What is the difference between the Steel Stud Manufacturer’s Association (SSMA) and the Steel Framing Industry Alliance (SFIA)?
I used to specify that steel stud manufacturers must be a member of SSMA. Now, I am wondering I should drop that requirement or include SFIA membership.
I would not require manufacturers of metal studs be members of either organization. Rather specify the standards in the AISC standard.
As I require SSMA took the leadership in defining standard notation for studs and in effect defining standard sizes that most manufacturers provide.
Correction I meant the AISI Standard
So far as I know, they are competing groups of manufacturers. They both, as well as the Certified Steel Stud Association (CSSA), have code-compliance certification programs.
Agreed. I no longer specify manufacturers or their organizations. It’s a commodity. Performance specify and be done with it.
I’v totally agree with Ken.
I just finished doing some research on steel stud manufacturer’s. As a result of my research, I’ve decided to make my steel stud spec a performance spec.
One added comment: There is a lawsuit pending over the use of studs with equivalent coatings (EQ) or G40e.
Clark-Dietrich is the manufacturer promoting the EQ coatings and is being sued by Cemco & Marino/Ware.
The point is moot in Calif. for school construction as they (C-D) don’t have an ICC ESR Report for the EQ coating, which is required by the Division of the State Architect (DSA).
Let’s not open that can of worms again.
http://discus.4specs.com/discus/messages/24/6768.html#POST39142
Richard,
Can you post some information regarding the suit? Any links to court records, etc.?
Unfortunately, I don’t have any additional information.
Fair enough Richard. I hear plenty of people talk about this lawsuit or that lawsuit when it comes to different products and until I see the actual records, I tend to take whatever is said with a gigantic grain of salt. Especially when the lawsuits or talk of lawsuits are coming from a competitor.
FWIW, I couldn’t find anything substantial in a few quick google searches either. Looks like there have been a few suits being traded back and forth between these companies, but I wasn’t clear that any of these are the suit you referenced.
Guest, as far as I know they’re still in the discovery phase. Several people on this forum were apparently deposed though, to my knowledge, no one was approached as being an expert witness so the purpose of that exercise is unknown. You can probably contact either side and request an update. They seemed willing to discuss this last I checked.
For those who did not know, the issue about the “equivalent” coating in that other thread only comes into play if you are allowing or specifying equivalent (dimpled) studs. As far as I know, all of the steel stud manufacturers still provide the standard thickness studs to meet specs that do not allow the use of EQ studs.
Who knows, maybe Green Girt will come up with a stud solution for CFMF.
The SSMA “Product Technical Guide” has been through the ICC Evaluation Service and is ESR 3064P, which means stud sizes and spacing for both CFMF and non-structural studs based on the tables in the book meet IBC 2009 and 2012. The book is a free PDF download. They also have some handy standard details.
Louis,
Please post a hyperlink to this free pdf download.
Thank you.
Gail, welcome to the 4specs Forum. In which part of the country are you located?
Hello James and all,
I work in Chicago:
Gail Ann J. Goldstead, AIA, CSI, LEED AP
Senior Technical Architect + Specifications Writer
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture LLP
111 West Monroe Suite 2300 Chicago IL 60603
T 312 870 4202
This is the SSMA technical page:
http://www.ssma.com/technical-library-pages-9.php
Here are some useful items on Steel Framing Alliance website:
http://www.steelframing.org/quicklinks.html
Here is the technical page from CFSEI:
http://www.cfsei.org/technical-publications
The generic information that these organizations provide can be very useful. I suggest caution when relying on their more proprietary content, especially regarding restricting your specs to their member companies. Use of equivalent (dimpled) studs using higher ksi steel with thinner gage or related equivalent coatings should be the decision of the individual Specifier.
Best of luck.
Ken, thanks for the links, very informative.
Gail, welcome to the forum, say hello to my old (college) friend Jorge V Soler.
Jerome,
Will do.
There are several archived threads about metal framing, but I’ll stay with an active discussion.
ClarkDietrich Building Systems Awarded Record $49.5M in Product Disparagement Suit Against CSSA
Hospitals in California also require an ICC ESR Report.