lt-u p members.
Wall-opening frames, if made from stundurd strnct11ral shapes and/or
plates and attached to th e str11ct11ra/ stee/ frame.
Wedges, if permanent.

C ommentary:
The fabricator normally fabricates the items listed in Secti on 2. 1. Such items
must be shown, sized and described in the stru ctural design drawings. Bracing
includes vertical bracing for resistance to wind and seism ic load and structural
stability, horizontal bracing for floor and roof systems and permanent stab ility
bracing for com ponents of the struct11ral stee/ frame.

2.2. O th er Steel, lron or Metal ltems

Structural stee/ shall not include oth er steel, iron or metal items that are not
general ly descri bed in Section 2 .1 , even where such items are shown in the
structural design dralllings or are attached to th e stl'llctura/ stee f frame. Other
steel, iron or metal iterns incl ude but are not li rnited to:

Base pi ates. if not part or the stmct11ra/ s/ee/ frame.

Bearing piates, if not part of lhe st1·11ct111·a/ stc:e/ frame.
Bearings, if non-steel.
Cables for perm anent bracing or suspension systerns.
Castings.
Catwalks.
Chutes.
Co ld-formed steel proclucts.

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Cold-roll ed steel products, except !hose that are specifically covered in the
AISC Specification.
Comer gua rds.
.. Crane rails, splices, bolts and clamps .
Crane stops, if not made trom standard structura/ shapes or plates.
Door guards.
Embedded steel parts, other than bearin g plates, that do not receive
strnc111ra/ stee/ or that are embedded in precast concrete.
Expansion joints, if not attached to the s1mct11raf stee/ frame.
Flagpole support steel.
Floor plates (c heckered or plain), if not attached to the slructuraf stee/
fram e.
Forgings.
Gage-metal products.
Grating.
Handrail.
Hangers, if nol made from standard str11cturaf shapes, plates and/or rods or
not framing structura/ steef to strnctura/ stee/.
Hoppers.
ltems that are required for th e assembly or erection of materials that are
furnished by trades other than the.fabricator or erector.
Ladders.
Li ntels, if not attached to the sth1ct11ra/ stee/ frame.
Masonry anchors.
Miscellaneous metal.
Ornamental metal fra ming.
Pressure vessels.
Reinforcing steel for concrete or masonry.
Relieving angles, if not attached to the stmc111ra/ stee/ frame.
Roof screen support frames, if not made fro m standard stmctura/ shapes.
Safety cages.
Shear stud connectors, if specified to be field installed.
Stacks.
Stairs.
Steel deck.
Steel (open-web)joists.
Steel joist girders.
Tanks.
Toe plates.
Trench or pit covers.

Co 111111 en ta ry:
Section 2.2 includes many items that may be furnished by the fabricator if
contracted to do so by specific notation and detail in the contrae/ documents.

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16.3-8

When such items are contracted to be provided by the fabricator, coordination

will normally be required between the fabricalor and other material suppliers
and trades. The provisions in this Code are not intended to apply to items in
Section 2.2.
In previous ed itions of this Code, provisions regarding who should
normally furnish field-inst.alled shear stud connectors and cold-formed steel
deck support angles were included in Section 7.8. These provisions have been
eliminated since field-installed shear stud connectors and steel deck support
angles are not defined as struclural steel in this Code.

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SECTION 3. DESIGN DRAWINGS ANO SPECIFICATIONS

3.1. Structural Design Drnwings and Specifications

Unless otherwise indicated in the conlracl doc11111en1s, the stru ctural design
• drmvings shall be based upón consideration of the design loads and forces to be
resisted by the slmcl11ral .1·1eel frarne in the completed project.
The structural design dra111ings shall clearly show the work that is to be
performed and shall give the following information with sufficient dimensions
to accurately convey the quantity and nature of the srmctura/ sfee/ to be
fabricated:

(a) The size, section, material grade and location of all members;
(b) AII geometry and working points necessary for layout;
(c) Floor elevations:
(d) Column centers and offsets;
(e) Th e camber requirements for members;
(f) Joining requirements between elements of built-up members; and,
(g) The information that is required in Sections 3.1.1 through 3.1.6.

The srmc111ra/ stee/ spec({,c11tions shall incl ude any special requirements fo r th e
fabrication and erecti on of the stn,cfuml sleel.
The structural design drail'ings, speciflcalions and addenda shall be
numbered and dated for the purpos·es of identifi cation.

Commcntary:
Contraer documents vary greatly in complexity and completeness. Nonetheless,
the fabricator and the erector must be able to rely upon the accuracy and
completeness of the confract documents. This allows th e fabrica/ar and the
erector to provide the owner wilh bids that are adequate and complete. It also
enables the preparation of the shop and erection drawings, th e ordering of
materials and the timely fabricat ion and erection ofsh ipping pieces.
In some cases, the owner can benefit when reasonable latitude is
allowed in the conrract docwnents for alternatives that can reduce cost without
compromising quality. Howcver, critica! requirements that are necessary to
pro!ect the owner 's interest. that affect the integrity of the structme or that are
necessary fo r the fabricator and the erector to proceed with their work must be
included in the contract documents. Some examples of critica) in formation may
include, when applicable:

Standard specifications ancl cedes that govern struct11ra/ stee/ design and
construction, including belting and welding.
Material specifications.
Special material requirements to be reported on the material test reports.
Welded-joint configuration .

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Weld-procedure qualification.
Special requirements for work of other trades.
Final disposition of backing bars and runoff tabs.
'
¡
Lateral bracing. 1
Stability bracing.
Connections or data for,connection selection and/or completion. ¡
Restrictions on connection types.
Column stiffeners (also known as continuity plates).
Column web doubl er plates.
Bearing stiffeners on beams and gi rders.
Web reinforcement.
Openings for other trades.
Surface preparation and shop pain ting requi rements.
Shop and tield inspection requirements.
Non-destructive testing requirements, including accepta11ce criteria.
Special requirements on delivery.
Special erectio n limitations.
ldentification of non-struclura! steel elements that interact with the
structural steel frame to provide for the lateral stability of the
structuml stee/ frame (see Section 3 .1.4).
Column differential shortening info rmation (see Commentary to Section
7.1 3). •
Anticipated defl ections and the associated loading conditions for majar
structural elernents, such as transfer girders and trusses, supporting
colu mns and hangers (see Cornmentary to Section 7.13).
Special fab ri cation and erection tolerances for AESS .
Special pay-we ight provisions.

3. 1. 1. Permanent bracing, colu mn stiffeners. column web doubler plates, bearing

stiffene rs in beams and gi rders, web rei nforcemenl. openi ngs for other trade,,
and other special deta ils. where req uired. shal l be shown in sufticient deta il in
th e struct ural desig11 drn1vi11gs so th at th e quan tity, detail ing and fab ri cation
requirements fo r these items can be reaclily understood.

3. 1.2. The owner "s designared represe111atiV1! for design sha ll ind icate one of the
fo llowing options for each connection:

( 1) The complete connection design shall be shown in th e structural design

drawings;
(2) In th e stru ctura l design drawings or spec(lications, the connection shall be
designated to be selected or completed by an experiencecl sree/ detuiler; or,
(3) 1n th e structural design dmwings or spec(licat ions, the connection sha 11 be
designated to be designecl by a licensecl professional engi neer work ing for
thefabricator.

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16.3-11

In ali ofthe above options,

(a) The requirements of Section 3. 1.1 shall app ly; and,

• (b) The approvals process in Section 4.4 shall be fo llowed.

When option (2) above is specified, the experienced stee/ detailer shall
utilize tables or schematic information provided in the structu ral design
drawings in the selection or completion of the connections. When such
infor111ation is not provided, tables in the A ISC Stee/ Conslrnction Manual, or
other reference in formation as ap proved by the owner 's designated
representative.for design, shall be used.
When option (2) or (3) above is specified , the owner 's designated
representative .for design shall provide th e fo llow ing infor111ation in the
structural design drawings and specifications:

(a) Any restri ctions on th e types of conneclions that are per111itted;

(b) Data concerning the loads, including shears, moments, axial fo rces and
transfer forces. th at are to be res isted by th e individual members and their
connections, sufficient i o allow the selection, compl etion, or design of the
connection details while prepari ng the shop and erection drawings;
(c) Whether the data required in (b) is given at th e service- load leve! or the
factored-load leve!;
(d) Whether LRFD or ASO is to be used in th e selection, completion, or des ign
of connection details; and,
(e) What s11bstantiating connection informa/ion, if any, is to be provided with
the shop and erection drawings to the owner 's designated represenlative
for design.

When option (3) above is specifi ed:

(a) The .fabricator shall submit in a timely manner representati ve samples of

the requi red substanliating connection informa/ion to the owner 's
designated representatives .for design and construction. The owner 's
designated representative .for design shall co nfirn1 in wri ting in a timely
manner th at th ese representat ive samples are consisten! with th e
requ irements in th e contract doc11111en1s . or shall adv ise what modifications
are requi red to bring the representative samples into cornp liance with th e
req uirements in th e con/rae/ documenls. This initial subm ittal and review is
in add itio n to the req uirements in Section 4.4.
(b) The licensed professional engineer in respons ible charge of th e connection
design shall review and confirm in writing as pa11 of the subslantialing
connection i11for111ation, that the shop and erection drawings properly
incorporate the conneclion designs. However, this review by th e licensed

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professional engi neer in responsible charge of the connection design does

not replace th e approval process of the shop and erection drawings by the
•
1
owner 's designated representativefor design in Section 4.4 .
(e) The .fabrica/ar shall provide a means by which the s11bs1an1iating 1
connection infomwtion is referenced to the related connections on the shop
and erection drawings for the purpose of review. 1
Commentary: 1
There are three options covered in Section 3.1.2:

(1) When the owner's designated representalivefor design shows the complete
1
design of the connections in the structural design drawings, the following
information is included:
1
(a) Ali weld types, sizes, and lengths; 1
(b) Ali bolt sizes, locations, quantities, and grades;
(c) Ali plate and angle sizes, thicknesses and dimensions; and, 1
(d) Ali work point locations and related information.
1
The intent of this approach is that complete des ign info rmation necessary
fo r detailing the connection is shown in th e structural design drawings. 1
Typical details are shown for each connection type, set of geometric
parameters and adj acent framing conditions. The s/ee/ detai/er will then be 1
able to transfer this information to the shop and ereclion drawings, applying
it to the individual pieces being detailed. 1
(2) When the owner 's designated representative for design allows an
experienced stee/ de!ailer to select or complete the connections, this is
commonly done by referring to tables or schematic information in the
1
structural design drnwings, tables in the AJSC S1ee/ Constmction Manual,
or other reference information approved by th e owner 's designated
1
representalive for design, such as journal papers and recognized software
output. Tables and schematic information in the structural design drawings 1
should prov ide such information as weld types and sizes, plate thicknesses
and quantities of bolts. However, there may be some geomet1y and 1
dimensional information that the stee/ delai/er must develop. The stee/
detailer will then configure the connections based upon the design loads 1
and other information given in the structural design drawings and
speci.fica/ions. 1
The intent of this me!hod is that the stee/ detai/er will select the
connection materials and configuration from the referenced tables or 1
complete the specific conneclion configuration (e.g., dimensions, edge
distances and bolt spacing) based upon the connection details that are 1
shown in the structural design drawings .
1
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The steel detailer must be experienced and familiar with the AISC
requ irements fo r connection configurations, th e use of the connection tables
in the AISC Stee/ Con.~truction Manual, the calculation of dimensions and
• adaptation of typical connection details to similar situations. Notati ons of
loadings in th e structural design drawings are only to facilitate selection of
the connections from the referenced tab les. lt is not the intent that this
method be used when the practice of engineering is required.
(3) Option 3 reflects a practice in sorne areas of the U.S. to have a licensed
professional engineer working fo r or retained by the fabricator design the
connections, and recognizes the information required by the fabricator to
do this work. The mvner 's designated representative for design, who has
the knowledge of the structure as a whole, must review and approve the
shop and erection drawings, and take such action 011 substantiating
co1111ectio11 i11.for111atio11 as the owner 's designated representativefor design
deems appropriate. See Section 4.4 fo r the approval process.
When, under Section 3. 1.2, the owner 's designated representative for
design designates lhat co1111ectio11s be designed by a Iicensed professional
engineer employed or retained by lhe fabricator, this work is incidental to,
and part of, the overall means and methods of fabricating and constructing
the steel frame. The• Iicensed professional engineer performing the
connection design is not providing a peer-review ofthe comract documents.

The owner 's designated representative for design reviews the shop and
erection drawings during the approvals process as specified in Section 4.4
for conformance with the speci lied criteria and compatibility with th e
design of the primary structu re.

One of lhese options should be indicated fo r each connection in a project. ft is

acceptable to group connection lypes and ut ilize a combination of th ese options
for the various connection types involved in a project. Option (3) is not
normally specifted for co1111ections that can be selected or completed as noted in
Option (2) without practicing engi neering.
1f there are any restrictions as to the types of connections to be used, it
is required that th ese limitations be set fo rth in the structural design drawings
and .!.pec{fications. There are a variety of connections available in lhe AlSC
Steel Construction Manual fo r a given situati on. Preference for a particular type
will vary between .fabricators and erectors. Stating these limitations, if any, in
the structural design drawings and spec{/ications will help to avoid repeated
changes to the shop and erection drawings due to the selection of a connection
that is not acceptable to the owner 's designated representative for design,
thereby avoiding add itional cost and/or delay for lhe red rawin g of the shop and
erection drawings.
The structural design dra1vings must indicate the method of design
used as LRFD or ASO. In arder to conform to the spirit of the AfSC

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Specification, the connections must be selected using the same method and the
correspond ing references.
Substantiating connection informtltion, when required, can take many
fo nns. When option (2) is designated, shop and erection drawings may suffi ce
with no additional substantiating connection information required. When option
(3) is designated, lhe subslantiating connection information may take the form
of hand calculations and/or software output.
When substantiating connection informa/ion is required, it is
recommended that representative sarnples of that information be agreed upon
prior to preparation of shop and erection drawings, in order to avo id add itional
cost and/or delay for the connection redesign and/or redrawing that might
otherwise result.
The owner 's designated representative for design may require that the
substantiating connection information be signed and sealed for option (3). The
signing and sealing of the cover letter transmitting thc shop and erec/ion
drawings and s11bstantiating conneclion in.formalion may suftice. This signing
and sealing indicates that a professional engineer performed the work but <loes
not replace the approval process provided in Section 4.4.
A req uirement to sign and sea! each sheet of the shop and erection
drawings is discouraged as it may serve to confuse th e design responsibilily
between the owner 's designated representative for design and the licensecl
professional engineer's work in performing the connection design.

3. 1.3 . When leveling plates are to be furn ished as pa rt of the contract requirements,
their locations and req uired thi ckn ess and sizes shal I be specifiecl in the contrae!
doc11ments.

3. 1.4. When the stmctura/ steel frame, in th e completely erected and fu lly connected
state, req uires interaction with 11011-structurnl steel elements (see Section 2) for
st rength and/or stability, those 11011-stmctunil stee/ elements shall be identi fied
in the contraer document.1· as requi red in Section 7. 1O.

Commentary:
Examples of 11011-structura/ steel elements include diaphragms made of steel
deck, diaphragms made of concrete on steel deck and masonry and/or concrete
shear walls.

l 1.5. When camber is req uired, the magnitude. direction ancl location of camber shall
be specifiecl in the struct ural design drnwings.

Commentary:
For cantilevers, the specified camber may be up or down, depending upon the
framing and loading.

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 16.3-15

3.1.6. Specific members o r po11ions thereof that are to be left unpainted shall be
identified in th e con/rae/ documenls. When shop painting is requ ired, the
painting requirements shall be specified in the con/rae/ doeumenls, including the
fol lowing information:
•
(a) The identification ofspecific members or portions thereofto be painted;
(b) The surface preparation that is required for these members;
(c) The paint spec ifications and manufacturer's product identifi cation that are
required fo r these members; and,
(d) The mínimum dry-film shop-coat thickness that is required for th ese
members.

Commenfary:
Some members or portions thereof may be required to be Jeft unpainted, such as
U10se that will be in contact and acting compositely with concrete. or those that
will receive spray-applied fire protection materials.

3.2. A rchitectu ral, Electrical and Mechanical

Design Drawings and Specificlllions
Ali requirements fo r the quantities, sizes and locations of struetural sleel shall
be shown or noted in the structural design drawings. The use of architectural ,
electrical and/o r mechan ical design drawings as a supplement to the structural
design dr01vings is permitted for the purposes of defining detail confi gurations
and construction information.

3.3. Disc repancies

When discrepancies exist between the design drawings and speciflealions, the
design drawings shall gove rn. When discrepancies exist between scale
dimensions in the design dra,vings and the figures written in them, the figures
shall govern . When discrepancies exist between the structural design drawings
and the architectural, electri cal or mechanica l design drawings or design
drawings for other trades, the structural design drawings shal I govern .
When a discrepancy is discovered in the con/rae/ doc11men1s in the
course ofthe.fabriealor 's work, the fabrica/or shall promptly notify the owner's
designaled represen/olive .for conslm clion so that th e discrepancy can be
resolved by the ow11er 's designaled represenrarive far design. Such resolu tion
shall be timely so as not to delay th e fabrica/or 's wo rk. See Sections 3.5 and
9.3.

Commentary:
While it is the fabricator 's responsibility to repo11 any discrepancies that are
discovered in the contract documents, il is not thefabricator 's responsibility to
discover discrepancies, including those that are associated with the coordination

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of the various design disciplines. The quality of the co111rac1 documents is the
responsibility of the entities that produce those documents.

3.4. Legibility of Design Drawings

Design drawings shall be clearly legible and drawn toan identified scale that is
• app ropriate to clearly convey the inform at ion .

Commentary:
Historically, the most commonly accepted scale for structural steel plans has
been 1/s in. per ft [ 1Omm per 1 000 mm). There are, however, situations where a
smaller or larger scale is appropriate. Ultimately, consideration must be given to
the clarity of the drawing.
The scaling of the design drawings to determine dimensions is not an
accepted practice for detailing the shop and erection drawings. However, it
should be remembered when preparing design drawings that scaling may be the
only method availab le when early-submiss ion draw ings are used to determine
dimensions for estimating ancl bidding purposes.

3.5. Revisions to the Design Drawings and Specilications

Re visions to the design dra1vings and spec!fications shall be made either by
issuing new design drawings and spec!fica1ions or by reissuing the existin g
design drcnvings and spectfications. In either case, all revisions, including
revisions that are communicated through responses to RFls or th e annotat ion of
shop and/or erection dm11 1i11gs (see Section 4.4.2), shall be clearly and
individually indicated in the contrae/ documenls. The cu111rac1 doc11111en1s shall
be dated and identi fied by re vision number. Each design druwings shall be
identified by the same drawing number throughout the durati on of the project,
regardless of the revision. See also Section 9.3.

Commentary:
Revisions to the design dmwings and .specijications can be made by issui ng
sketches and supplcmental information separate from the design drawings and
specifications. These sketches and supplemental information become
amendments to the design drcrwings and spec!fications ancl are considered new
contract documents. Ali sketches and supplemental information must be
uniquely identified with a number and date as the latest instru ctions until such
time as they may be superseded by new in formation.
When revisions are made by revising and re-issuing the existing
structural design drawings and/or specijications, a unique revision nu mber and
date must be added to those documents to identify that information as the latest
instructions until such time as they may be superseded by new information. The
same uni que drawing number must identify each design drawings throughout
the duration of the project so that revisions can be properly tracked, thus

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avoiding confusion and miscommunication among the various entities involved

in the project.
When revisions are communicated through the annotation of shop or
erection drawings or contractor submissions, such changes must be confirmed
• in writing by one of the aforementioned methods. This written confirmation is
imperative to maintain control of the cost a11d schedule of a project and to avoid
potential errors in fabrication.

3.6. Fast-Track Project Oelivery

When th e fast-track project delivery system is selected, release oí the structural
design dra111i11gs an d speciflcations shall constitute a re/ease .for constmc1ion,
regardless of the status of the architectu ral, electri cal, mechanical and oth er
interfaci ng designs and contrae! doc11111ents. Subseq uent revisions, if any, shall
be the responsibility ofthe owner and shall be made in accordance with Sections
3.5 an d 9.3.

Commentary:
The fast-track proj ect deli very system generally provides for a condensed
schedule for the des ign and construction of a project. Under this delivery
system, the 0111ner elects .to release for constmction the structural design
drawings and spec!(tcations, which may be partially complete, at a time that
may precede the completion of and coordination with architectural, mechanical,
electrical and other design work and contract documents. The release of these
structural design drawings and speciflcations may also precede th e release of the
General Conditions and Division I Specitications.
Release of the structural design drawings and specifications to the
fabricator for ordering of material constitutes a release for construction.
Accordingly, the Jabricator and the erector may begin their work based upan
those partially complete documents. As the architectural , mechanical. electrical
and other design elements of the project are completed, revisions may be
required in design and/or construction. Thus, when considering the fast-track
project delivery system, the owner should balance the potential benetits to the
project schedule with the project cost contingency that may be required to allow
for these subsequent revisions.

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16.3-1 8 1
SECTION 4. SHOP AND ER ECTION DRAWINGS
1
4.1. Owner Responsibility
The owner shall furnish, in a timely manner and in acco rdance with the contract
documents, comp lete stru ctura l design drnwings and specifications that have
been re!eased for construcrion. Un less otherwise noted, design drawings that
are prov ided as part of a contrae! bid package shall constitu te aut hori zation by
th e owner that the design drc1111ings are releasedf or cons1r11c1ion.

Commentary:
When the owner issues design drawings and specifications that are re!eased for
construction, the fabricator and the erector rely on the fact that these are the
owner 's requirements for the proj ect. This release is required by the fa brica/ar
prior to the ordering of material and the preparation and completion of shop and
erection drawings.
To ensure the orderl y flow of materi al procurement, detailing,
fa brication and erection activities, on phased constructi on projects, it is essential
that designs are not continuously revised after they have been released for
construction. fn essence, once a portian of a design is releasedfor construction,
the essential elements of that design sho uld be "frozen" to ensure adherence to
the contraer price and con~truction schedule. Alternatively, ali parties shou lcl
reach a common understandi ng of the effects of future changes, if any, as they
affect scheduled cleliveries and added costs.
A pre-detailing conference, held after the slructura f steel fab ri cation
contract is awarded, can benefit the project. Typical attendees rnay include the
owner 's designated represenlative far construction, the owner 's designated
representalive for design, the fabricator, the steel detailer, and the erector.
To pics of the meeting should relate to the specifi cs of the proj ect, ancl might
include:

• Contract document review and general proj ect overview, includ ing
clarifications of scope of work, tolerances, layo uts and sequences, and
special considerations.
• Detailing and coorclination needs, such as be lting, welding, and connection
considerati ons, constructabil ity considerations, OSHA requirements,
coordination with other trades, and the advanced bill of materials.
• The project commun ication system, including clistribution of contact
info rmation for relevant parties to the contract, identification of the prima ry
ancl alternate contacts in the general contractor' s offi ce, and the RFl system
to be used on the project.
• The submittal schedule, including how many copies of documents are
required, conneclion submittals, and iclentification of schedu le-critical areas
of the project, if any.

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• Review of quality and inspection requ irements, including the approvals

process for corrective work.

Record of the meeting should be written and distributed to ali paities .

• Subsequent meetings to discuss progress and issues that arise during
construction also can be helpful, parti cu larly when they are beld on a regular
schedule.

4.2. Fabricator Responsibility

Except as provided in Section 4.5, the fabrica/ar shall produce shop and
erect ion drawings fo r the fab rication and erection of the str11ct11ral sleel and is
responsible for the following:

(a) The transfer of information from the con/rae/ docu111ents into accurate and
complete shop and ereclion drawings; and,
(b) The development of accurate, detailed dimensional information to provide
for the fit-up of parts in the field.

Each shop and ereclion drawing shall be identified by !he same drawing number
thro ughout th e durati on of tlle proj ect and shall be identified by revision number
and date, with each specific revision clearly identified.
When lhe fabrica/ar submits a request to change connection details
that are descri bed in the conlmct documents, the .fabricator shall notify the
owner 's desig11ated represen/olives far design and cons/rnclion in wri ti ng in
advance of the subm ission or the shop and erection drawings. The 01vner 's
designated represenlative .for design shall review and approve or reject th e
request in a timely manner.
When requested to do so by the owne,· 's designated represenlalive fo,·
design , the .fabrica/ar shall provide lo the owner 's designaled representatives
for desig11 and consrmcrion ils sc hedu le for the submittal of shop and erection
dmwings so as to faci litate the timely flow of information between ali parties.

Commentary:
The Jabricator is permitted to use the services of independent stee/ detailers to
produce shop and erection drawings, and to perform other suppo1t services such
as producing advanced bilis ofmaterial and bolt summaries.
As the fabricator develops the detailed dimensivnal info rmation for
production of the shop and erection drawings, there may be discrepan cies,
missing information or contlicts discovered in the contrae/ documents. See
Section 3.3.
When th e fabrica/ar intends to make a submission of alternative
connecfion details to those shown in the contrae/ documems, the fabricator
must notify the owner 's designated representatives .for design and constmction
in advance. This will allow the parties involved to plan for the increased effort

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16.3-20

that may be requi red to review the alternative connection details. In addition, the
owner will be able to evaluate the potential for cost savings and/or schedule
improvements against the additional design cost for review of the alternative
connection details by the owner 's designated representa/ive for design. This
evaluati.on by the owner may result in the rejection ofthe alternative connection
details or acceptance of tf\e submission for review based upon cost savings,
schedule improvements and/or job efficiencies.
The owner 's designated representalive for design may request the
fabricator's schedule for the submittal of shop and erection drawings. This
process is intended to allow the parties to plan for the staffing demands of the
submiss ion schedule. The contrae/ documents may address this issue in more
detail. In the absence of the requirement to provide this schedule, none need be
provided.
When thefabricator provides a schedu le for the submission ofthe shop
and erection drawings, it must be recognized that this schedul e may be affected
by revisions and the response time to requests for missing information or the
resolution of discrepancies.

4.3. Use of CAD Files and/or Copies of Design Drawings

The fahrirntor shal I neither use nor reproduce any part of the design drawings
as pan of th e shop or erec1ion dra11•i11gs wit hout th e wri tte n permission of the
owner 's designated represeñtative far design. When CAD ti les o r copies of the
design drcnvings are made ava ilab le fo r thejábricator '.1· use. the.fubricator shall
accept this information under the foll owing conditio ns:

(a) Ali information contained in the CAD fil es or copies ofthe design dmwings
shall be considered instruments of service of the owner 's designated
representativefor design and shall not be used for other projects, add itions
to th e proj ect or th e completion of th e project by others. CA D files and
cop ies of th e design drawings shall rema in the properry of the owne,· 's
designated representative ji;r design and in no case shall th e transfer of
these CA D fil es or copies of the design drawings be considered a sale.
(b) The CAD fi les or copies of the design druwings shall not be considered to
be contrae/ documents. In th e event of a conflict between the design
drawing.1· and th e CA D fil es or copies th ereof, th e design drawings shall
govern;
(c) The use of CAD fil es or copies of th e design drmvings shall not in any way
obviate the.fúbricator 's res ponsibi li ty fo r proper checkin g and coordination
of dimens ions, deta il s, member sizes and fit-up and quantities of materials
as required to faci litate the preparation of shop and erection dm111ings that
are complete and accurate as req uired in Section 4.2; and,
(d) The .fabrica/ar shall remove information that is not required fo r the
fa brication or erection of th e s1r11ct11ra/ stee/ from the CA D files or copies
of the desig n druwings.

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AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCT ION
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Commentary:
With the advent of elect:ronic media and the internet, electronic copies of design
drawings are readily available to the .fabricator. As a result, the owner 's
• designated representativé for design may have reduced control over the
unauthorized use of the design drcnvings. There are many copyright ancl oth er
legal issues to be considered.
The owner 's designated representative .for design may choose to make
CAD fil es or copies of the design drawings available to thefabricator, and may
charge a service or licensing fee for this convenience. In doing so, a carefully
negotiated agreement should be established to set out the specific
responsibilities ofboth parties in view ofthe liabilities involved fo r both parties.
For a sample contract, see CASE Document 11.
The CAD files and/or copies of lhe design drawings are provided to the
.fabricator for conven ience only. The information therein should be adapted for
use 011 ly in reference to the placement of stmctura/ steel members during
erection. The.fabricator should treat this information as if it were fully produced
by tbe fabricator and unde1iake the same leve! of checking and guality
assurance. When amendments or revisions are made to the contrae! documents,
thejabricator must update.this refe rence material.
When CAD files or copies ofthe design drawings are provided to the
fabr icator, they often contain other information, such as architectural
backgrounds or references to other contrae! documents. This additional material
should be removed when producing shop and erection drcn11ings to avoid the
potential for confusion.
4.4. App rova l
Except as provided in Section 4 .5, the shop and erection drmvings shall be
su bmitted to the 01vner 's designated represenlalivesfor design and constmction
for review and approval. The shop and erection drawings shall be returned to
thefabricalor within 14 calendar days.
Final subsrantiating connection informa/ion, if any, shall also be submitted wi th
the shop and erection dra111i11gs. The owne,· 's designated representative .for
design is the final authority in the event of a disagreement between parties
rega rding connection design.
Approved shop and erection dra111i11gs shall be individually annotated by the
owner 's designated represenlatives .far design and constrnction as either
approved or approved subject to corrections noted. When so reguired, the
.fabricator shall subseguently make the col'l'ections noted and furnish corrected
shop and erection draivings to the owner 's designated represenlalives.for design
and constmclion.
Commentary:

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1
As used in this Code, the 14-day allotment for the return of shop and erection
drawings is intended to represent the f abricator 's portal-to-po1tal time. The 1
intent in this Code is that, in the absence of information to the contrary in the
contrae/ documents, 14 days may be assumed for the purposes of bidding, 1
contracting and scheduling. When additional time is desired, such as when
substantiating connection in.forma/ion is pa1t of the submittals, the modified
allotment should be specified in the conlract documents. A submittal schedule is
commonly used to facilitate the approval process.
lf a shop or erection drawing is approved subject to corrections noted,
the owner 's designated representative f or design may or may not require that it
be re-submitted for record purposes following correction. 1fa shop or erection
drawing is not approved, revisions must be made and the drawing re-submittecl
until approval is achieved.

4.4. 1. App ro val of th e shop and erection drmvings, app roval subject to corrections
noted and similar ap provals shall consti tute the follow ing:

(a) Confirm ation that th e .fabricator has correctly interpretecl the contrae/
documents in the preparation of those submittals;
(b) Confirm ation tha t the Oll'ner 's designated representative for design has
reviewed and approved the connection details shown on th e shop and
erection drawings and submitted in acco rdance wi th Section 3. 1.2, if
applicable; and,
(e) Release by th e oivner 's designated representatives for design and
const/'1/ction for the fabricator to begin fab rication using th e approved
subm ittals.

Such approval shall not rel ieve thefabrica/or of the responsibil ity fo r either the
accuracy of th e detailed dimensions in the shop ancl erec1ion drawings or the
general fit-up of parts that are to be assem bled in the fi eld.
The fahrica tor shall determine the f'abrication sched ul e that is
necessary to meet the req uirements of the con tract.

Commentary:
When considering the current language in this Section, the Committee sought
language that would parallel the practices of CASE. In CASE Document 962,
CASE indicates that when the design of sorne element of the primary structural
system is left to someone other than the structura! engineer o.(record, " .. .such
elements, including connections designed by others, shoulcl be reviewed by the
str11cturn! engineer of record. He [or she] should review such clesigns and
details, accept or rej ect them and be responsible fo r their effects on the primary
structural system." Historically, this Code has embraced this same concept.
From the inception of this Code, AlSC and the industry in general have
recognized that only the owner's designated represenlativefor design has ali the

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information necessary to evaluate the total impact of connecrion details on the

overall structural design of the project. This authority traditionally has been
exercised during the approval process for shop and erecrion drawings. The
owner 's designated representativefor design has thus retained res ponsibility fo r
• th e adequacy and safety of fhe entire structure since at least the 1927 edition of
this Code.

4.4.2. Un less otherwise noted, any add itions, de letions or revisions that are indi cated
in responses to RFls or on the approved shop and erection drawings shall
constitute authorization by the owner that the additi ons, deletions or revisions
are released far construction. The fabr icator and the erector shall promptly
notify th e owner 's designated representative .for construction when any
direction or nota tio n in responses to RFls or o n the shop or erection dra1vings or
oth er infonnation will resul t in an additional cost and/or a delay. See Secti ons
J.5 and 9.J.

Comrnent:ny:
When the .fabricator notities the owner 's designated representative far
construclion th at a direction or notation in responses lo RFls or on the shop or
erection drm vings will result in an additi onal cost or a delay, it is then normally
the responsibi lity of the owner 's designated representarive for conslruction to
subsequently notify th e owner 's designated representalivefor design.

4.5. Sho p and/o r Erection Dra wings Not Furni shed by the Fa bricator
Whe n the shop and erecrion drmvings are not prepared by thefabricator, but are
fu rnished by others. they shall be delivered to the fabricator in a timely mann er.
These shop and erection drmvi11gs shal I be prepared, insofar as is practi ca!, in
accordance with the shop fa brication and deta iling standards of the .fabricator.
Th efabricator shall ne ither be responsi ble fo r the completeness or accuracy of
shop and erection drmvings so fu rn ished, nor fo r the general fit- up of the
members that are fabricated from them.

4.6. T he RFI Process

When rec¡uests.for informarion (RFls) are issued, the process shall inc lude the
mai ntenance of a written record of inquiries and responses related to
in terpretation and implem entation of the contrae/ docwnents, including the
clar!flcarions and/or revisions to the conrracr documenrs that res ult, if any. RFls
shal l not be used fo r the incremental re/ease .far construction of design
drawings. When RF ls involve discrepa ncies or revisions, see Secti ons 3.3, J .5,
and 4.4 .2.

Commentary:
The RFI process is rnost commonly used during the detailing process, but can
also be used to fo rward inquiries by the erector or to inform th e owner 's

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designated representative far design in the event of ajabricator or erector error

and to develop corrective measures to resolve such errors.
The RFI process is intended to provide a written record of inquiries and
associated responses but not to replace ali verbal communication between the
parties on the project. RFls should be prepared and responded to in a timely
fashion so as not to delay the work of the steel detailer,fabricalor, and erector.
Discussion of the RFI issues and possible solutions between the fabricator,
erector, and owner 's designated represen/ali ves far design and construction
often can facilitate timely and practica! resolution. Unlike shop and erection
drawing submittals in Section 4.2, RFI response time can vary depending on the
urgency of the issue, the amount of work req uired by the owner 's designated
representatives far design and construction to develop a complete response, and
other circumstances such as building official approval.
RFls should be prepared in a standardized format, including RFI
number and date, identity of the author, reference to a specific design drawing
number (and specific detail as applicable) or specijication section, the needed
response date, a description of a suggested solution (graphic depictions are
recommended for more complex issues), and an indication of possible schedule
and cost impacts. RFls should be limited to one question each (unless multiple
questions are interrelated to the same issue) to facilitate the resolulion and
minimize response tim e. Questions and proposed solutions presented in RFl s
should be clear and complete. RFI responses should be equally clear and
complete in the depictions of the solutions, and signed and dated by the
responding party.
Unless otherwise noted, the jabricaror and erector can assume that a
response to an RFI constitutes a release for construction. However, if the
response wi ll result in an increase in cost or a delay in schedule, Section 4.4.2
requires that the fabricator and/or erector promptly inform the owner 's
designated represenlat'ívesfor design and construclion.

4.7 Erection Drawings

Erecrion dra111ings shall be provided to the erector in a timely manner so as to

allow the erector to properly plan and perform the wo rk.

Commentary:
For planning purposes, this may include release of preliminary ereclion
drawings, if requested by the erector.

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SECTION S. MATERIALS

5.1. Mili Materials

Unless otherwise noted in the contrae! docwnents, thefabricator is permitted to
• order the materials that ai-e necessary for íabrication when the fabricator
receives contrae! documents that have been releasedfor constmction.

Commentary:
The fabricator may purchase materials in stock lengths, exact lengths or
multiples of exact lengths to suit the dimensions shown in the structural design
drmvings. Such purchases will normally be job-specific in nature and may not
suitable for use on other projects or returned for full credit i f subsequent design
changes make these materials unsuitable for their originally intended use. The
fabricato r should be paid for these materials upon delivery from the mili,
subject to appropriate additional payment or credit if subsequent unanticipated
modification or reorder is required. Purchasing materials to exact lengths is not
considered fabrication.

5. 1.1. Unless otherwise specified by means of spec ial testing requirements in the
contract doc11111ents, mili tes.ting shall be limited to those tests that are requi red
fo r the material in the ASTM specifications indicated in the contrae/ documents.
Materials ordered to special materi al requ irements shall be marked by the
sup plier as speci fied in ASTM A6/A6M Section 12 prior to del ivery to the
fabricator 's shop or oth er point of use. Such material not so marked by the
supplier, shall not be used until :

(a) lts identification is established by means of testing in accordance with the

app licable ASTM specifi cations; and.
(b) A .fabricator 's identification mark, as described in Section 6.1.2 and 6.1.3,
has been appl ied.

5.1.2. When mil/ material does not satisfy ASTM A6/A6 M tolerances for camber,
profile, ílatness or sweep, thejabricator shall be permitted to perform correcti ve
procedures, including the use of controlled heatin g and/or mec hanical
strai ghtening, subject to th e limitations in the AI SC Specificatio n.

Commentary:
Mili dimensional tolerances are completely set fo rth in ASTM A6/A6M.
Normal variations in the cross-sectional geometry of standard structural shapes
must be recognized by the designer, the fabricator, the stee/ detailer, and the
erector (for example, see Figure C-5. 1). Such tolerances are mandatory because
roll wear, thermal distortions of the hot cross-section immediately after leaving
the forming rolls and differential cooling distortions that take place on the
cool ing beds are all unavoidable. Geometric perfection of the cross-section is

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not necessary for either structural or architectural reasons, if the tolerances are
recognized and provided for. 1
ASTM A6/ A6M also stipulates tolerances for straightness that are
adequate for typical construction. However, these characteristics may be 1
controlled or corrected to closer tolerances during the fabrication process when
the added cost is justified by the special requirements fo r an atypical project. 1
5. 1.3. When variations that exceed ASTM A6/A6M tolernnces are discovered or occur 1
after the receipt of mil/ malerial the Jabricutar shall, at the fabrica/ar 's option.
be permitted to perform the ASTM A6/A6M corrective procedures for mili
reconditioning ofthe surface ofstr11c111rc,/ stee/ shapes and plates.
1
5. 1.4. When special tolernnces that are more restrictive than those in ASTM A6/A6M
1
are required for mill 11w1eriu/s, such special tolerances shall be specified in the
con/rae/ dac11111e111s. The .fabricator shall, at the .fabrica/ar 's option, be 1
permitted to order material to ASTM A6/ A6M toleran ces and subsequently
perform the corrective procedures described in Sections 5.1.2 and 5.1.3.

5.2. Stock Materinls

5.2.1. lf used for structural purposes, materials that are taken from stock by the
fc1hrica1or shall be of a quality that is at least equa l to that required in the ASTM
specifications indicated in the co11trac1 doc11111ents.

5.2.2. Material test repo11s shall be accepted as sufficient record of the quality of
materials taken from stock by the .fabrica/ar. The .fi1hrica1ar shall review and
retain the material test reports that cover such stock materials. However, th e
.fabrica/ar need nol maintain records that iclenli fy individual pieces of stock
material against individual material test repo11s, provided the .fúbricalor
purchases stock materials that meet the requirements for material grade ancl
quality in the app licable ASTM specifications.

5.2.3 . Stock materials that are purchasecl under no particular specification, und er a
specification that is less rigorous !han th e applicable ASTM specifications or
without material test reports or other recogni zed test reports shal l 1101 be used
without the approval ofthe Oll'ner's designated represe111uli1'e.for design.

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 16.3-27

•
U.S. customary units:

Flange-tllt tolerances:
T+ T' = 1/4" in. ford~12 in.
= 5/16" in. ford>12 In.
Actual depth with tolerances:
d1 =dplus or minus 1/8 in. (typ.)
dmax == d+T+T'
Actual flange wldth with tolerances:
b+ = 1/2 bt plus or mlnus 3/16 In.
b- = 1/2 bt mlnus or plus 3/16 In.
bmax = bt plus 1/4 In. or mlnus 3/16 In.

Actual cross-section

[ Theoretical cross-sectlon

- -,

Metric unlts:

Flange-lilt tolerances:
T + T' = 6mm for d~ 300mm
= 8mm for d > 300mm
Actual depth wlth tolerances:
d1 =
d plus or mlnus 3mm
dmax = d + T + T'
Actual flange width wlth tolerances:
b+ = 1/2 bt plus or minus 5mm
b- = 1/2 bt mlnus or plus 5mm
bmax == bt plus 6mm or m lnus 5mm

Figure C-5. l . Mili tolerances on the cross-section o.fa W-shape.

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SECTION 6. SHOP FABRICATION ANO DELIVERY
1
6. 1. ldentification of Material
1
6. 1.1 . The ./ábricator shall be a ble to demonstrate by written procedure and actu al
practi ce a method of material identification, visible up to th e point of
assembling members as fo llows: •
1
(a) For shop-standard material, identification capab ility shall include shape
designation. Representative material test repo11s shall be furnished by the
jábricator if requested to do so by the owner 's designated representative
1
for design, ei th er in th e contmct doc11ments or in separate written
instructions given to thefabricator prior to ordering mil/ materia/.1·.
1
(b) For materi al of grade other than shop-standard material, identification
capability shall inclucle shape designatio n and material grade.
1
Representative material test reports shall be furnished by the fabricator if
requested to do so by the owner 's designated representative for design. 1
either in the contrae, doeuments or in separate written instructions given to
thejabrieator prior to o rdering mil/ materia/.1·. 1
(e) For material ordered in accordance with an ASTM supplement or oth er
special ma terial requirements in the contract doc11ments, identifi cation 1
capability shall incl ud e s·hape designation, materi al grade, and heat number.
The correspondin g material test reports shall be fu rnished by thefabricator 1
if requested to do so by th e owner 's designated representative for design,
ei ther in the contrae/ documents or in separate written instructions given to 1
the fabricator prior to ord erin g mil/ m,aerials.
1
Unless an alternative system is establishecl in th e .f'abricator 's written
proced ures, shop-standarcl material shall be as follows: 1
Material
W and WT
Shop-standa rd materi al grade
ASTl'vl A992
J
M, S, MT and ST ASTM A36 j
HP ASTM A36
L ASTM A36
C ancl MC ASTM A36 ~
HSS ASTM ASOO grade B
Steel Pipe ASTM ASJ grade B 1
Plates and Bars ASTM A36
J
Commentary:
The req uirements in Section 6. 1. l(a) wi ll suffi ce for most projects. When J
material is of a strength level that differs from th e shop-standard grade, the
requirements in Section 6.1.l(b) apply. When special material requirements J
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apply. such as ASTM A6/A6M supplement SS or S30 far CVN testing, ASTM
A6/A6M supplement S8 far ultrason ic testing. or ASTM A588/A588M far
atmospheric corros ion resistance. the requiremcnts in Section 6.1. l (e) are
applicable .
•
6. 1.2. During fabrication, up to the point of assembling members, each piece of
material that is ordered to special material requirernents shall carry a
fabricator 's identi fication rnark or an original supplier' s identi fication mark.
The.fábricator 's identification mark shall be in accordance with the.fabricator 's
established material identification system, which shal l be on record and
available prior to the start of fabrication far the inforrnation of th e owner 's
designated representative for constmction, th e building-code authority and the
inspector.

6. 1.3. Members that are made of material that is ordered to special material
requirements shall not be given the same assembling or erection mark as
members made of other material, even if they are of identical dimensions and
detail.

6.2. Preparation of Material

6.2.1. The thermal culting of struct11ral steel by hand-guided or mechanically guided

means is permitted.

6.2.2. Surfaces that are specified as "finished" in the contrae! documents shall have a
roughness height va lue measured in accordance with ASME 846.1 that is eq ual
to or less than 500 pin. The use of any fabricatin g technique that produces such
a finish is permitted .

Commentary:
Most cutting processes. including friction sawing and cold sawing, and milling
processes meet a surface roughness limitation of 500 µin per AS.ME 846.1.

6.3. Fitting and Fastening

6.3 .1 . Projecting elements of connection materials need not be straightened in the

con necting plane, subject to th e limitations in the AISC Specification.

6.3 .2. Backing bars and runoff tabs shal l be used in accordance with AWS D 1. 1 as
required to produce sound welds. The fabricator or erector need not remove
backing bars or runoff tabs unless such removal is specified in the contrae!
documenls. When the removal of backing bars is specified in the contrae/
documents, sucl, removal shall meet the requirements in AWS D 1.1. When the
removal of runoff tabs is specified in th e contrae/ documents, hand flame-

Code 0JS1r111dard Prc1c11cefor Stee/ B111/di11gs a11d Bndges. Apri l 14, 201 O
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
16.3-30

cuttin g close to the edge of the fin ished member with no fu rther fin ishing is
permitted, unless other fin ishing is specified in the contrae/ documenls.

Commentary:
In most cases, the treatment of backing bars and runoff tabs is left to the
discretion of the owner 's designated representative Jor design. In some cases,
treatment beyond the basic cases described in this Section may be required. As
one example, special treatment is required fo r backing bars and runoff tabs in
beam-to-column moment connections when the requirements in the AlSC
Seismic Provisions must be met. In ali cases, the owner 's designated
represenfative for design should specify the requirecl treatments in the contract
documents.

6.3.3. Un less otherwise noted in the shop dmwings, high-st rength bolts for shop-
anached con11ection material shall be installed in the shop in accorclance with
the req uirements in the AISC Specificati on.

6.4. Fabrication Tolerances

The tolerances on stmc/11ral stee! fab ricat ion shall be in accordance with the
requirements in Secti on 6.4. 1 through 6.4.6.

Commcntary:
Fabrication tolerances are stipulated in severa! specifications and codes, each
app licable to a speciali zed area of construction. Basic fabrication tolerances are
sti pulated in this Section. For architectural/y exposed structural stee!, see
Section IO. Other specifications and codes are also commonly incorporated by
reference in th e contrae! documents, such as the AISC Specification, the RCSC
Specification, AWS D l. l , ancl the AASHTO Specification.

6.4. 1. For members that have both ends finis hed (see Section 6.2.2) fo r contact
bearing, the variation in the overall length shall be equal to or less th an 1/1l in. [ 1
111111]. For other members th at frame to other s1mct11ral s1ee! elements, the
variati on in the detailecl length shall be as fol lows:

(a) For members th at are equal to or less than 30 ft [9 000 111111) in length, the
vari at ion shall be equal to or less than 1/ 1r, in. [2 mm].
(b) For members that are greater than 30 ft [9 000 mm] in length, the variat ion
shall be equal to or less th an 1/x in. [3 mm] .

6.4.2. For straigh t structural members other than cornpression members, whether of a
single standard s1mc11tral shape or bu ilt-up, the variation in straigh tness shal I
be equal to or less than that specilied for wide-ílange shapes in ASTM
A6/A6M, except when a smaller variation in straightness is speci fi ecl in the
contrae/ doc:11ments. For straight compression members, whether of a s1andard

Code o/Sia11dal"{/ Prac11ce for S1eel /1111/d111gs a11d Bmlge~. A pnl 1~- :W I O
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTJON
 16.3-3 1

slmctura/ shape or built-up, the variation in straightness shall be equal to or less

!han 1/ 1000 of the axial length between points that are to be laterally supported.
For curved structural members, the variation fro111 the th eoretical curvature shall
be equal to or less than the variation in sweep that is specified for an equivalen!
• straight member ofthe sa111e straight length in ASTM A6/A6M.
In all cases. co111 pleted 111e111bers shall be free of twists, bends and open
joints. Sharp kinks or bends shal l be cause for rejection.

6.4.3. For beams that are detailecl without specified cam ber. the member shal l be
fabricated so that, after erection, any incidental camber due to ro lling or shop
fabrication is upward . For trusses that are detailed without specified camber, the
components shall be fabricated so that, after erection, any incidental camber in
the truss dueto rolling or shop fabrication is upward.

6.4.4. For beams that are specified in the contmct documenls with camber, beams
received by the fabricator with 75% of the specified camber shall require no
furthe r cambering. Otherwise, the variation in camber shall be as follows:

(a) For beams that are eq ual to or less than 50 ft [ 15 000 111111) in length , the
variation shal l be equal to or less than minus zero / plus 1/~ in. [ 13 111111).
(b) For beams that are greater than 50 ft [ 15 000 111111) in length, the variation
shall be equal to or less th an minus zero / plus 1~ in. plus 1/x in. for each IO
ft or fracti on thereof [ 13 111111 plus 3 mm for each 3 000 111111 or fraction
thereof] in excess of 50 n [ 15 000 111111] in length.

For the purpose of inspection, camber shall be meas ured in thefabricator 's shop
in the unstressed condition.

Commentary:
There is no known way to inspect beam camber after the beam is received in the
tield because of factors that include:

(a) The release of stresses in 111embers over time ancl in varying applications;
(b) The effects ofthe dead weight ofthe member;
(e) The restraint caused by the end connections in the erected state; and,
(d) The effects of additional dead load that may ultimately be intended to be
applied, ifany.

Therefore, inspection of the.fabricator 's work on beam camber must be done in

the fab rication shop in the unstressed condition.

6.4 .5. For fab ricated trusses that are specified in the contrae/ documents with camber,
the variation in camber at each specified camber point shall be equal to or less
than plus or minus 1/800 of the distance to that point from the nearest point of

Code o/Stmrdard Prac//cefor Stee/ B10/dí11gs a11d Bridges, April 14, 20 1O

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
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support. For the purpose of inspection, camber shall be measured in the

fabricator 's shop in the unstressed condition. For fa bricated trusses that are
specified in the contrae/ documents without indication of camber, the forego ing
requ irements shall be applied at each panel point of th e truss with a zero camber
o rdinate.

Commentary:
There is no known way to inspect truss camber after the truss is received in the
field because offactors that include:

(a) The effects ofthe dead weight ofthe member;

(b) The restraint caused by th e truss connections in the erected state; and,
(e) The effects of additional dead load that may ul timately be intended to be
applied, ifany.

Therefore, inspection of the jabricator 's work on truss camber must be done in
the fabrication shop in the unstressed condition. See Figu re C-6. 1.

6.4.6. When permiss ible variations in the depths of beams and girders result in abru pt
changes in dep th at splices, such deviatio ns shall be accounted fo r as fo llows:

(a) For splices wit h bolted joints, the variations in depth shall be taken up with
fi ller plates; and,
(b) For sp lices with welded jo ints, the we ld pro fil e shall be adjusted to co nform
to the variations in depth, the req uired cross-sect ion of weld shall be
provided and the slope of the weld sur face shalI meel the req uirements in
AWS DI.! .

Polnt et whlch truss camber

ordlnate is specified
Theoretical curvatura of
Point of support fabricated truss lii
Specified truss cambar ordlnate
- \._ -- - - - - -- - - - - --
- - -- - -
L -- ----, Stra~~t 1ine between poinls of support • I ¡j
1: 11
J¡
Taklng Las the dlstance from the point at whlch truss cambar
is speclfied to the closer point of support, In. [mm], U,e tolerance

''
on truss cambar at that point Is calculated as L/8"00. L must be
equal to or less than one-half the span.

Figure C-6. l . ll/11stration (!f'the wlernnce on cu111ber

f'or l'abricated 1russes 1vith soecified camber.
Ji
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6.5. Shop Clcaning and Painting (see also Section 3.1 .6)
S1rucl!trnl slee/ that does not require shop paint shall be cleaned of oíl and
grease with solvent cleaners, and of dirt and other foreign material by sweeping
with a fi ber brush or other suitable means. For s/rucll.ll'al stee/ that is required to
• be shop painted, the requirements in Sections 6.5 .1 through 6.5.4 shall apply.

Commentary:
Extended exposure of unpainted s1ruct11ra/ steel that has been cleaned for the
subsequent applicalion of tire protection materials can be detrimental to the
fabricated product. Most levels of clean ing require the removal of ali loase mili
scale, but permit sorne amount of tightly adhering mili scale. When a piece of
s/ructurnl stee/ that has been cleaned to an acceptable level is left exposed to a
normal environment, moisture can penetrate behind the scale. and some '"lifting"
of the scale by the oxidation process is to be expected. Cleanup of " lifted" mili
scale is not the responsibility ofthefabricalor, but is to be assigned by contract
requirement to an appropriate con tractor.
Section 6.5.4 of this Code is not applicable to weathering steel, for
wh ich special cleaning spccifications are always required in th e contrae!
documents.

6.5.1 . The fabricator is not responsible for deterioration of the shop coat th at may
resu lt from exposure to ordinary atmospheric conditions or corrosive conditions
that are more severe than ordinary atmospheric cond itions.

Commentary:
The shop coat of paint is the pri me coat of the protective system. lt is intended
as protection fo r on ly a shorl period of exposure in ordinaiy atrnospheric
conditions, and is considered a temporary and provisional coating.

6.5.2. Unless otherwise specified in the co111rnc1 doc11111e11/s, th e.fabricalor shall , as a

rninimum, hand clean the s1m c111ral s/ee/ of loase rust, loase mil i scale, dirt and
other foreign matter, prior to painting, by means of wire brushing or by other
methods electecl by thefabricalor, to meet the requirem ents of SSPC-SP2. 1f the
fabricator 's workmanship on surface preparation is to be inspected by the
inspeclor, such inspection shall be performed in a timely manner prior to the
application of the shop coat.

Commentary:
The selection of a paint system is a design decision involving many factors
including:

(a) The owner 's preference:

(b) The service li fe ofthe structure;
(e) The severity of environmental exposure;

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(d) The cost ofboth initial application and future renewals; and,
(e) The compatibility ofthe various components that comprise the paint system
(surface preparation, shop coat and subsequent coats).

Because the inspection of shop painting must be concerned with

workm anship at each stage of the operation, the fabricator provides notice of
the schedule of operations and affords the impector access to the work site.
Inspection must then be coordinated with that schedule so as to avoid delay of
the scheduled operations.
Acceptance of the prepared surface must be made prior to the
application of the shop coat because the degree of surface preparation cannot be
readily verified after painting. Time delay between surface preparation and the
application of the shop coat can result in unacceptable deterioration of a
properly prepared surface, necessitating a repetition of surface preparation. This
is especially true with blast-cleaned surfaces. Therefore, to avoid potential
deterioration of the surface, it is assumed that surface preparation is accepted
unless it is inspected and rejected prior to the scheduled application ofthe shop
coat.
The shop coat in any paint system is designed to maximize the wetting
and adherence characteristics of the paint, usually at the expense of its
weathering capabilities. D1¡terioration of the shop coat normally begins
immediately after exposure to the elements and worsens as th e duration of
expos ure is extended. Consequently, extended exposure of the shop coat will
likely lead to its deterioration and may necessitate repair, possibly including the
repetition of surface preparation and shop coat app lication in limited areas. With
the introduction of high-performance paint systems, avoiding delay in the
application of the shop coat has become more critica!. High-performance paint
systems generall y require a greater degree of surface preparation, as well as
early appl ication of weathering protection fo r the shop coa t.
Since the fabricator does not control the selection of the paint system,
the compatibility of the various components of th e tola) paint system, or the
length of exposure of the shop coat, the fabricator cannot guarantee the
performance of the shop coat or any other part of the system. lnstead, the
.fabricatur is responsible only for accomplishing the spec ified surface
preparation and for applying the shop coat (or coats) in accordance with the
contrae/ documents.
This Section stipulates that the stmctural stee/ is to be cleaned to meet
the requirements in SSPC-SP2. This stipulation is not intended to represent an
exclusive cleaning leve!, but rather the level of surface preparation that will be
furnished unless otherwise specified in the contract documents if the structura/
steel is to be painted.

6.5.3. Unless otherwise specified in the co111rac1 dorn111ents, paint shall be applied by
brushing, spraying, rolling, llow coating, dipping or other suitable means, at the

Code of S1a11dard Promce.for S1ecf 8 11,!d111g.1 ª"''

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A M ERI CAN INSTI r UTE OF STFEL CONSTR UCTI ON
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election of the fábricutor. When the term "shop coat", "shop paint" or other
equ ivalent term is used with no paint system specified, thefabricator 's standard
shop paint shall be applied to a minimum dry-filrn thickness of one mil [25 µ111] .
•
6.5.4. Touch- up of abrasions caused by handling after painting shall be the
responsibility of the contractor that performs touch-up in the field or field
painting.

Commentary:
Touch-up in the field and fieJd painting are not normally part of the.fabricator 's
or the erector 's contra et.

6.6. Marking and Shipping of Materia Is

6.6. 1. Un less otherwise specified in the contrae/ doc11111ents, erection marks shall be
applied to the struc/11ral stee/ rnembers by painting or other su itable means.

6.6.2. Bol! assemblies and loose bolts, nuts and washers shall be sh ipped in separate
closed containers according to length and diameter, as applicable. Pins and other
sma ll parts and packages of i>olts, nuts and washers shall be shipped in boxes,
crates, kegs or barreis. A list and description of the material shall appear 011 the
outside of each closed container.

Commentary:
In most cases bolts, nuts and other components in a fastener assembly can be
shipped loose in separate containers. 1-lowever, ASTM FI 852/F I 852M twist-
off-type tension-control bolt assemblies and galvanized ASTM A325, A325M
and FI 852/F l 852M bolt assernblies must be assembled and shipped in the same
container according to length and diameter.

6.7. Oelivery of Materia Is

6.7.1. Fabricated struct11ra/ steel shall be delivered in a sequen ce that will permit
efficient and economical fabrication and erection, and that is consisten! with
requirements in the contrae! documents. lf the owner or owner 's designated
representalive for comtmction wishes to prescribe or control the sequence of
delivery of materials, that entity shall specify the required seq uence in the
contrae! documents. 1f the owner 's designated represen/olive for construction
contracts separately for deli very and fo r erection, the owner 's designated
representativefor construction shall coordinate planning between contractors.

6.7.2. Anchor rods, washers, nuts and other anchorage or grillage materials that are to
be built in to concrete or masonry shall be shipped so that they wi ll be available
when needed. The 0111ner 's designated representative far construction shall

Corle ofS1a11rlard f'rac11ce for Steel Buildi11gs c111d Bmlges, April 14, 201 O
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allow the fab rica/ar sufficient time to fabricate amt ship such materia Is before
they are needed. e
6.7.3. lfany shortage is claimed relati ve to the quantities of materials th at are shown in __t
the shipping statements, th e 01vner 's designated representative far construclion
or the erector sha ll promptly notify the .fabricC/lor so that the claim can be e
investigated.
_e
Commentary:
The quantities of material that are shown in the shipping statement are
customarily accepted as correct by the owner 's designated represenlative far
e
construction, thefabricator and the erector. _E
6.7.4. Un less otherwise specified in th e con1rac1 doc11menls, and subj ect to the
approved shop and erection dra ivings, the .fabricator shall lim it the number of
.E
fie ld splices to that consistent wi th rninirnum project cost. _t
Commentary:
This Section recognizes that the size and weight of structural steel assemblies G
may be limited by shop capabi lities, the permissible weight and clearance
dimensions of avai lab le transpS)rtation or job-site conditions. 1
6.7.5. lf materia l arri ves at its destination in damaged condition, the receiving entity 1
shall promptly noti fy th e.fabrica,or ·and carrier prior to unload ing the material.
or promptly upon discovery prior to erection. 1
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 16.3-37

SECTION 7. ERECTION

7.1. Method o f Erection

• Fabricated str11ct11ral stee/ shall be erected using methods and a sequence that
will pennit efficient and economical performance of erection, and that is
consisten! with the requirements in the contraer doc11111ents. lf the oivner or
owner 's designated representative .for constrnction wishes to prescri be or
control the method and/or sequence of erection, or specifies that certain
111e111bers cannot be erected in their normal sequence, that entity shall speci fy the
required 111ethod and sequence in the contruct doc11men1s. lf the 01vner 's
designated representalive far constr11ction contracts separately for fabrication
services ancl for erection services, the owner 's designated representative .for
constr11ction shall coordin ate planning between contractors.

Commentary:
Design modifications are sometimes requested by the erector to allow or
facilitate the ercction of the structural stee! frame. When this is the case, the
erector should notify the.fabricator prior to the preparation of shop and erection
drawings so that the .fabrica/or may refer the erector 's request to the oivner 's
designated representatives/~r design and construction for resolution.

7.2. Job-Site Conditions

The owner 's designated representative .for constrnction shal l provide and
maintain the fol lowing for th efabricator and th e erector:

(a) Adequate access roads into and through the job site for the safe deli very
and 111ovement of the material to be erected and of derricks, cranes, trucks
and other necessary equip ment under their own power;
(b) A firm , pro periy graded. drained, convenient and adequate space at the job
site fo r th e operation of the erector 's eq uipment, free from overhead
obstructions, such as power lines, telephone lines or similar condi tions; and,
(c) Adequate storage space, when the stru cture does not occupy the full
available job site, to enable the .fabricator and the erector to operate at
111axi111u111 practica! speed.

Otherwise, the owner 's designated representalive .for construclion shall inform
the fabricator and the erector of th e actual job-site conditions and/or special
delivery requi rements prior to bidding.

7.3. Foundations, Piers and Abutments

The accurate location, strength and suitab ility of, and access to, ali fo undations,
piers and abutments shal l be the responsibi lity of the owner 's designated
representalivefor constn1clion.

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7.4. Lines ancl Bench Marks

The owner 's designated representative far constrnction shall be responsible for
the accurate location of lines and benchmarks al the job site and shall furnish the
erector with a plan that contains ali such inforrnation. The oivner 's designated
representative far cons11·11ctio11 shall establish offset lines and reference
elevations at each leve! fol' the erector 's use in !he positioning of adjustable
items(see Section 7.1 3. 1.3), ifany .

7.5. lnstallation of' An chor Rods, Founclation Bolts ancl Other Embedded ltems

7.5. 1. Anchor rods, foundation bolts and other embedded iterns shall be set by the
owner 's designated representa/ ive far constn,ction in accordance w ith
embedmenl dra,vings th at have been approved by the owner 's designated
representatives far design and construction. The variation in location of these
items from the dimensions shown in the embed111ent drawings shall be as
follows:

(a) The variation in dimension between the centers of any two anchor roc/.1·
within an anchor-roe/. group shall be equal to or less than 1/x in. [3 mm].
(b) The variation in dirnension between the cente rs of adjacent anchor-roe!
groups shall be equal IQ o r less than 1/.i in. [6 111111].
(e) The var iation in elevation or the tops of anchor rods shall be eq ual to or
less than plus or minus 1/" in. [ 13 111111].
(d) The accumu lated variation i·n dimension between centers of anchor-rod
groups along the co/1111111 line th rough multiple anchor-rod gro11ps shall be
eq ual to or less than 1/,¡ in. per 100 ft [2 111111 per I O 000 mm], but not to
exceed a total of I in. [25 111111].
(e) The variat ion in di111ension from the center of any anchor-rod group to th e
coh,mn line through that group shall be eq ual to or less than 1/.i in. (6 111111] .

The tolerances thal are specified in (b), (e) and (d) shall app ly to offset
dimensions shown in the structural design drawings, measured parallel and
perpendicu lar to the nearest col11mn line, for individual columns thal are shown
in the structural design dra11 1ings as offset from colwnn lines.

Co mmentary:
The tolerances established in this Section have been selected for compatibility
with the holes sizes that are recommended fo r base plates in the A !SC Steel
Construction Manual. 1f special conditions require more restrictive toleran ces,
the contractor responsible for setting the anchor rods should be so informed in
the contrae! documents. When the anchor rods are set in sleeves, the adjustment
provided may be used to satisfy the required anchor-rod setting tolerances.

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7.5.2. Un less otherwise specified in the contraer doc11111ents, anchor rods shall be set
with their longitudinal axis perpendicular to the theoretical bearing surface.

• 7.5.3. Embedded items and connection materials that are part of the work of other
trades, but that will receivé slrucfural sfeel, shall be located and set by the
01vner 's designated representative for construction in accordance with an
approved embed111en1 drawing. The variation in location of these items shal I be
limited to a magnitude that is consistent with the tolerances that are specified in
Section 7.1 3 for th e erection of the slruclural sleel.

7.5.4. Ali work that is performed by the 011•ner 's designated represenfative for
constmction shal I be completed so as not to delay or interfere with the work of
the .féibricalor and the erector. The owner "s designated represen/olive far
construction shal l cond uct a survey of the as-bui lt locations of anchor rods,
foundation bolts and other embedded items, and shall verify that al i items
covered in Section 7.5 meet the correspondin g tolerances. When corrective
action is necessary, the owner 's designaled representalive.for construction shall
obtain the guidance and approval of the 01vner ·.1· designated represen/olive far
design.

Commentary:
Few .fabricators or erectors have the capability to provide this survey. Under
standard practice, it is the responsibility ofothers.

7.6. lnstallation of Bearing Devices

Ali leveling plates, leveling nuts and washers and loose base and bearing plates
that can be handled without a derrick or crane are set to line and grade by the
owner 's designated represenfative far conslruclion. Loose base and bearing
plates that require handling with a derrick or crane shall be set by the erector to
lines and grades established by the owner 's designated represenlative far
conslruction. The .fáhricalor shall clearly scribe loose base and bearing plates
with lines or other suitable rnarks to faci litate proper alignment.
Promptly after the setting of bearing devices, the owner 's designaled
representative for constn1c1ion shall check them for line and grade. The
variation in elevation relative to the established grade for ali bearing devices
shal l be equal to or less than plus or minus 1/x in. [3 111111). The final location of
bearing devices shall be the responsibility of th e owner 's designated
representativefor construction.

Commenta r y:
The 1/g in. [3 111111] tolerance 011 elevation of bearing devices relative to
established grades is provided to permit some variation in setting bearing
devices, and to account for the accuracy that is attainable with standard
surveying instruments. The use of leveling plates larger than 22 in. by 22 in.

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[550 mm by 550 mm] is discouraged and grouting is recommended with large r

sizes. For the purposes of erection stability, the use of leveling nuts and washers
is discouraged when base plates have less than four anchor rods.

7.7. Grouting
Gro uting shall be the responsibility of the owner ·s designated representativefor
constrnction. Leveling plates and loose base and bearing places shall be
promptly gro uted after they are set and checked for line and grade. Columns
wi th attached base plates, beams with attached bearing plates and other similar
members with attached bearing devices thal are temporarily supported 011
level ing nuts and washers, shims or other similar leveling devices, shall be
promptly grouted after the strnc111rnl s1eel frame or portion thereof has been
plumbed.

Commentary:
In the majority of structures the vertical load from the column bases is
transmitted to the foundations through structural grout. In general, there are
three methods by which support is provided fo r column bases during erection:

(a) Pre-grouted leveling plates or loose base plates;

(b) Shims; and, •
(e) Leveling nuts and washers on the anchor rocls beneath the column base.

Standard practice provides that loose base plates and leveling plates are to be
grouted as they are set. Bearing devices that are sel on shims or leveling nuts are
grouted after plumbing, which means that the weight of !he erected structural
steel frame is supported on the shims or washers, nuts and anchor rods. The
erector must take care to ensure that the load that is transmitted in this
ternporary condition does not exceed the strength of the shims or washers, nuts
and anchor rods. These considerations are presented in greater detail in AISC
Design Guides No. 1 and 10.

7.8. Field Connection Material

7.8.1. The.fabricator shall provide field connec1ion details that are consisten! with the
requirements in the confracl doc11111e11ls and that will, in the fobrica/or ·s
opinion, result in eco nomical fabrication and erection.

7.8.2. When the fabrica/Or is responsible for erecting the .1·1m c111ral .~·teel, the
fabrica1or shall fu rn ish ali materials that are required for both temporary and
permanent con11ec1ion of the componen! parts of the s1n,c111ral s1eel frame.

7.8.3. When the erection of the s11·11c111ral sleel is not performed by the/abricalor, th e
fabrica tor shall furnish the following field connec1ion material:

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(a) Bolts, nuts and washers of the required grade, type and size and in
sufficient quantity for ali s1ructural sleel-to-structural steel field
connections that are to be permanently bo lted, including an extra 2 percent
• ofeach bolt size (diaméte r and length);
(b) Shims that are shown as necessary for make-up of permanent struct11ral
stee!-to-str11ct11ral steel field connections; and,
(e) Backing bars and run-offtabs that are required fo r field welding.

7.8.4. The erector shall furnish ali welding electrodes. fit-up bolts and drift pins used
for the erection of the structural steel.

Commcnta ry:
See the Commentary for Section 2.2.

7.9. Loosc Material

Un less otherwise specified in the contrae! doc11111ents, loose stmctural steel
items that are not connected to the strnctural steel fram e shal I be set by the
0111ner 's designated representative .for consrmction without assistance from the
erector.

7. 10. Tcmpornry Support of Structural Stcel Frames

7.10.1. The owner 's designated representativefor design shall identify th e fo llowing in
th e conrract doc11111en1s:

(a) The lateral-load-resistin g system and connecting diaphragm elements th at

provide fo r lateral strength and stability in the completed structure; and,
(b) Any special erection conditions or oth er considerati ons that are required by
the design concept, such as th e use of shores, jacks or loads that must be
adjusted as erection progresses to set or maintain camber, position within
specified tolerances or prestress.

Commentary:
The intent of Section 7.10.1 of th e Code is to ale1t the owner 's designated
representative for construction an d the erector of the means for lateral load
resistance in the completed structure so that appropriate planning can occur fo r
construction of the buildin g. Examples of a description of the lateral load
resisting system as required by 7. 10. 1(a) are shown below.
Example l is an all-steel building with a composite metal deck and
concrete floor system. Ali lateral load resistance is provided by we lded moment
frames in each orthogonal building cl irection. One suitable description of this
lateral load resisting system is:

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Al/ lateral load resislance and stability of the building in the completed
structure is provided by mamen/ frames 1vith welded beam to column
connections ji·amed in each orthogonal direction (see plan sheets for locations).
The composite metal deck and concl'ete jloors serve as horizontal diaphragms
that distribute the lateral wind and seismic forces horizontal/y to the vertical
moment.fi'ames. The vertical mamen/ frames carry the applied lateral loads to
the buildingfoundation.
Example 2 is a steel-framed building with a composite metal deck and
concrete floor system. AII beam-to-co lumn connections are simple connections
and all lateral load resistance is provided by reinforced concrete shear walls in
the building core and in the stair wells. One suitable description of this lateral
load resisting system is:
Ali la1eral load resistance and stability of the building in the completed
slructure is provided exclusive/y by casi-in-place reinforced concrete shear
wal!s in the building core and stair welfs (see plan sheels for locations). These
walls provide ali lateral load resistance in each or/hogonal building direction.
The composite metal deck and concrete jloors serve as hori:;onta/ diaphragms
that distribute the /a,eral wind and seismic forces horizontally to the concrete
shear wa!ls. The concrete shear wal/s cany the applied lateral /oads to the
buildingfoundation.
See also Commenta1y Section 7.10.3.

Section 7. 10.1 (b) is intended to apply to special requirements inh erent in the
design concept that could not otherwise be known by the erector. Such
conditions might include des igns that requ ire the use of shores or jacks to impart
a load or to obtain a specific elevation or position in a subsequent step of the
erection process in a sequencially erected structure or member. These
requirements would not be apparent to an erector, and must be identified so the
erector can properly bid, plan and perform the erection.

The erector is responsible fo r installation of ali members (including cantilevered

members) to the specified plumbness, elevation, and alignment within the
erection tolerances specified in this Code. The erector must provide ali
temporary supports and devices to maintain elevation or position within these
to lerances. These works are part of th e means and methods of the erector and
the owner's designated represenrativefor design need not specify these methods
or related eq uipement.

7.10.2. The owner 's designa1ed representative for cons11·11ction shall indicate to the
erector prior to bidding, the installation schedul e for 11011-s/ructural sleel
elements of the lateral-load-resisti ng systern and connecting d iaph ragm elements
identified by the owner 's designated reµresentalive for design in th e contrae,
documents.

Cvde o/Srandard Pramce far Sree/ 8u1itlfllgs c111d Bmlg~.1. 1\rrtl 1.J. 10 1O
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 16.3-43

Comm cn tary:
See Commentary Section 7.10.3 .
• 7. 10.3. Based upon the informatio'n provided in accordance with Sections 7.10.1 and
7.10.2, the erector shall determine, fu rnish and install all temporary supports.
such as temporary guys, beams, falsework, cribb ing or other elements required
for the erectio n operation. These temporary supports shall be sufticient to secure
th e bare slructura! stee/ framing or any portien thereof against loads that are
likely to be encountered during erection, incl uding those dueto wind and those
that resu lt from erection operations.
The erector need not consider loads during erection that result from the
perform ance of work by, or the acts o( others, except as specifically identified
by the 011111er 's designated representatives for design cmd construction, nor
those that are unpredi cta ble, such as loads clue to hurricane, tornado, earthquake,
exp losio n or collision.
Temporary sup ports that are required during or after the erection of the
structura! steel frame for the support of loads caused by 11011-slmc11.1ral slee!
elements, including cladd ing, interior partit ions and other such elernents that
will induce or transmit lo.1ds to the slr1.1 c111ral stee! frame during or after
erection, shall be the responsibi li ty of others.

Commcnta ry:
Many struc/.11ra! slee! frames have lateral-load-resisting systems that are
activated durin g the erection process. Such lateral-load-resisting systems may
consist ofwelded moment frames, braced frames or, in sorn e instances. columns
that cantilever from fi xed-base foundations. Such frames are normally braced
with temporary guys that, together wi th the steel deck floor and roof
diaphragms, or other diaphragm bracing that may be included as part of the
des ign. provide stability during the erection process. The guy cables are also
common ly used to plumb the structura! stee! frame. The erector normal ly
furn ishes and installs the required temporary supports and bracing to secure the
bare structura! steel frame, or portien thereof, during the erection process.
When erection bracing drawings are required in the contrae/ documents, those
drawings show this information.
lf the owner 's designated representalive Jor construction determines
that steel deck ing is not installed by the erector, temporary diaphragm bracing
may be req uired if a horizontal diaphragrn is not availabl e to distribute loads to
the vertical and lateral load resisting system. lf the steel deck will not be
available as a diaphragm during structura! stee! erection, the owner ·s designated
representative for construction must communicate this cond ition to the erector
prior to bidd ing. 1f such diaphragm bracing is req uired, it must be furnished and
installed by the erector.

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1
Sometimes structural systems that are employed by the owner 's
designated representative far design rely upon other elements besides the 1
structural steel fram e for lateral-load resistance. For instance, concrete or
masonry shear walls or precast spandrels may be used to provide resistance to 1
vertical and lateral Joads in the completed structure. Because these situations
may not be obvious to th e contractor or the erector, it is required in this Code 1
that the owner 's designated representative far design must identify such
situations in the contrae/ documenfs. Similarly, if a structure is designed so that
special erection techniques are required, such as jacking to im pose certain loads
or position during erection, it is required in tbis Code that such requirements be
specifically identified in !he contrae/ doc11ments.
1
In sorne instances, the owner 's designated representative for design
may elect to show erection bracing in the struclural design drawings. When this 1
is the case, the owner 's designated represenlative far design should then
confirm that the brac ing requirements were und erstood by review and approval 1
of the erection drm,vings during the submittal process.
Sometimes during construction of a building, collateral building 11
elements, such as exterior cladding, may be required to be installed on the bare
structural steel frame prior to completion of the lateral-load-resisting system. li
These elements may increase the potential for lateral loads on the temporary
supports. Such temporary supports may also be required to be left in place after 1
the structural steel frame has been erected . Special provisions shoulcl be made
by the owner 's designated representative for construction for these conditions. Jij
7.10.4. Ali tem porary suppo11s that are requi red for the erection operation and furnished
and installed by the erector sha ll remain the propeny ofthe erector and shall not
lil
be modi fied, moved or removed without th e consent of the erector. Temporary
sup po rts provided by the erector shall remai n in place until the portio n of th e
s1mct11ra/ stee/ frame th at they brace is complete and the Jateral- Joad-resisting
system and connecting diaphragm elements iclentified by the 011•11er 's clesignated
representalive for design in accordance with Section 7. 10 . 1 are installed.
Temporary supports that are required to be Jeft in place after th e completion or
stn1c111ral stee/ erection shall be removed when no longer needed by the
owner 's designa1ed representative for constr11ction and return ed to the erector
in good condition.

7.11. Saf'ety Protecli on

7. 11. 1. The erec/or shalI provide fl oor coveri ngs, handrai Is. wal kways and other sa fety
protection for the erector 's personnel as req ui red by Jaw and the applicable
safety regul ations. Unless otherwise specified in th e contract doc11111e11ts, the
erector is permitted to remove such safety protection from areas where the
erectio n operations are completed.

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 16.3-45

7.11.2. When safety protcction provided by the erector is left in an area for the use of
other trades after the structural stee/ erection activity is completed, the owner ·s
designaled represenlativefor construction sha ll :
• (a) Accept res ponsib ility fo; and maintain this protection;
(b) lnclemnify the .fabricator and the erector from damages that may be
incurred from the use ofthis proteclion by other lrades;
(e) Ensure that this proteclion is adeq uate for use by other affected trades;
(d) Ensure that this protection complies wilh applicable safety regulations when
being used by oth er trades; c111d,
(e) Remove this protection when it is no longer req uired and retu rn it to the
erector in the same condition as it was received.

7. 11.3. Safety protection fo r other trades that c1re not under the direcl employment of th e
erector shall be the respons ibility of the 01P11er 's designated representative for
conslruct ion.

7. 11.4. When permanent steel decking is used for protective flooring and is installed by
the owner 's designated representative for construction, ali such work shall be
sched ul ed and performecl in a-timely manner so as not to interfere with or delay
the work of the fabricator or the erector. The seq uence of installation that is
used shall meet ali sc1fety regu lations.

7. 11.5. Unless the interacti on and safety of activities of oth ers, such as constructio n by
others or the storage of materi aIs that belong to others, are coordin ated with the
work of the erector by the owner 's designared representative .for conslmcfion,
such acti vities shall not be perm ittecl until th e erection of the struclura/ s/eel
frame or portian thereof is completed by th e erector and accepted by the
O\l'ner 's designared represenrarive.for consfruction.

7.12. Structu rn I Steel Frame Tolcrnnccs

The accumu lation of the mili tolerances and fab ricat ion tolerances shall not
cause the erection tolerances to be exceeded.

Commentary:
In editions of this Code previous to the 2005 cdition. it was stated that
" ... variations are deemed to be within the limits of good practice when they do
not exceed the cumulativc effcct ofrolling tolerances, fabricating tolerances and
erection tolerances." It is recognized in the current provision in this Section that
accumulations of mili tolerances and fabrication tolerances generally occur
betwecn th e locations at which erecti on tolerances are applied. and not at the
same locations.

Code o/Sta11dard Prac11cefor Steel B111/d111gs a11d Bndges. Apnl 14 , 20 10

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1
7.13. Erection Tolerances
Erection tolerances shall be defined relative to member working points and 1

•
working lines, which shall be defined as follows:

(a) For members other than horizontal members, the member work point shall
be the actual center of th e member at each end of the shipping piece. 1
(b) For horizontal members, the working point shall be the actual centerline of
the top flange or top surface at each end.
(c) The member working line shall be the straight line that connects th e
1
member working points.
li
The substitution of other working points is permitted for ease of reference,
provided they are based upon the above definitions.

•
The tolerances on str11ct11ral steel erection shall be in accordance with
the requirements in Sections 7. 13.1 th rough 7.1 3.3.

Commentary:
The erection tolerances defined in this Section have been developed through
long-standing usage as practica! criteria for the erection of structura! stee/.
Erection tolerances were first defined in the 1924 edition of this Code in Section
•
7(t), "Plumbing Up." With the changes that took place in the types and use of
materials in building constrnction after World War U, and the increasing 1
demand by architects and O\llners for more specific tolerances, AISC adopted
new standards for erection tolerances in Section 7(h) of the March 15, 1959 li
edition of this Code. Experience has proven that those tolerances can be
econom ically obtained. li
Differential column shortening may be a consideration in design and
construction. In some cases, it may occur due to variability in the accumulation
of dead load among different columns (see Figure C-7. 1). ín other cases, it may
be characteristic of th e structural system that is employed in the design.
Consideration of the effects of differential column shortening may be very
importan!, such as when the slab thickness is red uced, when electrical and other Jii
similar fittings mounted on the structural steel are intended to be flush with the
finished floor and when there is I ittle clearance between bottoms of beams and
the tops of door frames or ductwork.
The effects of the deílection of transfer girders and trusses on the
position of columns and hangers supported from them may be a consideration in
design and construction. As in the case of differential column shortening, the
deflecton of th ese supporting members during and after construction will affect
the position and alignment of the framing tributary to these transfer members.

(Commentaty continues after jigures)

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A M ERIC'/\N INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
 16.3-47

cp
Splice elevation shown In Design DrawingL

rr -- 11
¡¡ 1

- ~ - - - -fi-1--ll Finish Line ' .. ¡

Flnlsh Llne J
1 !
j
¡ 'O 'O

j D
i 'Oi
'O
• < '>
[ t -¡¡¡ -
~
«)
«)
~
«)
a. a.
.9 .9 g,
<!)
:,
<I)
:, ·1=
'O 'O
~
< CD o
.t:
e: e: (1)
E E
:, .a e:
E
8 8 :,

-~ -~ 8

Figure C-7. l . E.ffects o.fdifjerentia/ column shortening.

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AMERI CAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTI ON
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1
When plumblng columns, apply a temperatura adjustment at e rata
of 1/8 In. per 100 ft. for each changa of 15' F [2 mm per 1O 000 mm
for each changa of 15' CJ between the temperatura at the time of 1
erection and tfle worklng temperatura.

Length - - - - - -
· F-
i- Length ---j 1
Center to center adJctcen t ~
columns subject to mili and
Center of rigldity
I 1
fabricaUon tolerances ,

T T ~
t-----+-+-
1
li

li
Figure C-7.2. Tolerances in plan location ofco/1111111. 1

1
Establlshed Column U nes
li
e
-.,~e~ 1
E I!'
~ j?
cB
E"'
::, ::,
;so.
li
P~lde connei;:Uons
w t $1ott d hales an
or s 1ms Yo accom~{e
to 1erances.

olumn dlmenslon
plus tolerances

lf facia Joints are set from nearest column

finish fine, allow!S/8 In. [16m ml forvertl cal
adlustment. The entity respo nslble for the facla
delails must allow for progressive shortening
of steel columns.

O= Toierances requlred by manufacturer

of wall unlts plus survey tolerances.

Figure C-7.J.C!earance req11ired to acco111111odatefascia. li

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16.3-50 •
prefabricated facades in a true vertical plane up to the 20th story, i f
connections that provide for 3 in. [75 mm] of adjustment are used. Above
•
•
the 20th story, the facade may be maintained within l/1r, in. (2 mm] per story
with a maximum total deviation of 1 in. [25 mm] from a true vertical plane,
if conneclions that provide for 3 in. (75 111111] of adjustment are used.
Connections that permit adjustments of plus 2 in . [50 111111] to minus 3 in.
[75 mm] (5 in. (125 mm] total) will be necessary in cases where it is desired
to construct the facade to a true vertical plane above the 20th story.

(c) For an exterior individual column shipping piece, the member working
points at any splice level for multi-/ier builclings and at the tops ofcolumns
•
for single-/ier buildings shall fall within a horizontal envelope, parallel to
the building line, th at is equal to or less than 11/2 in. [38 mm] wide for
buildings up to 300 ft [90 000 111111] in length. An increase in the width of
this horizontal envelope of 1/2 in. [ 13 111111] is per111itted for each add itional
100 ft [30 000 111] in length up to a maximu111 wiclth of 3 in. [75 111111].
Commentary:
This Section limits the position of exterior column working points at any
given splice elevation to a narrow horizontal envelope parallel to the
building line (see figure C-7.6). This envelope is limitecl to a width of 11/2
in. [38 mm], normal to tl,e building line, in up to 300 ft [90 000 mm] of
building length. The horizontal location of this envelope is not necessarily
directly above or below the corresponding enve lope at the adjacent splice
e[evations, but should be within th e limitation of the I in 500 plu111bness
tolerance specified for the contro lling columns (see Figure C-7.5).
(d) For an exterior colu111n shipping piece, the disp lacement of 111ember
worki ng points from the es1ablislied co/1111/11 fine, parnllel to the bui lding
line, shall be equal to or less than 2 in. (50 111111] in the first 20 stories.
Above th is leve!. an increase in the displace ment of 1/1,, in . [2 mm] is
perm itted for each additional story up to a maximum disp[acement of 3 in .
[75 mm] paralle[ to th e building line.
7. 13. l .2. For members other than colurnn shi pping pieces, the fo[[owing limitations shal[
app ly:
(a) For a me111ber that consists of an individ ual. straight shipping piece wit hout
fte[d splices, other than a cantilevered mernber, the variation in alignrnent
shal[ be acceptab[e if it is caused so[ely by variations in co[umn alignment
ancl/or primary supporting rnember alignmen t that are within the
permissib[e variations for the fabrication an d erection of such 111e111bers.
(b) For a me111ber that consists of an indiv idual , st raight shi pping piece that
connects to a column, the variation in the clistance from the member
working point to the upper ftn ished sp[ice line of the co lumn shal I be equal
to or [ess than plus .Yin in. (5 111111] and minu s 5/1,, in. [8 mm].

('ode o/Sw11dard Pmc11ce Jor Stee/ IJ111/d111g;

(111(/ Bndges. Apn l 14.2010

AMER ICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRLICTION

 16.3-51

bfmax+_h_ bfmax+_h_
2 1000 2 1000

Mlnlmum clearance
envelope
•

...J dmax h
-2-+1000

...J

L
I. L

For enclosures or attachments that

may follow column alignment.

b
fmax+_h_+ Tp
2 1000

Mlnirnum ciearance
envelope Envelope of actual locaUon
of workin11 polnts to Established
Column L1ne. See Fig. C-7.5

Establlshed Column Une

...J

i--- - -- Establlshed Column Une

L L

For enclosures or attachments that

must be held to precise plan locatlon.

L = Actual center to center of columns =plan dimenslons t column

cross sectlon tolerance of columns t beam length tolerance.
Ta = Plumbness tolerance away from building llne (varias, sea Fig. C-7.5)
T t = Plumbness tolerance toward building llne (varíes, see Flg. C-7.5)
T p = Plumbness tolerance parallel to building llne (=Ta)

Figure C- 7../. Clearance required to acco111111odate accumulated co/11mn tolerance.

Code 0JS1a11dard PraClicefor S1eef Bwld111gs and Bridges, April 14, 2010
AME RI CA N INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
16.3-52

Establishad
olumn Lina
[ 75 mm J [ 50 mm J

1
5ooL \
\
S Jice 1

36th FL.
sººL 1
Slopa 1/16" --t77'11'"j Individua! pieces withln envelope defined at left
per story
\
20th FL. Braced Point
I

L --¡'
I U1000
I

\
Elev. Varias \

1
1
~
::J
L \ ..- LJ1000
\
I g> _r___ _ _.;::'i-',_- Braced Point
:§
Slopa 1 1 ·5 /
500 I CD

~
Between brace polnts (usually storias)
Elav. Varias

Establlshed Column Llne

Slope 1
500

Envelope within which all

working points must fall . 1/4"-·-H;---1/4'
[6 mm) [6 mm]
Toleranca on location
ofW.P. at base.

Note: The plumb llne through tha base worklng polnt for an Individual column
Is not necessarily the precise plan locatlon beca use Sect. 7 .13. 1.1 deals only
with plumbness lolerances and doas not lnclude inaccuraclas In locatlon of tha
Established Column Line, foundations and anchor rods beyond the Erector's control

Figure C-7. 5. E.t!eriol' co /1111111 plumbness to/emnces nol'mal 10 building fine.

Code o)'S1C111dard PmmceforS1eel Bwld111gs all(/ Bmlge1. A¡rnl 14. 2010

AMERICAN I NSTITUTE OF STEEL C'ONSTRUCTION
 16.3-53

_ _ __ __.['---B-uildlng Une

• Established - -+- - - ---+--. , _ - -- f - -- - - - i - - - -- -~

Column Unes

Maxlmum envelope for worklng points of ali columns et any glven elevatlon
E=1 1/2 in. [ 38 mm J for up to "300 ft. [ 90 000 mm J of lengtli; add 1/2 in.
[ 13 mm J for each 100 fl. [ 30 000 mm J of length wlth 3 in. [ 75 mm J max. total.

.
Column plumbness tolerance - Sea Figures C-7.4 end C-7.5

+ lndicates column working points

At any splice elevation, envelope "E" is located within the limits Ta and Tt
At any spllce elevation, enveiope "E" may be located offset from the
correspondlng envelope at the adjacent splica elevations, above and
below, by an amount no! greater than ~ of the coiumn length.
5 0

Figure C-7. 6. Tolercmces in plan al any splice elevation of exterior columns.

500
-----:- • -i1
f
,r--.
~
500 ·-
~ 1
500
+

500

f •
+ Support Points
• ---i,
:::::-::--:-... .
• Field Spllces

Figure C-7. 7. Alignment to/erances.for members withfleld splices.

Code 0JS1andard Prac11cefor S1eel 811ild111gs ami Bridges , April 14 , 20 10

A M ERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
 e
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16.3-54

(c) For a member that consists of an individual shi pping piece that does not
connect to a column, the variation in elevation shall be acceptable if it is
caused solely by the variations in th e elevations of the supporting members
within the permissible variations fo r the fabrication and erection of those
mem bers.
(d) For a member that consists of an individual, straight shipping piece and that
is a segment of a field assembled unit containing fie ld splices between
points of support, the plumbness, elevation and al ignment shall be
acceptable if the angu lar variation, verticall y ancl horizo ntally , of the
working line from a straight line between points of support is equal to or •il
less than 1/5 00 ofthe distan ce between working points.

Commentary:
The angular misalignment of the working line of ali fabricated shipping
pieces relative to the line between support points of the member as a whole
in erected position must not exceed I in 500. Note that the tolerance is not
stated in terms of a linear displacement at any point and is not to be taken as
the overall length between supports divided by 500. Typical examples are
shown in Figure C-7.7. Numerous conditions within tolerance for these and
other cases are possible. The condition described in (d) applies to both plan
and elevation tolerances.
•
(e) For a cantilevered member thal co nsists of an individual, straig ht shipping i!
piece, the plumbness, elevation and alignment shall be acceptable if the
angular va riation of the working line from a straight line that is extended in ;
the plan direction from the working point at its supported end is eq ual to or
less th an 1/500 of th e distance from the working point at th e free end. ;
(f) For a member of irregular shape, the plumbness. elevation and align ment
shall be acceptable if th e fabricated member is within its tolerances and the •
members thal su pport it are with in the tolerances specified in this Code.
(g) For a member that is fully assembled in the field in an unstressed condition.
the same to lerances shall apply as if fully assembled in the shop.
-
(h) For a member that is fi eld-assembled , element-by-element in place,
temporary support shall be used or an alternative erection plan shall be
submitted to th e Oll'ner 's designoted representatives far design ami
constrnction. The tolerance in Section 7. l 3. 1.2(d) shall be met in th e
supported condition with working points taken at the point(s) of temporary
support.

Commentary:
Trusses fabricated ancl erected as a unit oras an assembly of truss segments
normally have excellent controls on vertical position regardless of
fab rication and erection techniques. However, a truss fabricated ancl erected
by assemb ling individual components in place in the tield is potentially

Code ofS1a11dard Pracr,ce for Stee/ /J11ild111gs and lJmlges. April 14.20 1O
A M ERI CAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRLICTION
 16.3-55

more sensitive to deflections of the individual truss components and the

partially completed work during erection, pa1iicularly the chord members.
In such a case, the erection process shou ld follow an erection plan that
• addresses th is issue .

7. 13.1.3. For members that are identi fied as acljustable ilems by the owner ·s designatecl
representative.for design in the contrae/ doc11111ents, th e.fabricator shall provide
adjustable connections for these members to the supporting structural stee/
frame. Otherwise, th e fabricator is permitted to provide non-adjustable
connections. When adjustab/e items are specified, the 011111er's designated
representativefor design shall indicate the total adjustability th at is requ ired for
the proper alignment of these supports for other trades. The variation in the
position and alignment of adjustab/e items shall be as follows:

(a) The variation in the vertical distance from the upper finished splice line of
the nearest column to the support location specified in the structura l design
dmwings shall be equal to or less than plus or minus % in. [ 10 111111].
(b) The variation in the horizontal distance from the established finish line at
the particular floor shall be equal to or less than plus or minus % in . [ 1O
111111].
(c) The variation in vertical and horizontal alignment at th e abutting ends of
adjustable items shall be equal to or less than plus or minus Vi6 in . [5 111111].

Commen tary:
When the alignment of lintels, wall supports, curb angles, mullions and similar
supporting members for the use of other trades is req uired to be closer than that
permitted by the foregoing tolerances for structura/ steel. the owner 's
designated representative for design must identify such items in the contrae/
documents as adjustable itenis.

7.13.2. In the design of steel stru ctures, the mvner's designated representative for
design shall provide for the necessary clearances and adj ustments for material
furnished by other trades to accommodate the mili tolerances, fabrication
tolerances and erection tolerances in this Code for the strnctural stee/ frame.

Commentary:
In spite of ali effo1is to 1111111m1ze inaccuracies, deviations will still exist;
therefore, in additíon, the designs of prefabricated wall panels, partition panels.
fe nestrations, floor-to-cei líng door frames and sim ilar elements must provide for
clearance and details fo r adjustmen t as described in Section 7. ! 3.2. Designs
must provide fo r adjustment in the verti cal dimension of prefabricated facade
panels that are supported by the stmctura/ steel fram e because the accumul ation
of sho1iening of loaded steel col umns will res ult in the unstressed facade
supported at each floor level being higher than the structura/ steel framing to

Code 0JS1andard Praclicefor Steel Buildings and Bridges, April 14, 201 O
AMERIC AN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTJON
 e
e
e
e
16.3-56
e
which it must be attached. Observations in the field have shown that where a
heavy facade is erected to a greater height on one side of a multistory building ~
than on the other, the stmcll/ral steel framing wi ll be pulled out of alignment.
Facades should be erected at a relatively uniform rate around the perimeter of
the structure.
e
7.1 3.3. Prior to placing or applyi11 g any other materials, the oivner's designated e
representativefor cons1r11c1ion shall determine that the location ofthe strnctural
stee/ is acceptable fo r plumbness, elevation and alignmen t. The erector shall be e
given either timely notice of acceptance by the owner's designated
representative for conslruction, or a listing of specific items that are to be e
corrected in arder to obtain acceptance. Such noti ce shall be rendered promptly
upon completion of any part of the work and pri or to the start of work by other e
trades that may be supported, attached or applied to the s1rnc111ral steel frame.
7.14. Correction of Errors e
The correction of minor misfits by moderate amou nts of reaming, grinding,
weldi ng or cutting, and the drawing of elements into line with drift pin s, shall be ~
considered to be normal erection operations. Errors that can not be corrected
using the forego ing means, or that require major changes in member or e
connection configuration, shall be promptly reported to the owner's designated
representatives fo r design ami cons1r11c1io11 and the fabricator by th e erec1or, to ~
enable the responsibl e entit~ to either correct the error or app rove the mosl
efficient and eco nomical meth od of co rrection to be used by oth ers. ;
Commcntary:
As used in th is Section, the term "moderate" refers to the amount of reaming, ;
grinding, welding or cutti.ng that must be done on the project as a who le, not the
amount that is required at an individual location. lt is not intended to address
limitations on the amount of material that is removed by reaming at an
individual bolt hole, for example, which is limited by the bolt-hole size and
to lerance requirements in the AISC and RCSC Specifications.
••
7.15. Cuts, Alterations ami Holes for Other Tradcs
;
Neither th e .fabrica/ar nor the erector shall cut, drill or oth erwise alter thei r •
work, nor the work of other trad es, to accommodate other trades, unless such
work is clearly specifi ed in th e contrae! documents. When such work is so
•
specified, th e owner's designc11ed representatives far design and cons1mctio11
shall furnish complete in formatio n as to materials. size, location ancl number of
alterations in a timely manner so as not to delay th e preparation of shop and
erection drm vings.
7.1 6. Handling and Sto rage
The erector shall take reasonable care in the proper handling and storage of th e
strnctura/ sreel during erection operations to avoid the accumulation of excess
dirt and foreign matter. The erector shall no! be res ponsible for the removal
from the structura/ stee/ of dust, dirl or other foreign matter that may

Code 0JS1r111dard Practice fa r Steel 811ild111gs llllcl Bridges. April 1-l.20 1O

AMER ICAN l NSTITUTE Or STEEL CONSTRLICTION
 16.3-57

accu111 11l ate during erection as lhe result ofjob-site cond itions or exposure to the
elements. The erector shall handl e ancl store ali bolts, nuts, washers ancl related
faste nin g proclucts 111 acco rdance with th e requirements of the RCSC
• Specificat ion.

Commentary:
During storage, loading, transport, unloacling ancl erection, blemish marks
caused by slings, chains, blocking. tie-downs. etc., occur in varying degrees.
Abrasions caused by handling or cartage after painting are to be expected. lt
must be recognized that any shop-applied coating, no matter how carefully
protected, will require touching-up in th e field. Touching-up ofthese blemished
areas is the responsibility ofthe contractor perfonning th e field touch-up or field
painting.
The ereclor is responsible fo r the proper storage and handling of
fabricated slruct11ra/ slee/ at the job site during erection. Shop-painted strnct11ra/
slee/ that is stored in the field pend ing erection should be kept free of the ground
and positioned so as to minimize the potential for water retention. The ownet or
01vner's designaled represen/ative for constrnction is responsible for provid ing
suitable job-site conditions and proper access so that the fabricalot and the
erector may perform their ~ork.
Job-site conditions are frequently muddy, sandy. dusty or a
combination thereof during the erection peri od. Under such conditions it may be
impossible to store and handle the s1ruct11ra/ stee/ in such a way as to
completely avoid any accumulation of mud, dirt or sand on the surface of the
structura/ sleel, even though the fabricator and th e etec/or manages to proceed
with their work.
Repairs of damage to painted surfaces and/or removal of foreign
materials due to aclverse job-site conditions are outside the scope of
responsibility of the Jabricator and the erector when reasonab le attempts at
proper handling and storage have been made.

7.17. Field Painting

Neither thefabricalor nor the erector is responsible to paint field bolt heads and
nuts or field welds, nor to touch up abras ions of th e shop coat, nor to perform
any other field painting.

7.18. Final Cleaning Up

Upon the completion of erection and before fin al acceptance, the erector shall
remove ali of the ereclor's fal sework, rubbish and temporary build ings.

Code 0JS1a11dard Prac1/cefar S1eel 811ildi11gs 011d Bridges, April 14, 201 O
AM ERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
 1
1
1
¡
16.3-58
¡
SECTION 8. QUALITY CONTROL
¡
8.1. General
¡
8.1.1. The f abricator shall maintain a quality control program to ensure that the work
is perfonned in accordanc1y with th e requirements in this Code, the AI SC 1
Specification and the contrae/ doc11ments. The fabrica/ar shall have the option
to use the AISC Qual ity Ce11ificatio11 Program to establish and administer the
quality control program.
1
Commentary:
1
The AJSC Quality Certitication Program confirms to the construction industry
that a certified structura/ steel fabrication shop has the capability by reason of 1
commitment, personnel, organi zation, experience, procedures, knowledge and
equipment to produce fabricated structural steel of the required quality for a 1
given category of work. The AISC Quality Certification Program is not intended
to involve inspection and/or judgment of product quality 011 individual projects. 1
Neither is it intended to guarantee the quality of specific fabricated struc/ural
steel products. 1
8.1 .2. The erector shall maintain a quality co ntrol prog ram to ensure that the wo rk is 1
performed in accordan ce ~ith th e requirements in this Code, the AI SC
Spec ificati on and the contrae/ doc11111e111s. The erector shall be capable of 1
performing the erection of th e srn,c111ra/ stee/, and shall provide the eq uipment,
personnel and management fo r the scope, magnitude and req uired quali ty of
each project. The erector shall have the opti on to use the AISC Erecto r
1
Cer1ifi catio n Program to establi sh and administer th e qu ality contro l program.
1
Commentary:
The AISC Erector Certification Program confirms to the construction industry 1
that a certified structural stee/ erector has th e capabi lity by reason of
commitment, personnel, organization, experience, procedures, knowledge and 1
equipment to erect fabricated strnctural steel to the required qual ity for a given
category of work. The AI SC Erector Cerlification Program is not intended to 1
involve inspection and/or judgment of product quality on individual projects.
Neither is it intended to guarantee the quality of specific erected srructural stee/ 1
products.
1
&.°1. 3. When th e 011111e r requires more extensive qua lity cont ro l proced ures, or
independent inspecti on by qualified personn el, or req uires th at th e fc,hricator 1
must be certi fied under th e AISC Quality Certiíicati on Prog ra m and/or requ ires
th at the erector must be certified under the AISC Erector Certification Program.
this shall be clearly statecl in the contrncl doc11111ents, including a defi nition of
1
th e scope of such inspection .
1
( 'ode 0JS1a11dard Pm c11cefor S1eel 8111/dings a11d Bmlges. Apn l 1-l, 20 10
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
1
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 16.3-59

8.2. lnspection of Mill Material

Material test reports shall constitute sufficient evidence that the 111ill product
• satisfies material order requirements. The .fábricator shall make a visual
inspection of material that is received from the 111ill, but need not perform any
material tests unless the owner 's designated representative far design specifies
in the contract documents that additional testing is to be performed at the
owner 's expense.

8.3. Non-Destructive Testing

When 11011-destructive testin g is requ ired, the process, extent, technique and
standards ofacceptance shall be clearly specified in the contrae/ documents.

8.4. Surfoce Prepa ration and Shop Pa inting lnspection

lnspection of surface preparation and shop painting shall be planned for the
acceptance of each operation as the fabricator completes it. Inspection of the
paint system, including material and thickness. sha ll be made promptly upon
co111 pletion of the paint application. When wet-film thickness is to be inspected ,
it shall be measured during the application.

8.5. 1ndependent I nspcction

When inspection by personnel other than those of the fab ricator and/or erector
is specified in the contrae/ documenls, the requirements in Sections 8.5. 1
through 8.5.6 shall be met.

8.5. 1. The fabricator and the erector shall provide the inspector with access to ali
places where the work is being performed. A mínimum of 24 hours notification
shall be given prior to the commencement ofwork.

8.5.2. lnspection of shop work by lhe inspector sha ll be performed in the fabrica/ar 's
shop to the fullest extent possible. Such inspections sha ll be timely, in-sequence
and performed in such a manner as wi ll not disrupt fabrication operations and
will per111it the repair of non-confor ming work prior to any required painting
whi le the material is still in-process in the fabrication shop.

8.5 .3. lnspection of field work shall be promptly completed without de laying the
progress or correction of the work.

8.5.4 . Rejection of materi al or workmanship that is not in conformance with the

contract docwnen/s shall be permitted at any ti111 e during the progress of th e
work. However, this provision shall not reli eve the owner or the inspector of th e
obligation fo r timely, in-sequence inspections.

Code of Standard Praclicefo r Steel 8111/dings and Bridges, April 14. 20 1O

AMERICAN INSTITUT E OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
 16.3-60

8.5.5. The fabricator, erector, and o,vner's designated representatives for design ami
conslr11ction shall be informed o f deficiencies that are noted by th e inspector
promptly after the inspection. Copies of all reports prepared by th e inspector
shall be promptly given to th e .fabricator, erector, and 01vner's designated
representatives.for design and constm ction. The necessary correcti ve work shall
• be performed in a timely mann.er.

8.5.6. The inspector shall not suggest, direct, or approve the .fábricator or erector to
dev iate from the contrae/ documents or the app roved shop and ereclion
dra111ings, or approve such deviation, without the written approval of the
owner's designuted representativesfor design ancl constrnction.

lii

Code 0JS1a11dard Prarncefor Sree/ Bwtd111gs and Bndges. Apn l 14. 201 O
AMER ICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
 16.3-61

SECTION 9. CONTRACTS

9.1. Types of Con tracts

•
9.1 .1. For contracts that stipulate a' lump sum price, the work that is required to be
performed by the fabricator and the erector shal l be cornpletely defined in the
contrae/ doc11ments.

9.1.2. For contracts tlrnt stipulate a price per pound, the scope of work that is required
to be perforrned by the .fabricator and the erector, the type of materials, the
character of fabricalion and the conditions of erection shal l be based upon the
contrae! doc11ments, which shal l be represenrntive ofthe work to be performed.

9. 1.3. For contracts th at stipulate a price per ítem, the work that is required to be
performed by the fabricator and the erector shal l be based upon the quantity
and the clrnracter of the items that are described in the conlracl documents.

9. 1.4. For contracts that stipulate unit prices for various categories of structural stee/,
the scope of work that is required to be performed by th e .fabricator and the
erector shal l be based upon t~e qua ntity, character and complexity of the items
in each category as described in the contrae! documents, and shall also be
representative ofthe work to be performed in each category.

9.2. Calculation of Weights

Un less otherwise specified in the contract, for co ntracts stipulating a price per
pound for fabricated structural steel that is delivered and/or erected, the
quantities of materia Is for payment shall be determined by the calcu lation of the
gross weight of materials as shown in the shop drml'ings.

Commentary:
The standard procedure for calculation of weights that is described in this Code
meets the need for a universally acceptable system for defining "pay weights" in
contracts based upon the weight of delivered and/or erected materials. These
procedures permits the owner to easily and accurately evaluate price-per-pound
proposals from potential suppliers and enables ali parties to a contract to have a
clear and common understanding of the basis for payment.
The procedure in this Code affords a simple, readily understood
method of calculation that will produce pay weights that are consistent
throughout the industry and that may be easily verified by the owner. While this
procedme does not produce actual weights. it can be used by purchasers and
suppliers to define a widely accepted basis for bidding and contracting for
structura/ steel. However, any other system can be used as the basis for a
contractual agreement. When other systems are used, both the supplier and the
purchaser should clearly understand how the alternative procedure is handled.

Codeo/Standa rd Prac11cefor Stee/ B11ild111gs a11d Bndges. Apnl 14. 201 0

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION
16.3-62

9.2.1. The unit weight of steel shall be taken as 490 lb/ft1 [7 850 kg/111 3 ]. The unit
weight of oth er materials shall be in accordance with th e manufacturer' s
published data for the specific prod uct.

9.2.2. The weights of standard str.uc/Ural shapes, plates and bars shall be cal culatecl
on the basis of shop drawings th at show the actual quantities a11CI dimensions of
material to be fabricated, as fol lows:

(a) The weights of ali slandard s1rnct11rnl shapes shall be calculated using th e
nominal weigh t per ft [mass per 111] and the deta iled overall length.
(b) The weights of plates and bars shall be calculaied using th e detailed overall
rectangular dimensions.
(e) When parts can be eco nomically cut in multi ples from material of larger
climensions, the weight shall be calculated on the basis of th e theoretical
rectan gular dimensions of the material from which the pa rts are cut.
(d) When parts are cut from slandard stmct11ral shapes, leaving a non-standard
section that is not useable 011 the same contrae!, th e weight shall be
calculated using the nominal weight per ft [mass per m] an d the overa ll
length of the slandard str11c111ral shupes from which the parts are cut.
(e) Deductions shall not be made for material th at is removed fo r cuts, copes,
clips, blocks, cl ri ll ing, p·unching, boring, slot milling, planing or weld j oint
preparation.

9.2.3. The items fo r which weights are shown in tables in the AISC Steel Co11slr11ctiu11
Manual shall be calculated on the basis ofthe tabulated weights shown there in.

9.2.4. The weights of items that are not shown in tables in the AISC Ste<!I
Construction Manual shall be taken from the manu fact urer's catalog ancl the
manufactu rer's shi pping weight shall be usecl.

Comment.ary:
Many items that are weighecl for paymen t purposes are not tabu lated with
weights in the AISC Stee/ Constr11ctio11 Manual. These include, but are not
limitecl to, anchor rods, clevises, turnbuckles, sleeve nuts, recessed-pin nuts,
cotter pins and s imilar devices .

9.2.5. The weights of shop or field weld metal and protective coatings shall not be
included in the calcu lated weight for the purposes of payment.

9.3. Revisions to the Co ntract Documents

Revision.1· to the contrae, doc11menls sha ll be con firm ed by change orcler or extra
work order. Unless otherwise noted, the issuance of a revision to the contrae!
documenls shall constitute authorization by the 011·11er that the revision is

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re/ea.1ed.for conslmclion. The contrae! price and schedule shall be adjusted in

accordance with Seclions 9.4 and 9.5 .

9.4 . Contract Price Adjustment

•
9.4.1 . When th e scope of work and responsibilities of the .fabricator and the erector
are changed from those previous ly established in th e conlract documents, an
appropriate modification or th e contrae! price shall be made. In computing the
contract price adjust ment, the .fabricator and the erector shall consider the
quantity of work that is addecl or deletecl, the moclifications in the character or
the work ancl the timeliness of the change with respect to the status of material
ordering. cletailing, fabrication and erection operations.

Commentary:
The fabrication and erection of stmctura/ steel is a dynamic process. Typically,
material is being acquired at the same time that the shop and erection drawings
are being prcpared. Addilionally, the fabri cé'ltion shop will normally fabricate
pieces in the order that thc struct11ral steel is being shipped and erected .
lterns that are revised or placed on hold generally upset these
relationships and can be very tlisruptive to the detailing, fabricating and erecting
processes. The provisions in Sections 3.5, 4.4.2 and 9.3 are intended to
rninimize th ese disruptions so as to allow work to continue. Accordingly, it is
required in this Code that the reviewer of requests for contract price adjustments
recognize th is and allow compensation to lhe fabricator and the erector for
these ineffi ciencies and for the materials that are purchased and the detailing,
fabrication and erection lhat has been performed. when affected by the change.

9.4.2. Requests for contrae! price adjustments shall be presented by the .fabricator
and/o r the erector in a timely manner and shal l be acco mpanied by a description
of the change that is sufficient to permit evaluation and timely approval by the
owner.

9.4.3. Price-per-pound and price-per- ilem contracts shall provicle fo r additions or

deletions to th e qu antity of work that are made prior to the time the work is
released.for constmction. When changes are made to the character of the work
at any time, or when additions and/or deletions are made to the quantity of the
work after it is released for detail ing, fabrication or erection, the contrae! price
shall be equitably adjusted.

9.5. Scheduling

9.5 .1. The contract schedule shall state when the design drawings will be re/eased.for
constmction. if the design dra111i11gs are not availa ble at th e time of bidding, and
when the job site, fou ndations, piers and abutments will be ready, free from

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obstructions and accessible to the erector. so that erection can start at the
designated time and continue without interference or delay caused by the
owner's designated representativefor construction or other trades.

9.5.2. The .fábricator and the erector shall advise the owner's designated
representatives far design q11d cons1r11ction, in a timely manner, of th e effect
any revision has on the contrae! schedule.

9.5.3. Jf the fabrication or erection is significantly delayed due to rev1s1ons to the

requirements of the contract, or fo r other reasons that are the responsibility of
others, the .fabricator and/or erector shall be compensated for the additional
costs incurred.

9.6. Terms of P:iyment

The .fabricator shall be paid fo r mil! materials and fabricated product that is
stored off the job site. Other terms of payment fo r the contract shall be outlined
in the contrae/ doc11ments.

Commentary:
These terms include such items as progress payments for material, fabrication,
erection. retainage, performance and payment bonds and final payment. If a
performance or payment bonºd, paid for by the owner, is required by contract, no
retainage shall be required.

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SECT IO N 10. ARCHITECTURALLY EXPOSED STRUCTLIRAL STEEL

10.1. General Requirements

• When members are specifical ly designated as architec111ra/ly e>.posed structura/
stee/ or AESS in the contracÍ documents, the requirements in Sections I through
9 shall app ly as mod ified in Section I O. AESS 111e111bers or components shall be
fabricated and erected with the care and dimensional tolerances th at are
sti pulaled in Sections 10.2 through 10.4. The fo llowing add itional information
shall be provided in the contract docu111e11ts when AESS is specifi ed:
(a) Specific identification of rn embers or co rnponents that are AESS;
(b) Fabrication and/or erect ion tolerances that are to be more restrictive than
provided for in this Section, ifany: and.
(e) Requirernents. if an y, of a mock-u p panel or components for inspection and
acceptance standards prior to the start of fabrication.
Commentary:
Th is Section of this Code defines additional requ irements that apply only to
members that are specifically designated by the contrae! documents as
architecl11ral/y exposed structura/ stee/ (AESS). The common use of exposed
s/r11ctura/ stee/ as a mediun, of architectural expression has given rise to a
demand fo r closer dimensional tolerances and smoother finished surfaces th an
req uired for ordinary struct11ra/ stee/ framing.
This Section of this Code establishes standards fo r these req uirements
that take into account both the desired finished appearance and the abilities of
the fabrication shop to produce the desired product. lt shou ld be pointed out that
the term architect11m//y exposed stmct11ra/ steel, as covered in this Section,
must be specified in the contrae/ docw11ents if thefabricator is requ ired to meet
the fabricating standards in this Section, and app lies only to that po1tion of the
struct11ra/ stee/ so identified.
AESS req uirements usually involve significan! cost in excess of that
for structum/ stee/ that is fab ricated in the absence of an AESS requirement.
Therefore, the desi gnation AESS should be applied rationally, with visual
acceptance criteria that are appropriate for the distance at which the exposed
element will be viewed in the completed structure. In order to avoid
misunderstandings and to hold costs to a mínimum, only those s fructura/ stee/
surfaces and connecfions that will remain exposed and subject to normal view
by pedestrians or occupants of the completed structure should be designated as
AESS.

10.2. Fabrication

10.2. 1. The permissible tolerances fo r out-of-square or out-of-para llel, depth, width and
symmetry of ro lled shapes shall be as specifi ed in ASTM A6/A6M. Unless
otherwise specified in the contrae! docu111ents, the exact matching of abutting

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cross-sectional configurations shall not be necessary. The as-fabricated

straightness tolerances of members shall be one-half of th e standard carnber ancl
sweep tolerances in ASTM A6/A6M.

10.2.2. The tolerances on overall profile dirnensions of mernbers that are built-up frorn
a series of swndard s11·11ctural shapes, plates and/or bars by weld ing shall be
taken as the accum ulation of the variations that are permitted for the componen!
parts in ASTM A6/A6M. The as-fabricated straightness toleran ces fo r the
member as a whole shall be one-half the stand ard camber and sweep tolerances
for rolled shapes in ASTM A6/ A6M.

10.2.3. Unless specific visual acceptance criteria for weld show-1hro11gh are specified in
the contrae/ docwne111s, the members or components shall be acceptable as
produced .

Commentary:
Weld show-through generally is a function ofweld size and material thickness.

10.2.4. Al i copes, miters and cuis in surfaces that are exposed to view shall be made
with uniform gaps of 11.~ in. [3 111111) if shown as open j oints, or in reaso nable
contact if shown without gap . .
10.2.5. Ali welds that are exposed to view shall be visually acceptable if they meet th e
requirements in AWS D 1.1 , except ali groove we lds in butt joints and outside
comer joints and pi ug we lds th at are exposed to view shall not project more than ¡
1/ 16 in. [2 111111) above th e exposed surface. Finishing or grindin g of we lds shall
not be necessary, unl ess such treatment is req uired to provide fo r clearances or 1
fit of oth er co111ponents.

10.2.6. Erection 111arks or other painted marks shal l not be rn ade on th ose surfaces of
weathering steel AESS me111bers th at are to be ex posed in th e completed
structure. Unless oth erwise specified in the contrae! doc11ments, th e fabrica1or
shall clean weatheri ng steel AESS 111embers to meet the requirements of SS PC-
SP6.

10.2.7. Stam ped or raised manufacturer' s identification marks shall not be fi lled.
gro und or oth erwise removed.

10.2.8. Seams of hollow structural sections shall be acceptable as produced. Seams

shall be oriented away from view oras directed in the contrae/ docwnen/s.

10.3. Oelivery of Materials

The fabr ica1or shall use special care to avoid bending, twisting or oth erwise
disto rting the stm ctural steel.

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10.4. Erection

• 10.4. 1. The erector sha ll use special care in unloading, handling and erecting the
str11ctural steel to avo id nrnrking or distorting the struct11ra/ stee/. Care shall
also be taken to minimize damage to any shop paint. If temporary braces or
erection clips are used, care shall be taken to avoid the creation of unsightly
su rfaces upon remo val. Tack welds shal I be ground smooth ancl holes shall be
filled with weld metal or body solcler and smoothed by grinding or filing. The
erector shall plan ancl execute ali operations in such a manner that the close fit
and neat appearance of the stru ct ure will not be irnpaired.

10.4.2. Unless otherwise specified in the co111rac1 doc11111ents, AESS members and
components shall be plumbed, leveled ancl aligned to a tolerance that is one-half
that permitted for non-AESS mernbers. To accommodate these erection
tolerances for AESS, the owner's designated representative .for design shall
specify connections between AESS members and non-AESS members,
masonry, concrete and other supports as adjustable ilems, in order to provide the
erector with means for adjustment.

10.4.3. When AESS is backed with concrete, the owner's designated representativefor
constm ction shall provide sufficient shores, ties and strongbac ks to prevent
sagging, bulging or similar deformation ofthe AESS rnernbers dueto the weight
and pressure of Lhe wet concrete.

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APPENDIX A. DIGITAL BUILDING PRODLJCT MODELS
1
The provisions in this Appendix shall apply when the contrae/ doc uments indicate that a
three-dimensional digital building product model replaces contract drawings and is to be 1
used as the primary means of designing, representing, and exchanging stmctura/ stee/
data for the project. When this is th e case, ali references to the design drmrings in this 1
Code shall instead apply to the clesign model, and ali references to the shop and erection
drmvings in the Code shall instead apply to the manufacturing model. The CIS/2 Logical 1
Product Mode/ shall be used as the building product model for structural stee/.
I f the primary means of proj ect communication reverts from a model-based
system to a paper-based system, the requirements in this Code oth er th an in thi s
1
Appendix shall appl y. 1
Commentary:
Current technology permits the transfer of three-dimensional digital building product
1
model data among the design ancl construction teams for a project. Over the last severa!
years, designers andfabricators have used CIS/2 as a standard format in the exchange of 1
build ing product models representing the steel structure. This Appendix facilitates the
use of this technology in the design and construction of steel structures, and eliminates 1
any interpretation of this Code that might be construed to prohibit or inhibit th e use of
this technology. While the technology is new and there is no long-established standard of
practice, it is the in tent in this Appenaix to provide guidance fo r its use.

APPENDIX A. GLOSSARY
Add the f ollowing de,flnitions to the Glossw y:

Building Product Mode/. A digital in fo rmation stru cture of the objects making up a
building, capturing th e fo rm, function, behavior ancl rel atio ns of the parts and
assemblies within one or more building syslems. A building procluct moclel can be
implemented in multi ple ways, includin g as nn ASC II fil e oras a clatabase. The data
in the model is createcl, manipulatecl , evaluated, revi ewed ancl presentecl using
computer-based design, engineering, and manu factur ing ap pli cations. Traclitional
two-dimensional drawings may be one of many repo rts generated by the building
product model (see Eastman, Charles M.: Building Procluct Models: Computer
Environments Suppo11ing Des ign ancl Constructi on; 1999 by CRC Press).

C/Sl2 (C IMSteel /11/e~rution Sta11durd,· Versio11 1). The specification providing th e

building product model fo r structural steel and formal for electroni c data
in terchange (EDI) among software appli cations dealing wi th steel cles ign, anal ysis,
and manufacturing.

Data Management Conformance (DMC). The capabi lity of the CIMSteel moclel to
include optional data entities fo r rnanaging and tracking additions, deletions and

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modifications to a model, inclucl ing who made the change and when th e change was
made for ali data changes.

• logica/ Product Mode/ (lPM). The CIS/2 building product model, wh ich supports the
engineering of low-, medium- ánd high-rise construction, in domesti c, commercial
and industrial contexts. Ali elements of the structure are covered, including main and
secondary framing and co1111ections. The com ponents used can be of any variety of
structural shape or element.
The LPM addresses the exchange of data between structural stee/ applications.
lt is meant to support a heterogeneous set of appl ications overa fai rl y broad portion
of th e steel lifecycle. lt is organ ized around three different sub-models: the analysis
model (data represented in structural ana lysis), the design model (data represented in
frame design layout) an d the manufacturing model (data represented in detailing for
fabrication).

Al.2. Referenced Specific:itions, Codes :ind Stll ndllrds

Add the.fo/lowing reference lo Seclion 1.2:

CIMSteel ln tegration Standards Release 2: Second Edition P265 : CIS/2. 1:

Volumes I throu gh 4.

A3. DESICN DRAWI NCS ANO SP~CI F IC AT IONS

In addition to the req11ire111ents in Section 3, the fo/lowing requiremenls sha/1
app/y to !he design model:

A3. l. Design Model

The design model shall:

(a) Consist of data managemenl conformance classes.

(b) Contain ana lys is moclel data so as to include load calculat ions as specified
in th e contrae! documents.
(e) lnclucle entit ies that ful ly define each steel element and the extent of
detailing of each element, as wou ld be recorded 0 11 eq ui va len! set of
structural stee/ design drcnvings.
(d) lnclude ali steel elements iden tified in the contrae/ documents, as well as
any oth er en ti ties req ui red fo r strength and stability of the completely
erected structure.
(e) Govern over ali other fonns of info rm ation, including drawings, sketches,
etc.

A3.2. LPM Administration

The oivner shall des ignate an administrator for the LPM, who shall :

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(a) Control the LPM by providing appro priate access privileges (read, write,
etc) to ali relevant parties.
(b) Maintain the security ofthe LPM.
(c) Guard against data loss of the LPM .
(el ) Be responsible for upda~es and re visions to the LPM as th ey occur.
{e) lnform al i appropriate parties as to changes lo the LPM.

Commentary:
When a project is designed and constru cted using EDl , it is imperative that an
individual entity on the team be responsible for maintaining the LPM. This is to
assure protection of data through proper backup, storage and security and to
provide coordination of the tlow of information to ali team members when
information is added to the model. Team members exchange information to
revise the model with this administrator. The admin istrator will validate ali
changes to the LPM. This is to assure proper tracking ancl control of revisions.
This administrator can be one of the design team members such as an
archilecl, structural engineer of record, or a separa te entity on the design team
serving this purpose. The administrator can also be the sleel detailer or a
separate enlity on th e construction team serving this purpose.

A4.3. Fabricator Responsibility •

In addilion 10 1he require111en1s in Seclion ./.3. !he follo wing requiremenls sha/1
apply:

When the design model is used to de ve lop the manu fact urin g model th e
fahricator shall accept the information under the fol lowi ng conditions:

(a) When the design in formation is to be conveyed to thefabricator by way of

the design model, in the evenl of a co nílict between th e model and th e
design draivings, the design model will control.
(b) The ownership of th e in fo rm ation added to the LPM in the man u facturing
model should be defined in the contract documents. 1n the abse nce of terms
for ow nership regardin g th e information ad ded by the fabrica1or to the
LPM in the contrae! doc11111ents, the ownership will belong to the
fabricator.
(e) During the developmen t of the manufactu ring model, as rn ernber locations
are adjusted to convert the modeled parts from a design model, these 1
relocatio ns wi ll onl y be done with th e approva l of the 01vner ·s designated
representalive.for design .
(d) The .fabrica/or and ereclor shall accept th e use of the LPM and design
model under the same co nditions as set forth in Section 4.3 wi th rega rd to
CA D files, except as modified in Section A4 J above.

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A4.4. Approval
• In addition lo the req11ire111e111s in Section -l. -1, the follmving requirements sha/1
app/y:

When the approval of the detailed material is to be don e by the use of the
111anufacturing model the version of the subm itted model shall be identified. The
approver shall annotate the manufacturing 111odel with approval comments
attached to the individual elements as specified in the CIS/2 standard. As
cli rected by the approval comment the.fabricator will reissue the manufacturing
model for re-review and the version of the model submittecl will be tracked as
previously defined.

Commentary:
Approval of the manufacturing model by th e owner 's designated representarive
for design can replace the approva l of actual shop and erection drawings. For
this method to be effective, a system must be in place to record review.
approval, correction and final release ofthe manufacturing model for fabrication
of structural steel. The ver!ions of the model must be tracked, and review
comments and approvals permanently attached to the versions of the model to
the same extent as such data is maintained with conventional hard copy
approvals. The CIS/2 standard provides this leve! oftracking.

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AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION

One East Wacker Orive, Suite 700, Chicago, lllinois 60601

AISC 303-10 (2M7 10)