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Notching Metal Studs

I've only ever run across this type of construction twice, and both were in commercial settings, so I had to look it up. Here's what I found:

R603.2.6 Web holes, web hole reinforcing and web hole
patching. Web holes in wall studs shall comply with the
conditions as prescribed in AISI S230, Section A4.5. Web
holes not in conformance to the conditions as prescribed in
AISI S230, Section A4.5 shall be reinforced in accordance
with the provisions of AISI S230, Section A4.6 or patched
in accordance with the provisions of AISI S230, Section
A4.7.

R603.3.4 Cutting and notching. Flanges and lips of cold-
formed steel studs and headers shall not be cut or notched.
 
Yep...AISI....I know the guy that used to be their code guy here in CT....But there is really not much you can do with steel studs without the designers blessing...
 
I know of nothing specific for interior non-load bearing in the IRC. Not sure if ASTM 754 covers it or not because I don't have it, but I believe that would be the standard, as referenced by AISI. However, not sure either is referenced in the IRC. Might as well use spaghetti. Al dente would be better than fully cooked. May be something from the manufacturer or an ESR.
 
R702.3.3
Cold-formed steel framing supporting gypsum board and gypsum panel products shall be not less than 11/4 inches (32 mm) wide in the least dimension. Nonload-bearing cold-formed steel framing shall comply with AISI S220. Load-bearing cold-formed steel framing shall comply with AISI S240.

P2603.2.1​

In concealed locations, where piping, other than cast-iron or galvanized steel, is installed through holes or notches in studs, joists, rafters or similar members less than 11/4 inches (31.8 mm) from the nearest edge of the member, the pipe shall be protected by steel shield plates. Such shield plates shall have a thickness of not less than 0.0575 inch (1.463 mm) (No. 16 Gage). Such plates shall cover the area of the pipe where the member is notched or bored, and shall extend not less than 2 inches (51 mm) above sole plates and below top plates.


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How is that different from wood framing in residential construction when the plumber way over cuts the hole.
 
"The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute has an answer in CFSEI Tech Note G500-11 (“Guidelines for Inspecting Cold-Formed Steel Structural Framing in Low Rise Buildings”). Under section 1.0 Materials, paragraph 1.3 Web Holes, CFSEI Tech Note G500 says this:

“The size of a web hole should not be larger than one-half the web depth, or 2-½” maximum in the web direction and not more than 4-½” long in the member direction.”

The Code Compliance Research Report, CCRR-0224, from Intertek says the same in paragraph 3.2:

“Web 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.”

The ICC Evaluation Service, a subsidiary of the International Code Council, recommends a smaller hole limit:

1-½”, according to the 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."

 
I've only ever run across this type of construction twice, and both were in commercial settings, so I had to look it up. Here's what I found:

R603.2.6 Web holes, web hole reinforcing and web hole
patching. Web holes in wall studs shall comply with the
conditions as prescribed in AISI S230, Section A4.5. Web
holes not in conformance to the conditions as prescribed in
AISI S230, Section A4.5 shall be reinforced in accordance
with the provisions of AISI S230, Section A4.6 or patched
in accordance with the provisions of AISI S230, Section
A4.7.

R603.3.4 Cutting and notching. Flanges and lips of cold-
formed steel studs and headers shall not be cut or notched.

Both of those sections apply to load-bearing walls and partitions. The voice in the video asked about NON-load-bearing walls. I can't find anything in the IRC to address this question, so the answer is probably to defer to the manufacturer's installation instructions (if there are any). From a practical perspective, I can't imagine doing that without following up with a steel strap on each flange to span the notches.
 
Both of those sections apply to load-bearing walls and partitions. The voice in the video asked about NON-load-bearing walls. I can't find anything in the IRC to address this question, so the answer is probably to defer to the manufacturer's installation instructions (if there are any). From a practical perspective, I can't imagine doing that without following up with a steel strap on each flange to span the notches.
Interesting... I bet the product comes with a listing and instructions, which probably include some limitations even for non-loadbearing walls...
 
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