FROM THE FOUNDATION

Steel FramingSubstantiation

is NeededThe Foundation Participates Again in a Program to Reach the

Architectural Community

By James J. Roseand Walter F. Pruter

The main thrust of this article wasoriginally written a decade ago by JimRose, then Manager of the ContractingPlasterers Association of Southern Califor-nia. It has recently been reviewed, updatedand expanded by Jim Rose conjointly withWalter F. Pruter. Their editorial notes andother new comments appear in italics.

In spite of having been popularly us-ed to frame millions of square feet of in-terior partitions and exterior walls for over30 years now, light gauge steel studs arestill not manufactured to universal stan-dards, nor is their installation covered withconsistency by the current building codes.

Manufacturers compete not only by of-fering differing varieties of types, size andgauges of steelstuds, but they also playgames with the types of steel, the actualthickness of the steel, and the quality ofthe coatings.

40 November 1988/Construction Dimensions

What makes athoroughknowledge of steelframing so impor-tant for the con-tractor are theconsequences ofthis lack ofstandardization.

Several major manufacturers haveopted to discontinueproduction of steelstuds. Among the reasons for their retreatfrom that segment of the market was anunwillingness to lower their standards inorder to remain cost competitive. Foremostamong these was Penmetal, Soule Steel,the Milcor Division of Inryco, Inc., andmost recently, the U.S. Gypsum Company.

With the diversity of section designs,configurations, metal thicknesses, codeapprovals and availability of test data, asingle, comprehensive and acceptable in-stitutional reference specification is vir-tually impossible to develop.

Organizations particularly concernedwith the quality of finished installationshave taken some positive steps towardestablishing more uniform standards forsteel studs and their installation. Thesewould include the American Institute ofArchitects, the Construction SpecificationsInstitute, and the Metal Lath/Steel Fram-ing Association. All of these organizationshave attempted to tie some of the looseends found in many steel s tudspecifications.

One of the best and most successful at-tempts to establish a nationally acceptedstandard was published a few years agoby the Metal Lath/Steel Framing Associ-tion of 600 S. Federal Street, Suite 400,Chicago, IL 60605.

This organizations Light Gauge SteelFraming Specifications was prepared byleading manufacturers and should be a partof every wall and ceiling contractorstechnical library.

The entire specification was carried asa special insert in the December 1977 edi-tion of Construction DimensionsMagazine. Copies of the specification areavailable from the ML/SFA.

As outstanding as this effort was,

though, the wide range of nomenclaturesfor essentially the same item contributesa sense of uneasiness for the designer. Thelatter can never be absolutely certainwithout going to the manufacturersmaterial specs on each item and/or check-ing carefully with a knowledgeablecontractor.

Because of the disparity in the actualthickness (gauge) of steel furnished by dif-ferent manufacturer it has been includ-ed that specifying thickness by decimalequivalent is safer and more accurate. Forexample:Instead of 25 gauge specify minimum thickness .020"Instead of 20 gauge specify minimum thickness .036"Instead of 18 gauge specify minimum thickness .047"Instead of 16 gauge specify minimum thickness .059"Instead of 14 gauge specify minimum thickness .075"Instead of 12 gauge specify minimum thickness .105"Various Names

Discounting the metal gauge factor, theC or Cee stud is variously known as achannel stud, a drywall stud, a screw ceestud, a C-shaped section, as well as L,S, or LS series studs.

A designer or a contractor needs to referto a picture or drawing of a section of thestud to be certain which stud is beingdiscussed.

More knowledgeable structuralengineers and architects will call out onthe drawings the minimum allowable I

(Moment of Interia) or S (SectionModulus) for studs used in certain situa-tions. This enables thesubcontractor tosubmit a section which will do the job mosteconomically and still satisfy the engineer-ing requirements.

What makes a thorough knowledge ofsteel framing so important for the contrac-tor are the consequences of this lack ofstandardization. Without uniformityamong the types of material and thesystems, building codes are understandablysketchy as to light metal frames. It is notunusual that the only valuable informa-tion to be found in a typical code is areference to wall heights and deflection.

Some manufacturers have made seriousefforts to overcome these shortcomings.Most have individual approvals for theirproducts, and there are those who haveconducted more extensive, explicitresearch.

These research reports usually containlimiting spans for different sizes and typesof studs. These spans have been substan-tiated by engineering analysis andshouldtake precedence over the data found inbrochures and advertising.

Unfortunately, manufacturers face theconstant problem of getting their researchreports distributed properly. In many caseswhere a distribution has been successful,the reports become detached or separated

Construction Dimensions/November 1988 41

The subcontractor is going to have to fight the battles of this work.from those approvals adopted into thebuilding code books.

To many engineers and other desginers,if it isnt in the code book it simply doesntexist. This is where contractor knowledgeis so essential.

In defense of the manufacturers prob-lems, the problems and astronomical feesdemanded by code bodies for obtainingbuilding code product approvals for in-dividual assembly components representsubstantial barriers.

During the interim, too little is being ac-complished so far as grouping and classi-fying fabricated items and componentson congruent characteristics.

Faced with this scattering of knowledgein the market, designers want and needdirection. They contend that they are notreceiving this information or, in view ofthe difficulty in getting it, the industry isnot growing as it could.

The gap in designer awareness of all theelements the industry possesses (such asvariety of design) and answers to specific

engineering problems and economiespoints to the need for a generic informationsource.

In this way, the information would beavailable at the moment of neednotbefore or after.

There is also a lack of uniformity as towhich section of the job specification fightmetal framing shall be placed. In the eastor the south, it is common practice to putit in Section 5 (light iron), while on the westcoast it goes into Section 9 (lathing). Wherethe spec is placed has a profound influenceon the work jurisdiction . . . and on who bidsit.

Jurisdictionally, steel stud framing is thework of lathers and drywall carpenters.There was a time when these trades belong-ed to separate unions, and lathers installedsteel studs which were to be clad with lathand plaster on one or both sides. With theaffiliation of the lathers with theBrotherhood of Carpenters International,the installation of steel stud framing maynow be done by both. The apprentice

schools of both trades teach stud erectionsand typically produce craftsmen whousually obtain their light gauge weldingcertificates. Certified welders are requiredby many code jurisdictions to do the in-stallation of load bearing studs, and insome cases non-loadbearing studs in ex-terior walls.

Building department requirements arenot the same in various parts of the coun-try. In some areas heavy reliance is plac-ed on approved laboratory tests certify-ing performance of the materials basedon predetermined criteria. In other areasthe level of test sophistication isbackwoods.

There is an immediate need to developa higher level of technical expertise bothwithin the industry and by buildingofficials.

But the trend in recent years is a heavyaccent on engineering-oriented buildingofficals. It is not unreasonable to expectthis emphasis on test data to graduallysweep the entire country in time.

42 November 1988/Construction Dimensions

Price PeddlingSome manufacturers sell their products

on the basis of price alone. Others marketby graphics and engineering support. Con-tractors, in self-defense, are going to needa broader understanding of design criteriaof the materials they assemble into abuilding.

In those locales where there is little, ifany manufacturer provided engineeringsupport, architects tend to use cop-outrequirements which necessitate that themetal framing subcontractor providescomplete shop drawings supported withengineering calculations to cover the steelstud construction. For the large, fully in-tegrated subcontracting firm this presentsno problem. The average to small contrac-tor, however, is inclined to walk away frompotential work where this requirementexists.

Until the time comes when there areuniversally accepted standards for lightgauge steel stud framing as there are forwood framing masonry and concrete, thesubcontractor is going to hove to fight thebattles of this work, hopefully with the sup-port of marketing oriented manufacturers.Maybe the day will come when buildingcodes include sections on light gauge steelstud framing, and everyone will be morecomfortable with how it should be done.

What makes a thorough knowledge ofsteel framing so important for the contrac-tor are the consequences of this lack ofstandardization.

Trade promotion representatives arefrustrated by the test data gaps for evensome time honored assemblies. This mayhardly be the time to pressure manufac-turers into an expanded testing programbecause most of them are busy right nowfilling orders. But if the industry doesntlook ahead for days to come in productdevelopment and more especially for per-formance substantiation of those products,a lot of doors may suddenly close.

Light metal framing components areproducts of the space age. They lendthemselves to shop fabrication, to energyconservation and to a host of othereconomies. But they require a moreenlightened contractor to promote themon the basis of technical know-how. Theyalso require a labor leader with some vi-sion to see beyond todays fullemployment.

And there will be a tomorrowwithor without us.

About the Authors: The authors, Mr.James J. Rose of J. J. Rose ConstructionConsultants, Inc. and Mr. Waiter F.Pruter, Technical Director of the Institutefor Lath, Plaster and Drywall, have over80 years o f combined in the wal land ceiling industry. Currently, Mr. Roseis a construction consultant and is an activemember of the ASTM C-11 Committee,the American Arbitration Association'sConstruction Commercial Panel, and ischairman of the American Concrete In-stitutes Plastering Committee.

Mr. Pruter, an architect by training, iscurrently the technical director forSouthern California Plastering Institute,the Furring and Lathing Information

Bureau, and the Metal Furring/LathingContractors Association. A technical andpromotional representative for 25+ years,Mr. Pruter is the President of the Inter-national Institute for Lath and Plaster, andan active member of the AIA, CSI, theStructural Engineers Association ofSouthern California, the American Con-crete Institute, and the International Con-ference of Building Officials.

The Foundation of the Wall and CeilingIndustry maintains the John H. Hamp-shire Research and Reference Library.Readers of Construction Dimensionsmagazine are invited to consult the library'smany valuable reference materials on awide range of subjects, from generalbusiness management practices to technicaldata to federal regulations and buildingcodes.

Construction Dimensions/November 1988 43