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P44 P43 P42

P59 P60 P61 P62 P63 P64 P65 P66

P45

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Archivo:
 12
Light Gauge
Steel Frame
Construction

•• The Concept of Light Gauge •• Finishes for Light Gauge

Steel Construction Steel Framing
S u s t a i n a bi l i t y a n d L i ght Ga u ge S t e e l •• Advantages and
Fra m in g Disadvantages of Light
Gauge Steel Framing
•• Light Gauge Steel Framing
•• Light Gauge Steel Framing
•• Other Uses of Light Gauge and the Building Codes
Steel Framing
M e t a l s in A rc hi t e c t u re
P re l i m i n a ry D e s i gn o f L i ght
Ga u ge S t e e l Fra m e S t ru c t u re s
Case Study: Camera
Obscura at Mitchell Park,
•• Insulating Light Gauge Steel Greenport, New York
Frame Structures

Driving self-drilling, self-tapping screws with electric screw guns, framers add diagonal
bracing straps to a wall framed with light gauge steel studs and runner channels.
(Courtesy of United States Gypsum Company.)

467
 To manufacture the members used in light gauge steel frame without the necessity of cutting holes
in members on the construction
construction, steel sheet is fed from continuous coils through site (Figures  12.11 and 12.15). Track
machines at room temperature that cold-work the metal ­sections are used for top and bottom
(see Chapter 11) and fold it into efficient structural shapes, plates. They are slightly oversized
producing linear members that are stiff and strong. Thus, so that stud/joist members can nest
these members are referred to as cold-formed metal framing, to into them. Channel sections and furring
channels are used for lighter bracing
differentiate them from much heavier hot-rolled structural steel
and framing tasks. Other specialized
shapes. The term “light gauge” refers to the relative thinness shapes are also available.
(gauge) of the steel sheet from which the members are made. The strength and stiffness of a
member depend on its shape and size,
as well as the strength and thickness
and out in the same manner as a of sheet metal used in its manufac-
The Concept of wood light frame building. ture. The range of metal thicknesses
Light Gauge Steel The steel used in light gauge mem- available for both loadbearing and
Construction bers is manufactured to ASTM stan- nonbearing members are listed in
dard A1003 and is metallic-coated with Figure 12.2. Steel with yield strengths
Light gauge steel construction is the zinc or aluminum-zinc alloy to protect of both 33,000 and 50,000 psi (230
noncombustible equivalent of wood against corrosion. The thickness of the or 350 MPa) is used. Loadbearing
light frame construction. The exter- metallic coating can be varied, depend- members are used for floor and roof
nal dimensions of the standard sizes ing on the severity of the environment framing, framing of walls supporting
of light gauge members correspond in which the members will be placed. floors or roofs, and framing that
closely to the dimensions of the stan- Or, in protected, noncorrosive environ- supports exterior cladding systems
dard sizes of nominal 2-inch (38-mm) ments, other coatings may also be used. (because they are subject to wind
framing lumber. These steel members For wall, floor, and roof framing, loads). Nonloadbearing members
are used in framing as closely spaced the steel is formed into C-shaped stud/ are used to frame walls that do not
studs, joists, and rafters in much the joist sections (Figure  12.1). The webs support floor or roof loads, such as
same way as wood light frame mem- of these members may be punched at interior partitions, as well as ceilings
bers are used, and a light gauge steel the factory to provide holes at 2-foot and soffits. Loadbearing light gauge
frame building may be sheathed, (600-mm) intervals to allow wiring, steel members are manufactured
insulated, wired, and finished inside piping, and bracing to pass through according to ASTM standard C955,

STUD/JOIST SECTION TRACK SECTION CHANNEL SECTION FURRING CHANNEL

Figure 12.1
Light gauge steel framing member shapes.
468
 The Concept of Light Gauge Steel Construction   /   469

Sustainability and Light Gauge Steel Framing

For more information about the sustainability of steel in steel studs and track, manufactured by a mix of basic
building construction, see Chapter 11. oxygen and electric arc furnace processes:

Nonrenewable primary energy 29,000 MJ

Energy Performance consumption (28 million BTU)
• Light gauge steel framing members have a high Global warming potential 2300 kg (5000 lb) CO2 eq.
thermal conductivity. When they are used in the framing Fresh water consumption 1100 L (290 gal)
of building enclosure assemblies, attention must be given
to mitigating energy losses due to thermal bridging of the
steel members. In cold climates, such assemblies must Material and Production Attributes
include continuous insulation.
• The postconsumer recycled content of light gauge steel
framing members manufactured by the basic oxygen fur-
Building and Material Life-Cycle Impacts nace process is approximately 20 percent, and of mem-
• A Steel Recycling Institute EPD reports the following bers manufactured by the electric arc furnace process,
North American industry average cradle-to-gate impacts approximately 70 percent.
for one metric ton (2200 lb) of galvanized, cold-formed

Figure 12.2
Minimum Thickness of Steel Sheet Minimum thicknesses of base sheet
metal (not including the metallic
Nominal Gauge Loadbearing Members Nonloadbearing Members coating) for light gauge steel framing
10 0.118" (3.00 mm) members. Shaded figures indicate the
12 0.097" (2.45 mm) most commonly used. Traditional gauge
designations are also shown. Note that
14 0.068" (1.72 mm) 0.068" (1.72 mm)
lower gauge numbers correspond
16 0.054" (1.37 mm) 0.054" (1.37 mm)
to greater metal thickness. Though
18 0.043" (1.09 mm) 0.043" (1.09 mm)
still used in common parlance, gauge
21 0.033" (0.84 mm) 0.033" (0.84 mm)
numbers are no longer included in
20 0.030" (0.75 mm)
industry standard specifications due to
22 0.024" (0.60 mm)
a lack of consistency in their translation
25 0.018" (0.45 mm)
to actual thicknesses. Metal thickness
28 0.015" (0.38 mm)
is also sometimes expressed in mils, or
thousandths of an inch. For example,
0.033 inch equals 33 mils.

and nonloadbearing members to
ASTM C645.
Light gauge steel members are
identified using a standard nomencla-
ture, similar to that used with hot-rolled
steel structural shapes, including
member depth, a letter designation
for shape, member width, and metal
thickness. For example, a 600S162-54
member is a 6.00-­inch-­deep (“600”)
stud/joist section (“S”), 1.625 inches
wide (“162”), made from 54-mil-thick
sheet metal (“54”). Standard designa-
tions and the range of sizes available
for common member types are listed
in Figure 12.3.
Some manufacturers produce
specially formed member types with
improved structural properties. For
example, the cross-sectional pro-
file of a stud/joist section may be
altered to enhance its strength and
stiffness. Or, studs may be passed
through rollers that produce a dense
array of dimples in the formed metal.
The additional cold working of the
metal that occurs during this pro-
cess and the patterning of the surface
produce a stud with greater strength
and stiffness without increasing
metal thickness. In addition, a wide
variety of angles, straps, plates, chan-
nels, and other shapes are used in
the joining and bracing of members
(Figure 12.4).
Like wood light members, light
gauge steel shapes are furnished in
standard lengths. They are cut to
length on the construction job site
with power saws or with special elec-
tric or hand shears, depending on
their thickness. For large projects,
470   /   Chapter 12  •   Light Gauge Steel Frame Construction

Figure 12.3
Cold-Formed Available Standard light gauge steel shapes
Member Example Designation Available Depths Widths and sizes.

S: Stud/ 600S162-54 1.625", 2.5", 3.5", 3.625", 1.25"–2.5"

Joist Section 4", 5.5", and 6"–16" 32 mm–64 mm
41, 64, 90, 92, 102, 140,
and 152–406 mm
T: Track 362T125-30 Same as above 1.25"–2"
Section 32 mm–51 mm
U: Channel 250U050-54 0.75"–2.5" 0.5" 13 mm
Section 19 mm–64 mm
F: Furring 087F125-43 0.875"–1.25" 1.25"–2.5"
Channel 22 mm–32 mm 32 mm–64 mm

Figure 12.4
Standard accessories for light gauge
steel framing. End clips are used to
join members that meet at right angles.
Foundation clips attach the ground-floor
platform to anchor bolts embedded in
WEB STIFFENER the foundation. Joist hangers connect
joists to headers and trimmers around
END CLIPS openings. The web stiffener is a two-
piece assembly that is inserted inside
a joist and screwed to its vertical web
to help transmit wall loads vertically
through the joist. The remaining
accessories are used for bracing.

connection needs. Welding is often

employed to assemble panels of light
gauge steel framing that are pre-
V-BRACING
fabricated in a factory, and is some-
FOUNDATION CLIP times used on the building site where
stronger connections are needed.
Other fastening techniques include
hand-held clinching devices that join
members without screws or welds and
pneumatically driven pins, analogous
FLAT STRAP
BRACING
to nails in wood light frame construc-
tion, that penetrate the members and
hold by friction.

JOIST HANGER
members may be delivered precut to
the required lengths.
Light gauge steel members are
usually joined with self-drilling screws,
which drill their own holes and form
helical threads in the holes as they
11/2" COLD-
ROLLED CHANNEL
are installed. Driven rapidly by hand-
held electric or pneumatic tools, these
screws are plated with cadmium or
zinc to resist corrosion, and they are
available in an assortment of diame-
ters and lengths to suit a full range of
Light Gauge
Steel Framing
The sequence of construction for a
building constructed with light gauge
steel members is analogous to that
described in Chapter 5 for wood light
framing (Figures 12.5 through 12.12).
Framing proceeds platform-fashion:
The ground floor is framed with
 Light Gauge Steel Framing   /   471

Steel joist
roof rafter
End clip

Anchor clip
Steel joist roof rafter
Steel joist soffit
framing
Ridge beam—
B. EAVE A. RIDGE nested steel joists

Stud
Figure 12.5
Typical light gauge framing details. Each
Runner detail is keyed by letter to a circle on the
central whole-building diagram included
Continuous bead of
adhesive as part of this figure, to show its location
in the frame. (A) A pair of nested joists
Web stiffener makes a boxlike ridge beam. (B) Anchor
clips are sandwiched between the ceiling
joists and rafters to hold the roof framing
down to the wall. (C) A web stiffener
helps transmit vertical forces from each
stud through the end of the joist to the
stud in the floor below. Mastic adhesive
cushions the joint between the subfloor
Closure and the steel framing. (D) Foundation clips
channel anchor the entire frame to the foundation.
C-runner (E) At interior joist bearings, joists are
C. JOIST BEARING AT UPPER FLOOR overlapped back-to-back and a web
stiffener is inserted. (continued)

Runner—fasten
through plywood Web stiffener
into closure

Plywood subfloor

Web stiffener

Grout and shim Steel joists

as required

Foundation clip

Steel stud
or beam

D. JOIST BEARING AT FOUNDATION E. INTERIOR JOIST BEARING

472   /   Chapter 12  •   Light Gauge Steel Frame Construction

Rafter

Ceiling joists

Steel stud

H. GABLE END FRAMING

Closure channel
or joist section
End tabs
A

B
11/2" × 20-
gauge bracing
strap
H
C
G. JOIST PARALLEL TO END WALL

E G
D
Closure channel
or joist section

DETAIL KEY
Figure 12.5 continued
(F, G) Short crosspieces brace the last joist at the end of the
building and help transmit stud forces through to the
F. JOIST PARALLEL TO FOUNDATION
wall below. (H) Like all these details, the gable end framing
is directly analogous to the corresponding detail for a wood
light frame building as shown in Chapter 5.

stud/joists. Mastic adhesive is applied
to the upper edges of the joists, and
structural wood panels are laid down
and screwed or pinned to the upper
flanges of the joists. Next, stud/joists
are laid out on the completed sub-
floor and assembled to make wall
frames. These frames are sheathed,
tilted up, attached to the subfloor,
and braced. Upper-floor platforms
and walls proceed, in sequence, in
the same manner. Finally, the ceiling
and roof are framed in much the
same way. Prefabricated trusses of
light gauge steel members that are
screwed or welded together are often
used to frame ceilings and roofs
(Figures  12.13 and  12.14). It is pos-
sible, in fact, to frame any building
with light gauge steel members that
can be framed with nominal 2-inch
(38-mm) wood members.
Openings in floors and walls are
framed analogously to openings in
wood light frame construction, with
doubled members around each open-
ing and headers over doors and windows
(Figures  12.6, 12.7, and 12.10). Joist
hangers and right-angle clips of sheet
steel are used to join members around
openings. Light gauge members are
designed so that they can be nested to
form a tubular configuration that is
especially strong and stiff when used
for a ridge board or header (Figures  are screwed to the thin webs of the
12.5A and 12.6).
Because light gauge steel mem-
bers are more prone than their wood
counterparts to twisting or buckling
under load, more attention must be
paid to their bracing and bridging. The
studs in tall walls are generally braced
at 4-foot (1200-mm) intervals, either
with steel straps screwed to the faces
Opening
Joist hanger
Double joist header
(nested)
Steel joist framing
into header
Double joist
trimmer (nested)
Light Gauge Steel Framing   /   473
of the studs or with 11⁄2-inch (38-mm)
channels passed through the punched
openings in the studs and welded or
screwed to an angle clip at each stud
(Figures  12.8 and  12.17). Floor joists
are bridged with joist blocking between
the joists or steel straps screwed to their
top and bottom edges. In locations
where large vertical forces must pass
through floor joists (as occurs where
loadbearing studs sit on the edge of
a floor platform), steel web stiffeners
joists to prevent them from buckling
(Figure  12.5C, D, E). Lateral bracing
for walls consists of diagonal steel straps
screwed to the studs (Figure 12.8). Sub-
flooring, wall sheathing, roof sheath-
ing, and interior finish materials also
all contribute significantly to resistance
to buckling, twisting, and lateral wind
and earthquake loads.
Figure 12.6
Headers and trimmers for floor
openings are doubled and nested to
create a strong, stable box member. Only
one vertical flange of the joist hanger
is attached to the joist; the other flange
would be used instead if the web of the
joist were oriented to the left rather than
the right.
474   /   Chapter 12  •   Light Gauge Steel Frame Construction

Steel gusset plate Figure 12.7

A typical window or door head detail. The header is made of
Runner channel two joists placed with their open sides together. The top plate
Lintel—2 steel joists of the wall, which is a runner channel, continues over the
top of the header. Another runner channel is cut and folded
at each end to frame the top of the opening. Short studs are
inserted between this channel and the header to maintain the
rhythm of the studs in the wall.

Steel stud

Figure 12.8
Diagonal strap braces stabilize upper-
floor wall framing for an apartment
building. A special tool is used to draw
the metal strapping tight as it is installed.
The studs are also braced against
buckling with horizontal strapping across
both faces of the studs at approximately
their mid-height. (Courtesy of United States
Gypsum Company.)
Light Gauge Steel Framing   /   475

Figure 12.9
Ceiling joists in place for an apartment
building. A brick veneer cladding has
already been added to the ground floor.
(Courtesy of United States Gypsum Company.)

Figure 12.10
Close-up view of a window header
connection. Because a supporting stud
has been inserted under the end of the
header, a large gusset plate such as the
one shown in Figure 12.7 is not required.
(Courtesy of Unimast Incorporated,
www.unimast.com.)
476   /   Chapter 12  •   Light Gauge Steel Frame Construction
Where a light gauge steel frame
building is constructed to be fully
noncombustible, wood structural
panels cannot be used for subfloors
or wall sheathing. Instead, floors
may be constructed of corrugated
steel decking with concrete topping
or precast concrete. Exterior walls
are sheathed with gypsum sheathing
panels, which are similar to gypsum
Figure 12.11
Flexible metal conduit runs through
prepunched openings in metal wall studs.
The junction box is supported on metal
bracket spanning between studs. (Photo by
Joseph Iano.)
wallboard but made more resis-
tant to moisture and weather with
glass mat faces and specially formu-
lated water-resistant gypsum cores
(Figure 12.16).
Light Gauge Steel Framing   /   477

Figure 12.12
A detail of eave framing. (Courtesy of
Unimast Incorporated, www.unimast.com.)

Figure 12.13
A worker tightens the last screws to
complete a connection in a light gauge
steel roof truss. The truss members are
held in alignment during assembly by a
simple jig made of plywood and blocks
of framing lumber. (Courtesy of Unimast
Incorporated, www.unimast.com.)
478   /   Chapter 12  •   Light Gauge Steel Frame Construction

Figure 12.14
Installing steel roof trusses. (Courtesy of Unimast
Incorporated, www.unimast.com.)

Figure 12.15
Light gauge steel joists supporting
corrugated composite metal decking.
Note the preformed openings in the
joists, for easy routing of piping and
other services within the depth of the
framing. (Photo by Joseph Iano.)
 Other Uses of Light Gauge Steel Framing   /   479

Other Uses of Light

Gauge Steel Framing
Light gauge steel members are used
to construct many components of
fire-resistant buildings whose primary
structures are made of structural steel,
concrete, or masonry. These com-
ponents include interior walls and
partitions (Chapters  23); suspended
ceilings (Chapter 24); and fascias, par-
apets, and backup walls for many kinds
of exterior cladding materials (Chap-
ters 19 and 20; Figures 12.17, 12.18).
In construction documents, light
gauge steel members used for framing
interior partitions and other nonload-
bearing applications are specified as
nonstructural metal framing, as distinct
from cold-formed metal framing, the
latter term being reserved for light
gauge steel members used in struc-
tural applications and exterior wall
cladding systems (even though both
types of members are, in fact, cold-
formed). The different specifications
reflect the different requirements to
which these two types of framing must
be designed and constructed.
Light gauge steel studs can be
combined with concrete to produce
thin, but relatively stiff, wall panel
systems. Both loadbearing and non-
loadbearing panels can be made that
are suitable for use in residential and
light commercial buildings. A variety
of production methods are possible
that involve casting an approximately
2-inch (50-mm)-thick concrete fac-
ing onto a framework of steel studs.
Figure 12.16 The concrete may be sitecast on the
Gypsum sheathing panels being applied over metal stud framing on a residential
building site or precast in a factory.
noncombustible building. (Photo by Joseph Iano.)
The concrete-to-steel bond may be
created by stud anchors, sheet metal
shear strips, welded wire reinforcing,
or expanded metal that is welded
or screwed to the studs and then
becomes embedded in the concrete.
In loadbearing applications, the con-
crete panels provide shear resistance
while the steel studs provide most
of the resistance to gravity and wind
loads acting perpendicular to the
face of the panel.
480   /   Chapter 12  •   Light Gauge Steel Frame Construction

Figure 12.17
Light gauge steel stud infill between
concrete and structural steel will
support the exterior cladding. Note the
horizontal rows of steel strap bracing.
(Photo by Joseph Iano.)

Figure 12.18
Light gauge steel stud framing forms
the exterior enclosure for this building
structured with posttensioned concrete.
(Photo by Joseph Iano.)