Guide to Cold-Form Construction
What is Cold-Form Construction?
Cold-form construction is a pre-engineered building system of steel wall, floor, and roof frames. Cold-formed steel (CFS) isn’t like typical structural steel, though it’s more than strong enough to be used in buildings up to 10 stories tall. It’s also easier, cheaper, and a more environmentally conscious material than wood and concrete.
How does Cold-Form Construction work?
CFS frames are pre-fabricated at a manufacturing center before being shipped to the job site. Cold-form construction is designed to be efficient to install, light enough to do so without heavy equipment, and all-around cost-effective. When working with CFS, building loads are engineered from the top-down, and the durable joists and studs require little extra training, less time, and fewer tools and materials to install correctly than other framing materials.
Why choose Cold-Formed Steel?
Let’s look at some of the overall benefits of using CFS:
- Lightweight: CFS weighs significantly less than most construction materials, making for easy transportation and installation.
- High Strength & Stiffness: CFS has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any construction material.
- A Better Design: CFS is designed for quick and efficient installation.
- Dimensionally Stable: CFS keeps its shape, unlike materials that absorb water or expand/shrink in different temperatures.
- No Formwork: CFS doesn’t require forming or molding like concrete.
- CFS is: durable, non-combustible, and recyclable.
- Proven: Significant engineering has been done with CFS to confirm all of these statements.
Triple threat: CFS for walls, floors, & roofs
Flooring systems built with CFS have higher acoustic ratings than other materials. CFS cuts down on echos and sound reverberations when compared to buildings constructed with wood joists/trusses with wood floor diaphragms (depending on code), metal decks with concrete, and Structo-Crete.
CFS load-bearing wall systems can include load-bearing studs (most commonly standard C-shaped studs with one lip stiffeners), lateral bracing, and shear walls. Interior wall studs can be designed to come with pre-drilled openings for utility pipes and wiring. Window and door frames also come pre-fabricated and ready for installation, and CFS frames are built without MEP.
Roofs built with CFS frames can last 40 to 50 years longer than roofs built with wood (which last 15 years on average). CFS roof systems also include fewer soffits than those built with other materials. This means higher ceilings are possible, leading to happier clients.
Sustainable Building Materials for New Construction
When constructing a new commercial building, such as an office space, it is important to consider sustainable building materials for several reasons. First, it is important to do our part to be kind to the environment by reducing the carbon footprint of large buildings. Additionally, sustainable materials can help businesses cut down on energy costs for their spaces.
Below, we’ve reviewed several sustainable building materials that would be great to consider when building a new commercial space.
CFS vs. Structural Steel
We’ve mentioned how CFS is a great material for buildings up to 10 stories high, so structural steel beats cold-form construction in one area: it can handle larger construction projects. However, traditional steel falls behind CFS in many other aspects like weight, design flexibility, and cost. CFS is lighter than structural steel requiring fewer people and tools to install. Its weight also opens up more design possibilities since CFS takes up less space and needs fewer bulkheads than regular steel. Lastly, CFS costs less to produce and transport than traditional steel. While you can build bigger with structural steel, you can build smarter with CFS.
CFS vs. Precast Concrete
CFS is a better option than precast concrete for many of the same reasons as mentioned above. However, there are a few others to add to the list. You already know the CFS is more lightweight than concrete, but what could that mean for a building’s design? Since it can bear larger loads while weighing less, CFS can span larger rooms unlike precast concrete (which requires drop-ceilings, bulkheads, and additional column supports to do so). CFS is also more energy-efficient than precast concrete, which lowers the final building’s operating costs.
CFS vs. Cast-in-Place Concrete
Cast-in-place concrete is strong, but CFS has a higher strength-to-weight ratio. In fact, CFS has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any construction material. Concrete is also more expensive than CFS systems, and harder to work with. The light weight of CFS, plus its easy-to-install design, make it more efficient to work with. CFS requires less time, people, and tools to set in place. Cast-in-place concrete is relatively slow (between molding, pouring, and setting), so cold-form construction methods lead to happier clients and neighbors. It’s also easier to fix mistakes – unlike with dried concrete.
CFS vs. Wood Framing
It’s likely pretty obvious that CFS is a more fire-resistant and durable building material than wood, but did you expect it to be more sustainable too? CFS is actually more efficient to recycle than most kinds of wood, and many cold-formed frames are created with recycled steel. Common issues with wood (termites, mold, rot, and swelling/shrinking due to temperature fluctuations) are also mitigated by CFS. Also, cold-formed steel is coated in zinc – a protective barrier that can last for 700 years. Finally, CFS is more consistent: wood quality can vary based on its type and region of origin. With CFS, you know exactly what you’re getting.
Are you considering a cold-form construction project?
Reach out to our team of CFS construction experts to help you get started on your building journey.
