The Steel Framing Industry Association has launched a certification program to ensure that cold-formed steel connectors meet quality guidelines, building codes, and ASTM standards.
Association officials say they want to boost the consistency of quality for steel building components. The program includes laboratory tests, on-site inspections and unannounced audits to ensure certified steel products meet standard tolerances for shape, material thickness, and corrosion protection.
The group hopes that certification will increase the use of steel in construction as building codes have changed to allow more wood to be used to construct tall buildings. About a quarter of non-residential construction uses cold-formed steel, and another quarter relies on wood framing.
Improved confidence in the quality of steel should help preserve and even take market share in commercial construction, such as of dormitories and motels, the association says.
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