Used for over a century in commercial applications steel studs are now making inroads into the residential housing market. This includes both exterior as well as interior applications. Recent costing statistics show that in many areas of the country steel joists are 18% cheaper to buy and install than the wooden ones.
Steel studs are lighter than wooden ones (40% of the weight) and easy to install. They come in predetermined lengths with passageways already cut for wiring and plumbing. This means less wastage than wooden studs.
In addition, insurance companies like them because they will not burn and termites, mold and mildew will not take hold on their surfaces. As for attachment they can be glued, bolted, screwed and welded. Once in place they don't shift, warp or shrink like the wooden variety will.
However, they should not be used in basements as, even though they are galvanized there is a chance of rusting. In the case of bathrooms, a steel stud wall with proper green or cement board will be sealed from water.
New innovations in steel stud manufacture mean that a stud-making machine can be used onsite to facilitate all of the stud requirements. Like a seamless gutter machine the galvanized steel is fed off a roll and stamped to the correct height. The appropriate holes are stamped out as well.
One of the main advantages of a steel stud building is that, even in hurricane winds, the structure will resist the force whereas wooden structures may be compromised through a week spot in the fastening. This is why steel stud framing is popular in those areas.
Steel studs are also popular with drywall companies because of their uniform size. Unlike wood each stud is exact which makes crewing the sheets more exact.
