Codified standards for the use of cold-formed steel (CFS) construction materials were developed after WW2 when many countries such as the U.K. Japan, France, and Germany had acute housing shortages.
In North America since 1990’s over 20% of all affordable homes have been built with cold formed steel. In 2016, the LGS market in the U.S. was worth $14 billion. 11,289 businesses employed 75,649 people.
European Union: Section 1-3 of the Eurocode 3 (EN 1993).
Other countries use various design specifications, many based on US code AISI S-100.
LGS building system incorporated by ECD into Egypt’s building code in 2015.
System to be granted an official patent giving ECD® the EXCLUSIVE RIGHT for a period of FIVE YEARS to deploy the system in the Arab Republic of Egypt.
WHY LIGHT GAUGE STEEL?
High ‘strength-to-weight ratio’ (individual members are lighter per unit length than traditional wood, steel or concrete framing members).
100% recyclable (can be continuously recycled without losing physical properties).
Inorganic (will not rot, warp, split or crack).
Inert (does not emit fumes, gases, vapor or support the growth of molds & fungi).
Dimensionally stable (does not expand or contract with moisture content).
Produced in strict accordance with national standards (no variation in quality).
Non-combustible (does not contribute fuel to a fire, not susceptible to fire.).
Structures can be designed to meet any degree of loading (e.g. high seismic or high wind loads).
