Minimum Gauge for Steel Stud Behind Drywall

[Mandrill22]

Does anyone know how to verify what the minimum gauge requirement would be for a steel stud behind drywall? I think that ASTM C754 would have it, but I have no way of knowing without the document itself and I don't want to buy it just to find out that the min thickness isn't on there. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[BAretired]

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20 gauge studs are fairly standard. They allow the bugle head of drywall screws to be tightened sufficiently to sink the head below flush with drywall, allowing them to be easily covered with joint compound, and articles such as fire extinguishers, toilet accessories, shelves etc can be securely attached to them.

I haven't seen anything lighter than 20 ga. but I don't know if it's a code requirement or just a common sense thing.

BA

 

[JLNJ]

The answer, as with so many things in life, is “It depends.” and “Help me help you.”

What are the studs doing? Are they performing some serious structural work? Bearing? Non-loadbearing? Lintel? Header? Slip track? Sill? Shear wall? Fire separation wall? Partition wall?

 

[Mandrill22]

I'm basically trying to figure out what the minimum stud size would be in an existing dentist's office.

 

[JAE]

Are these interior walls or exterior walls?
Do they extend to a floor or roof above?

 

[Mandrill22]

These are interior walls and they will be in an office, so they extend to the ceiling, but I'm not sure about the roof. It just needs to be worst case scenario.

 

[Ron]

It is not likely they are gravity bearing walls, but they still have to be designed for internal pressurization, say 10 psf. BAretired touched on an issue you want to check and that is the capability to hold a fastener. Most commonly, CFS stud sections are typically 16,18 or 20 gauge depending on loading. You'll have to go through those numbers to get a logical answer.

 

[BAretired]

The attached table suggests that studs may come as light as 25 ga. but 20 ga. is likely minimum for drywall.

BA

 

[skeletron]

"How to verify the minimum requirement?" -- take off the finishes and measure the stud. The non-loadbearing studs should be minimum 20gauge. As @Ron alluded to, the fasteners "grip" begins to dominate the size requirement. If there are devices hanging off the walls, then I would anticipate some heavier gauge stud or boxed studs, but otherwise assume 20ga and move on.

 

[XR250]

25 gage is very common for interior, non-load bearing studs of reasonable height.
Honestly, I was on an Airport renovation and when the exterior wall was demo'ed, it was constructed of 25 ga studs and had no issues. The design pressure at airports is pretty high due to the potential jet blast, I assume.

 

[wannabeSE]

ASTM C754, Standard Specification for Installation of Steel Framing Members to Receive Screw-Attached Gypsum Panel Products, has tables for selecting studs. The tables list maximum height based on stud size, spacing, deflection criteria, uniform pressure. The standard has tables for 18 mil, 30 mil, and 33 mil studs.

 

[Brad805]

Bailey Platinum studs are quite common for non-load bearing. https://www.bmp-group.com/docs/defa...ud-load-tables---technical-sheet.pdf?sfvrsn=0

 

[oldinspector]

The 2015 International Residential Code (IRC) Section R 603, Cold Formed Steel Wall Framing, covers the topic well. With a bit of work you can get a free look at the code at the iccsafe. website.