How much material can be removed?
So, just how much material can be removed from metal studs without compromising their integrity?
The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute has an answer inย CFSEI Tech Note G500-11ย (โGuidelines for Inspecting Cold-Formed Steel Structural Framing in Low Rise Buildingsโ). Under section 1.0 Materials, paragraph 1.3 Web Holes, CFSEI Tech Note G500 says this:
- โThe size of a web hole should not be larger than one-half the web depth, or 2-ยฝโ maximum in the web direction and not more than 4-ยฝโ long in the member direction.โ
Theย Code Compliance Research Report, CCRR-0224, from Intertek says the same in paragraph 3.2:
- โWeb punch-out widths shall not exceed 2.5 inches, or half of the member depth. Web punch-out length shall not exceed 4.5 inches.โ
The ICC Evaluation Service, a subsidiary of the International Code Council, recommends a smaller hole limit:
- 1-ยฝโ, according to theย ICC-ES Evaluation Report, ESR-4205.
Pat Ford, Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) technical director, says that a few limited holes within CFS studs may be safely executed in the field. But, those cut studs will still need a thorough engineering review, he says. Some may need to be replaced.
Use factory punch-outs on CFS studs
The wise course is to use factory engineered punch-outs in CFS studs, rather than cut or notch studs in the field.
Metal framing contractors donโt generally notch or bore holes into CFS studs anyway. They install studs as they come from the factory. And many stud products have punch-outs to accommodate bridging members, as well as electrical, plumbing and HVAC elements.
Factory produced punch-outs can prevent random notching or boring that could otherwise compromise the integrity of the stud.
Article cited fromย www.buildsteel.org