Iron Engineering FAQs

It is possible to weld cold-formed steel. The welder should be certified by the American Welding Society (AWS) D1.3 and follow AISI S100 standards. In general, field welding of material thinner than 16-ga is not recommended.

Joists or studs that bear on its flange put a compressive force into its web. In order to prevent buckling of the joist web, a small piece of the stud can be installed at the bearing location to improve the capacity.

No. Most metal clips are proprietary and have listed capacities. Another manufacturer might produce similar clips or one that can achieve the same result, but the capacities need to be checked.

No. While many manufactures are members of industry groups that have standards, some manufactures operate under their own guidelines. As an example, ClarkDietrich 16-ga stud material is standard 50-KSI steel. Other manufacturers have 16-ga as 33-KSI.

Usually not. Most general practitioner type structural engineers stay away from specialty engineering (aluminum, cold-formed steel, glass, trusses, etc.

It depends on the size and scope of the project. For a single-story retail building, we can complete the project in under two days’ time. However, our backlog of work may delay our start and require a couple of weeks to be returned to you.

Prices will vary with project size and complexity. We get small project requests that can sometimes be accomplished for under $1,000. A typical one-story retail building is usually between $2,000 and $4,000. Large projects with BIM can quickly get into the tens of thousands of dollars.

You are not allowed to use the capacities listed for a manufacturer’s clip by cutting a similar shape out of angle stock. Using a cut angle stock for a clip will require that your engineer calculate its capacity.

Most studs are cut to length that is requested by a supply yard or a customer. Many drywallers order studs cut to the exact length required at the job site to avoid waste and additional cutting. Tracks, however, are stocked standard at 10-feet.

Since the materials come off rollers being fed by large coils of steel, the limiting factor on stud/track lengths is the size of the rolling facility and the ability to ship it to the job site. Clark Dietrich’s plant in Bristol, CT can roll a stud/joist well over 100-ft long.