SFIA Releases Updated Technical Guide with the Most Up-to-Date CFS Load and Span Tables in the Industry

The Technical Committee of the Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) has released Version 2023.1 of the SFIA Technical Guide for Cold‐Formed Steel Framing Products. The SFIA Product Technical Guide helps architects, engineers, specification writers and contractors who work with cold-formed steel (CFS) framing to comply with the latest building codes and standards.

The Product Technical Guide is the most up-to-date metal framing guide available in North America as it meets the requirements of the 2021 International Building Code (IBC), the 2022 California Building Code and the 2020 Florida Building Code.

“The Guide provides users with the most up-to-date set of load and span tables and other technical information for standard cold-formed steel framing products,” says Larry Williams, SFIA executive director. “It will help ensure designs and installations comply with the latest codes and standards.”

The SFIA Technical Guide for Cold-Formed Steel Framing Products, 2023.1 (February 2023), is applicable to the 2021 IBC and to newer versions of the California and Florida buildings codes.

The data in the Product Technical Guide is based on the American Iron and Steel Institute’s AISI S100-16/S2-20 “North American Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members” and meets the requirements of the following building codes:

• The 2021 International Building Code (IBC)
• The 2022 California Building Code
• The 2020 Florida Building Code

The SFIA Technical Guide for Cold-Formed Steel Framing Products has comparison tables, such as this Non-Structural (S) Stud Section Properties table.

“We’ve updated the properties tables and the comparisons in the new Technical Guide,” says Patrick Ford, SFIA technical director. “It’s the perfect, handy tool for engineers and others designing with cold-formed steel.”

The SFIA Technical Guide for Cold-Formed Steel Framing Products includes diagrams and notes on typical details such as bridging and bracing.

The Product Technical Guide supports the industry standard nomenclature published in the American Iron and Steel Institutes’s (AISI) General Provisions, S200, Section A5.2, which specifies the use of a four-part product designator to identify member depth, style, flange width and material thickness, such as this example:

The Product Technical Guide is available free of charge from SFIA’s Technical Publications page.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2022 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Additional Resources

• Checklist for Architects and Engineers Writing CFS Specifications
• 4 K-12 School Design Trends that Make Use of Steel Framing
• eBook: Specifying Cold-Formed Steel Framing: A Guide for Architects and Engineers

* A concerted effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the technical data represented in the Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) Technical Guide for Cold‐Formed Steel Framing Products. SFIA makes no representation, warranty, or guarantee in connection with this technical data and expressly disclaims any liability or responsibility for failure resulting from the use or misapplication of computations, detail drawings and specifications contained herein. All data, specifications and details contained in this publication are intended as a general guide for using SFIA member companies’ products. These products should not be used in design or construction without an independent evaluation by a qualified engineer or architect to verify the suitability of a particular product for use in a specific application. This publication contains the latest information available at the time of printing. The SFIA and its member companies reserve the right to make modifications and/or change materials of any of their products without prior notice or obligation. For the latest information regarding a particular manufacturer’s products, contact that manufacturer. All SFIA manufacturers may not produce all products listed in this publication. Please contact the specific manufacturer to verify product availability.