There are many benefits of cold-formed steel framing in your storage facility including the fact that it's highly durable, cost-effective, easy to install, non-combustible, and sustainable too.

Find out more about cold-formed steel in the post below, and get an in-depth look at why it's the perfect construction material for your self-storage facility.

What Is Cold-Formed Steel?

Unlike hot-rolled steel construction materials, no heat is used in the process of making cold-formed steel (CFS). Instead, in cold rolled steel, sheets of structural quality are formed into shapes such as C-sections by rolling them through dies.

Why Is Cold-Formed Steel Used For Framing?

Storage facilities made from cold-formed steel are very effective and growing in popularity in the self-storage construction industry. Incredibly strong, but still lightweight cold-form steel can be easily transported and handled during the construction process, saving time, and person-power.

Additionally, because cold-formed steel is non-combustible, you can be sure you are opting for one of the safest possible construction materials for your storage facility's steel framing.

Indeed as the cold-formed steel sector develops new prefabricated systems are being created that make commercial building erection even faster, cheaper, and easier. It's no wonder then that cold-formed steel is one of the leading construction materials in self-storage facility construction. Continue reading for a detailed look at the benefits of using cold-formed steel in storage facility construction.

Benefit 1: Cold-Formed Steel is Easy To Install

Cold-formed steel is particularly well suited to storage facility construction because it's so easy to install. Indeed, several factors contribute to this benefit, including:

Cold-Formed Steel is Lightweight

First of all, cold-formed steel is a relatively lightweight material. This is good news for any construction project because it means a reduction in the need for heavy plant machinery needed for lifting higher-weighted materials.

Smaller constructions may need no plant at all, and of course, when working with lighter (but still strong) materials your project will go faster and easier too.

Less Need For Service Trades

In traditional construction, most projects need an extensive second fix. This is where the finishing touches and utility connections are completed.

However, because cold-formed steel can be easily pre-cut with openings for wiring etc, it's simply a matter of passing them through the openings rather than having to get service trades to come fix them.

Weather Resistant Construction

Another big benefit of choosing cold-formed steel construction for your storage facility construction is that, unlike buildings with brick or blocks, bad weather need not interrupt progress.

This is because cold-formed steel building construction can continue even in temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius.

No Need For Scaffolding

Since cold-formed steel is so lightweight, no scaffolding is needed to erect it. Instead, standard plant machinery can be used, saving time and money.

Delivered Pre-Engineered

Cold-formed steel can be fabricated to your precise specifications during manufacture. This means by the time your cold-formed steel is delivered to the site it already meets your measurement and shape requirements, and this means no cutting is needed.

The critical benefit of this is that it both speeds up the process and ensures maximum accuracy.

Benefit 2: Cold-Formed Steel is Cost-Effective

The next major benefit of choosing cold-formed steel for your self-storage facility is that it's supremely cost-effective. Indeed, several factors contribute to the reduced costs of cold-formed steel in commercial construction including:

Faster Construction Means Lower Costs

Since the cold-formed steel construction cycle is shorter than for other comparable materials, you can save money by using it. Specifically, using cold-formed steel gives access to advantages such as needing to hire Plant for less time, and so reduces costs in this way.

Reduced Project Cycle

Commercial construction with cold-formed steel, due to its accuracy, means a shorter project cycle. In turn, this means a wealth of benefits including a smaller window of construction-related liability, reduced project financing costs, faster completion, and earlier use of the building.

Fabrication Off-Site

The benefits of cold-formed steel being fabricated off-site include improved quality control, a faster project cycle, less waste, and reduced construction costs.

Benefit 3: Sustainable

Next, if your business is concerned with sustainability, you will find that cold-formed steel is an excellent choice.

This is because cold-formed steel parts contain around 30-65% recycled steel. Indeed, cold-formed steel is compliant with all the important green construction programs and standards.

The good news is that because over 80% of steel can be recycled repeatedly with no reduction in performance, you can be sure that the quality of any cold-formed steel components remains high too.

Additionally, the steel industry is currently in the midst of a drive to make production and fabrication greener, with a 42% reduction in CO2 emissions.

Benefit 4: Durable

Cold-formed steel framing is also a smart choice for the construction of storage facilities because of its incredible durability. Cold-formed steel framing is resistant to several important vulnerabilities including:

Repels Damp and Mould

One of the things that makes cold-formed steel framing so durable is that it resists dampness and mold. This is because of two main factors. The first is the structure of cold-formed steel, and the fact that it is attached with screws and studs means there is no place for moisture to get into.

In turn, this means that the cold-formed steel framing structure stays stable around doors and windows, and prevents leaks.

Additionally, because cold-formed steel is a non-organic material, it does not provide a haven or nutrition for mold like other materials such as wood.

Cold-Formed Steel is Resistant To Termites

CFS is compliant with termite-resistant construction, so that means there’s no need to worry about this insect infecting your structure and causing damage and weakness.

This is good news because it means if you use CFS there is no need to find expensive termite insurance or use toxic chemical treatments that mean you have to suffer downtime before staff can repopulate your building and get back to work.

Cold-Formed Steel Is Resistant To Corrosion

Depending on what you plan to use your storage facility for you may need to ensure it's corrosion resistant. The good news is that CFS is ideal for this purpose, as it resists corrosion and ensures long-term consistent use and strength.

There are many ways to protect cold-formed steel against corrosion that you may wish to consider. The first of these is barrier paint, which can be applied during the manufacturing process, and ensures corrosion resistance. However, the most common option is to choose galvanized cold-formed steel.

The galvanization process involves coating the v with zinc and is standard for most cold-formed steel production. The zinc then sacrificially corrodes any surface where the cold-formed steel becomes exposed, preventing further corrosion from occurring.

One of the critical benefits of galvanized cold-formed steel is that it will outlast the life of most buildings in which it is used, making it an excellent choice for commercial construction.

Resistance To Structural Warping

CFS is also resistant to structural framing because it is isotropic. This means it's just as strong as it is side to side as it is up and down.

Also because CFS is an inorganic material it won’t warp because of moisture. Lastly, due to the tighter envelope made in the CFS manufacturing process, it has excellent energy efficiency. In turn, this reduces repair costs, and long-term maintenance making it both structurally robust and cost-effective.

Benefit 5: Non-combustible and Robust

Finally, cold-formed steel is the ideal material for your storage facility project because it is hugely resilient as well as non-combustible. Indeed, cold-formed steel can withstand a range of natural hazards including window, snow, seismic and environmental loads, while still functioning. Similarly, cold-formed steel provides security against man-made ballistic events, as it will continue to function as designed should such an event occur.

Cold-formed steel is also incredibly strong compared to wood, making up to seven times more robust than wooden components.

Another benefit that cold-formed steel has over wood is that it is fire-resistant. Indeed, some cold-formed steel assemblies have a fire rating of up to 4 hours which can vastly improve safety in the completed building, and reduce damage and costs if a fire were to occur.

Summary

Cold-Formed Steel is a great framing choice for your storage facility for the following reasons:

Super lightweight, weather-resistant, and easy to install. Therefore, if you are looking for a material that will make your storage facility construction faster and easier then CFS is the perfect choice.
Cost-effective option. This is because it can be pre-fabricated off-site, and will reduce the length of your project cycle. Therefore if you are looking to keep your storage facility construction costs low, choose cold-formed steel framing.
Great choice for sustainability. It's made from partially recycled materials. To that end, if you are interested in a greener construction project for your storage facility, then cold-formed steel framing is the best choice.
Durable material. This is because it is resistant to dampness, mold, termites, corrosion, and structural warping. This makes CFS perfect for storage facilities where one or more of the above are frequent problems that use up valuable resources such as time and money.
Non-combustible and robust. This means it's resistant not only to fire but to other natural and person-made hazards. Therefore, by choosing cold-formed steel for your storage facility construction you can save a huge amount of money, both by protecting your building from risk and ensuring its long-term functionality.

5 Benefits of Cold-Formed Steel Framing