BuildSteel.org, powered by the Steel Framing Industry Association, Falls Church, Virginia, has released a new eBook entitled, “Specifying Cold-Formed Steel Framing: A Guide for Architects and Engineers,” which is available as a free download.

The new BuildSteel eBook will prove helpful to architects and engineers who regularly specify cold-formed steel (CFS) for their building projects.

“Today’s building projects are growing in complexity, and the latest codes and standards related to framing with cold-formed steel have changed,” says Larry Williams, executive director of SFIA. “Clear, accurate and detailed specifications are critical to project success, and this eBook can help.”

The eBook, “Specifying Cold-Formed Steel Framing: A Guide for Architects and Engineers,” explains how the standards for steel framing have evolved. The 2018 International Building Code, for example, references steel framing standards from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) exclusively, which is a departure from past IBC versions that also reference ASTM standards.

The new eBook is an invaluable guide to help architects and structural engineers keep their in-house CFS framing specifications up-to-date.

In addition to discussing codes and standards, “Specifying Cold-Formed Steel Framing” discusses the CFS framing industry’s new Quality Assurance/Quality Control requirements and provides information on how architects and engineers can update their in-house CFS framing specifications using free resources, such as the SFIA Specifications Review Service.

BuildSteel’s mission is to attract, inform and educate building professionals about CFS framing. The site offers a wealth of knowledge about CFS via blog posts, videos, ebooks and infographics. In time, SFIA plans to expand BuildSteel’s educational offering to buyers guides, so that users can easily find CFS products and services for their projects, and a search function to locate quailed CFS providers and installers.

The site also offers complementary assistance for construction projects using cold-formed steel framing for multifamily and commercial buildings located in the United States and Canada. Building professionals with specific questions related to cold-formed steel framing can simply complete an online form with project details and receive project-specific assistance from the BuildSteel team, consisting of experts within the steel industry.