Fire Safety

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Fire Safety

Steel is noncombustible, so it does not contribute to the ignition of fires, the spread of fires, or the size and severity of fires, thus reducing risks to occupants, firefighters and property/business owners.
Unprotected steel frames can be used in a wide range of building occupancies and sizes in accordance with building codes.
For larger and higher buildings, fire resistance rated designs for steel building elements and systems are available with fire resistance ratings of up to four hours using a broad variety of fire protection materials, including concrete, masonry, gypsum board, mineral and ceramic fire boards and blankets, sprayed fire resistant materials (SFRM) and intumescent coatings.
Fire resistance rated designs are available for unprotected steel deck with concrete topping floor systems.
Fire resistance rated designs are available for unprotected concrete-filled hollow steel section (HSS) columns.
Detailed design guidance for the selection of fire resistance rated designs is available from:
The same fire protection thickness for structural steel-framed deck/concrete floor ratings as found in UL Design No. D982 is now available in either restrained or unrestrained conditions, according to tests performed at Underwriters Laboratories in 2013. Read more at"Restrained or Unrestrained?" Modern Steel Construction, Sept. 2013.
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) in Canada has implemented load restrictions on structural steel beams in its fire tests for several years. However, the UL has not provided clear load restriction guidelines that are applicable to the U.S. marketplace. Clarification on how to apply load restrictions in the U.S. and suggested solutions for using UL Designs for fire protection with today's steel design codes are available. Read more at"UL Design Considerations," Modern Steel Construction, October 2015.

Latest News

CFSEI to Host Webinar on "Cold-Formed Steel Framing Attachment to Concrete in Seismic Zones" on June 11, 2020

May 19, 2020

This webinar will clarify the intent of the language in AISI S100-16 and Chapter 13 of ASCE/SEI 7-16 as it relates to PAFs used to attach track to concrete in Seismic Design Categories A-C and E-F.

Cold-Formed Steel Research Consortium Announces New Conference

April 30, 2020

CFSRC Colloquium organizers have issued a call for papers related to cold-formed steel structural engineering that are due May 27, 2020.

SUPC Offers Free Webinar Series on How to Build Better Distribution & Subtransmission Systems with Steel Poles

April 14, 2020

The webinars will be held from April 16 – May 28, 2020 and will cover topics essential to the design, installation and maintenance of steel utility poles.

Steel Framing Alliance and Super Stud Building Products, Inc. Sponsor Two Webinars in April

April 13, 2020

The webinars will be held on April 15, 2020 and April 22, 2020 at 12 p.m. EDT.

SSSBA Launches Free Steel Bridge Weekly "Shelter-in-Place" Webinar Series During April and May

March 31, 2020

The seven-part weekly webinars begin on April 7 at 3 pm EDT and focus on solutions for cost-effective short span steel bridges. Each webinar awards 1 PDH or 1 LU.