Due to its material characteristics and properties, steel framing offers significant advantages to both homebuilders and consumers. Despite its advantages, the general receptiveness of the market, and several years of vigorous private and industry efforts directed at expanding its market share, steel framing has gained a small portion of the residential framing market. The Steel Framing Alliance is an organization established by the American Iron and Steel Institute to accelerate the use of light-gauge steel framing in residential construction. PATH has invested in the following cooperative agreements with the Steel Framing Alliance:
Screw Corrosion Study
Examines corrosion of galvanized fasteners used in cold-formed steel to determine the corrosion rate of galvanized cold-formed steel framing fasteners and connections when subjected to various climatic conditions. In conjunction with the University of Hawaii, the study seeks to develop protective measures to guard against corrosive environments in housing.
Hybrid Wood and Steel Details–Builder’s Guide July 2003
This report provides the information that builders need to construct hybrid cold-formed steel and wood homes. By providing builders and framers with the necessary tools to construct these homes economically, HUD enhances housing affordability and quality through competition from new methods and materials.
Steel Framing Alternatives for Manufactured Housing
Together, with MHRA (also Champion Enterprises, Clayton Homes, Fleetwood Enterprises, Oakwood Homes, Palm Harbor Homes, and the Manufactured Housing Institute) PATH is studying the economic feasibility of using structural steel in place of wood framing for new manufactured housing. This document summarizes the results of the first phase of a multiphase effort to assess viability of substituting steel for wood as the structural skeleton of homes built under the HUD manufactured home standards.
Contact Information
Larry Williams, President
Steel Framing Alliance
National Housing Center
1201 15th Street, NW, Suite 320
Washington, D.C. 20005
Tel (202) 785-2022
Fax (202) 785-3856
