When curtain wall framing needs to go taller, span wider, or perform in seismically active zones, the choice of framing member matters. JamStud®, manufactured by The Steel Network (TSN), is a patented curtain wall stud engineered to deliver greater strength and stiffness than conventional CFS studs — using less material in the process.

For structural engineers specifying curtain wall assemblies, JamStud offers a path to better performance, lower material quantities, and more efficient designs. SteelSmart® System’s Curtain Wall module supports the design of curtain wall framing with TSN members, giving engineers the tools to evaluate and specify JamStud within a complete wall design workflow.

What Makes JamStud Different?

JamStud’s patented cross-section geometry significantly improves both axial and lateral load resistance compared to standard curtain wall studs of equivalent gauge. The result is a member that can span taller wall heights, accommodate wider stud spacing, and handle demanding wind and seismic load conditions — all without requiring heavier gauge steel.

This structural efficiency has direct downstream benefits: fewer studs per assembly, reduced material costs, and less labor time in both fabrication and installation.

Key Performance Advantages

Increased strength and stiffness — JamStud’s enhanced section properties allow for taller walls and wider stud spacing than conventional alternatives, reducing the total number of framing members required without sacrificing structural performance.

Superior curtain wall performance — Curtain wall systems must resist wind loads and accommodate seismic drift without transferring unintended forces into the framing. JamStud’s geometry minimizes deflection under lateral loads, helping walls perform as designed under real-world conditions.

Material and cost efficiency — By achieving greater performance from lighter gauge steel, JamStud enables specifiers to reduce material quantities and overall project costs compared to standard stud substitutions that require heavier members or closer spacing.

Straightforward installation — JamStud is compatible with standard CFS construction methods and requires no special tools or modified installation sequences, making it easy to incorporate into conventional curtain wall framing workflows.

Sustainability — Using less material to achieve the same or better structural performance reduces embodied carbon and jobsite waste — meaningful advantages for projects pursuing LEED or other green building certifications.

Framing accuracy affects everything downstream — stud alignment, drywall installation, mechanical coordination, and finish quality. When precision is built into the product rather than dependent on field measurement, the entire construction process becomes faster and more reliable.

NotchTrak®, manufactured by The Steel Network (TSN), is a pre-notched track system that does exactly that. Designed for bridging and wall backing applications in light steel framing, it eliminates the manual measuring and cutting that slow crews down and introduce error — replacing it with factory precision that transfers directly to the jobsite.

What Is NotchTrak®?

NotchTrak is a high-strength galvanized steel track with pre-punched notches spaced to fit securely around stud flanges. In bridging applications, it slides over studs without the need for layout marks or field cutting, providing consistent stud-to-stud spacing across the entire wall assembly. It also functions as a backing system for wall-mounted fixtures and is available in multiple track sizes to suit a wide range of project conditions.

The result is a system that embeds precision into the component itself — so accuracy doesn’t depend on the experience level of the crew installing it.

Why It Matters for CFS Design and Specification

Bridging is a critical element of cold-formed steel wall design. It restrains studs against lateral-torsional buckling, distributes loads more evenly, and contributes to the overall stiffness and performance of the wall assembly. When bridging is inconsistently installed — due to field measurement errors or miscut track — the structural behavior of the wall can deviate from what was designed.

NotchTrak addresses this by standardizing the bridging installation process. The pre-punched notch spacing ensures that studs are held at the designed intervals, supporting the structural intent of the framing layout rather than leaving it to field judgment.

For engineers specifying CFS bridging systems, NotchTrak offers a product that connects design intent directly to field execution.

Prefabrication has become one of the most compelling strategies in modern commercial and multifamily construction — and cold-formed steel (CFS) is at the center of it. Its consistency, strength, and compatibility with engineered connection systems make it ideally suited for the speed, repeatability, and quality control that prefab construction demands.

SteelSmart® System is built to support this shift, giving structural engineers the design tools to take CFS framing from concept to construction-ready documentation — whether for panelized wall systems, floor assemblies, or modular components.

Why CFS Is a Natural Fit for Prefabrication

Labor shortages, rising material costs, and compressed project timelines have pushed the industry toward more controlled, efficient building methods. Prefabrication addresses all three by moving as much work as possible into a shop environment, reducing jobsite variables and improving installation speed.

Cold-formed steel supports this model in several important ways. It is non-combustible and well-suited for fire-rated assemblies. It is dimensionally stable, with no risk of warping, shrinking, or moisture-related callbacks that can derail a prefab schedule. And its high strength-to-weight ratio makes panels and assemblies easier to transport and handle on site. Together, these properties enable the predictable, repeatable assembly that prefab construction depends on.

Connections Are Where Prefab Performance Is Won or Lost

Prefabrication success depends on more than just the framing members. The connections that tie panels and assemblies to the primary structure — and to each other — must ensure structural continuity, accommodate building movement, and be fast to install in the field.

This is where TSN’s engineered connector systems are critical. Products like VertiClip® and DriftTrak® manage vertical deflection and lateral drift at head-of-wall and slab bypass conditions, allowing prefabricated assemblies to perform as designed under real building loads and movement. StiffClip® connectors provide reliable rigid load transfer where movement accommodation isn’t needed. All are manufactured to consistent tolerances and backed by load-rated performance data.

SteelSmart® System integrates the full TSN product library, enabling engineers to design framing layouts and specify connectors within a single workflow — generating the documentation that shop fabricators and field crews need to execute efficiently.

What SteelSmart® Adds to a Prefab Workflow

When CFS framing is headed for a prefab or panelized application, SteelSmart® System supports the process from design through documentation. Engineers can size load-bearing and curtain wall members, design shear walls, specify TSN connectors, and generate DXF layouts and design reports — all without leaving the platform.

SteelSmart® Framer, the BIM plugin for Autodesk® Revit®, extends this further by enabling detailed 3D modeling of stud layouts, connectors, bridging, and shear walls within the project BIM model. Panel material takeoffs can be exported directly to Excel, and panel shop drawings can be generated with associated material lists — exactly the kind of documentation that makes prefab coordination faster and more accurate.

The result is a design-to-fabrication workflow that reduces layout errors, shortens coordination cycles, and gives contractors the clarity they need to install CFS assemblies right the first time.

Cold-formed steel studs have become a cornerstone of modern structural framing, particularly in mid-rise construction. But despite decades of proven performance, misconceptions persist — and they can create unnecessary hesitation in design and procurement decisions.

SteelSmart® System is built to help structural engineers design load-bearing CFS framing with accuracy and confidence. Here we address five of the most common myths, and what the facts actually mean for your next project.

Myth #1

Steel Framing Is Too Complex to Design

Fact: This concern often stems from unfamiliarity rather than actual complexity. SteelSmart® System is purpose-built to streamline CFS design — covering load-bearing walls, floor framing, roof framing, shear walls, and more within a single software platform. Engineers can design stud layouts, size members, specify TSN connectors, and generate documentation without jumping between tools or relying on manual load table lookups. In practice, a well-structured CFS design workflow often leads to fewer RFIs during construction, not more.

Myth #2

Steel Framing Is More Expensive Than Wood

Fact: Material unit costs don’t tell the whole story. Steel’s high strength-to-weight ratio results in lighter structures, which can reduce shipping and handling costs. Its dimensional stability accelerates installation — especially in panelized or prefabricated assemblies — and eliminates the delays associated with wood shrinkage, warping, or moisture-related callbacks. When total installed cost is evaluated across the full project timeline, CFS framing is frequently competitive with or better than wood, particularly on mid-rise and commercial work.

SteelSmart® System supports accurate quantity takeoffs and design documentation, helping project teams make well-informed comparisons from the start.

Myth #3

Steel Framing Transmits Too Much Sound Between Units

Fact: Sound performance in CFS construction is primarily a detailing challenge, not a material limitation. With proper design — including resilient channels, sound attenuation clips, and appropriate insulation — airborne and impact noise can be dramatically reduced to meet or exceed IBC and project-specific IIC and STC requirements. TSN’s framing systems are compatible with acoustically rated assemblies, and SteelSmart® System supports the structural design of the wall and floor assemblies these details are built around.

Myth #4

Steel Is Difficult to Work With On Site

Fact: Modern CFS framing is engineered for efficient field installation. Pre-punched studs simplify mechanical runs, consistent sizing makes stacking straightforward, and screw-friendly flanges reduce installation time. Unlike wood, steel requires no acclimation period — framing can begin immediately regardless of weather conditions. TSN also offers cut-to-length studs with labeled components for placement clarity, accommodating custom conditions that standard-length suppliers typically can’t support.

SteelSmart® System generates the design documentation and connection details that help contractors execute CFS framing with clarity and confidence — reducing field errors before they happen.

Myth #5

Steel Is Prone to Corrosion

Fact: Like any structural material, steel requires appropriate product selection for the exposure conditions — and TSN’s products are fabricated using high-strength galvanized steel that provides durable corrosion resistance in a wide range of environments, including high-humidity and coastal applications. With correct specification and detailing, corrosion risk in CFS framing is minimal and well-managed. SteelSmart® System helps engineers specify the right TSN products for the conditions at hand.

Modular construction is reshaping how buildings are designed and delivered — and cold-formed steel (CFS) is proving to be a critical part of that evolution. Its high strength-to-weight ratio, dimensional consistency, and compatibility with offsite fabrication make CFS framing a natural fit for modular systems.

But one challenge demands careful engineering attention: ensuring adequate lateral stiffness and seismic resistance in modular assemblies, particularly when units are stacked. A 2025 study published in Structures addresses this directly — and its findings have meaningful implications for how engineers should approach CFS wall design in modular projects.

What the Research Shows

“Lateral stiffness of modular steel structures infilled with cold-formed steel walls” (full article)

The study’s key findings:

• CFS infill walls significantly increase the lateral stiffness of modular steel frames
• Connection detailing — specifically how CFS walls are fastened to the frame — directly affects lateral performance
• A simplified model using axial springs to represent studs accurately predicts system behavior, validated by quasi-static full-scale testing
• Openings such as doors and windows reduce stiffness, but the effect can be addressed through deliberate design choices

The takeaway for structural engineers: infill CFS walls aren’t just partitions — they’re active structural contributors to lateral system behavior, and their connections need to be designed accordingly.

Designing These Systems with SteelSmart®

SteelSmart® System is built to support precisely the kind of nuanced CFS design this research highlights. The software integrates TSN’s full connector and framing library, allowing engineers to design and specify systems that account for drift, deflection, and lateral load transfer within a single workflow.

The construction and steel industries are navigating a period of rapid change. Sustainability mandates, supply chain pressures, shifting trade policy, and growing demand for prefabrication are all reshaping how buildings get designed and built. For structural engineers working in light steel framing, having the right software and product ecosystem in place is more important than ever.

Here’s a look at the four key forces shaping the industry — and how SteelSmart® System and The Steel Network (TSN) are positioned to help design teams stay ahead of them.

Sustainability & Decarbonization

The push to lower the carbon footprint of construction is accelerating. Projects and policies increasingly call for green building approaches, and material choices are under greater scrutiny.

Cold-formed steel is well-suited to this environment. Steel is the most recycled material in the world, and TSN works with standard mill materials that already incorporate significant recycled content. SteelSmart® System supports LEED-conscious design workflows and is built around the TSN product library, giving engineers a direct path from sustainable material specification to accurate structural design.

The Shift Toward Prefabrication

Speed, waste reduction, and quality control are driving broader adoption of prefabricated and modular construction methods. Light steel framing is a natural fit — it’s precise, dimensionally consistent, and well-suited to offsite panel fabrication.

As architects, engineers, and contractors look for systems that reduce site time and coordination risk, demand for integrated framing solutions will continue to grow. SteelSmart® System’s design modules and SteelSmart® Framer — the BIM plugin for Autodesk® Revit® — are built to support this shift, enabling engineers to move from design to panel documentation within a single connected workflow.

Supply Chain & Trade Pressures

Tariffs, trade policy, and raw material volatility remain ongoing challenges for the construction industry. Material costs and lead times can shift quickly, making reliable specification and sourcing increasingly important.

TSN is U.S.-based with multiple manufacturing locations, reducing exposure to long international supply chains. Their engineering documentation, technical catalogs, and submittals help design teams specify correctly the first time — reducing the risk of substitutions, delays, and costly field corrections. SteelSmart® System reinforces this by generating accurate design outputs that support clear, defensible specifications from the start.

Regulatory & Code Pressures

Building codes and sustainability standards are evolving rapidly. Energy performance requirements, seismic design provisions, fire ratings, and carbon accounting are all areas where the bar continues to rise.

TSN holds ICC Evaluation Service Reports (ICC-ESR) and compliance data for its connector products, and its design guides address seismic design, vertical deflection, medical facility applications, and more. SteelSmart® System is kept current with applicable standards, giving engineers confidence that their designs are aligned with the latest code requirements — and that the documentation to support those designs is readily available.