The letter "S" stands for stud ("T" for track, "F" for furring channel). In this case, it's 1200, which is 12.00 inches. The first set of numbers describes the depth of the web. For example, a set of plans might call for a 1200S162-68. The convention is to specify the web, member type, flange, and thickness. The Steel Stud Manufacturers Association (SSMA) recently standardized the way it describes studs and track.
To build with LGS, the first thing you need to learn is how to order material. The easiest way to find a qualified engineer is to contact the Light Gauge Steel Engineers Association. Engineers can also allow you to use details that haven't made their way into the code. If the building is big enough, you'll need an engineer anyway because the prescriptive method does not apply to residential buildings with footprints greater than 36圆0 feet. I have to use an engineer because stamped drawings are required in the seismic zones where I build. In some jurisdictions it's now possible to use LGS without consulting an engineer, which is how it has always been with wood.Įven so, I highly recommend consulting an engineer who specializes in LGS.
The latest version of the prescriptive method, the Prescriptive Method for One and Two Family Dwellings, has been incorporated into the International Residential Code (IRC) and is available as a separate document from the Steel Framing Alliance.
But a few years back, building codes began to adopt the Prescriptive Method for Residential Cold-Formed Steel Framing, a collection of span charts and construction details for building with LGS. As a result, engineers had to provide stamped drawings for each job. Engineering the StructureĮach stud manufacturer used to have its own method for assembling buildings. Some things are different, but once you understand what the differences are, you can frame with steel as confidently as you frame with wood. The same structural principles apply whether you frame with wood or steel you still have studs, beams, headers, joists, and rafters. I recently started a business selling LGS materials and training builders to frame with steel. Now we rarely frame with anything but steel. LGS won't rot, burn, or get eaten by termites, and every piece is perfectly straight. We used to frame everything with wood, but about eight years ago we started using light-gauge steel (LGS) because it gave us a higher-quality building. My company builds high-end custom homes in Southern California.