WEBINAR ON COLD-FORMED STEEL FRAMING DESIGN: WHERE DO I BEGIN?

December 11, 2025 | 3:00 p.m. Eastern

Presenters: Roger LaBoube, Ph.D., P.E., Patrick Hainault, P.E., and Andrew Newland, P.E.

For engineers new to the design of cold-formed steel framing there are a myriad of questions that arise.  For example, let’s consider the following CFSEI hotline inquiry.

I am designing a four-story CFS bearing wall building and am overwhelmed by the different member options and not sure what industry standards I should use. I know the walls will be 6" thick but I am unsure of any variable beyond. My question is:

• Should we just design everything to the lowest possible tonnage of steel and just assume all stud shapes/thickness/F_y are all easily available?
• Is it better to use only a few different sizes of stud/header that are easy to tell apart to avoid installation errors?
• Are there various stud types or header types that are very hard to get?
• Are there any resources showing relative availability of various members?
• If I use 600S200-43 and 600S200-54 in close proximity are contractors typically able to differentiate the two and install the correct member?

CFSEI recognized the need to provide design resources, thus the series of Beginner Tech Notes was created.  A new addition to the CFSEI Tech Note resources will be the primary focus of this webinar. 

Webinar Materials

• Presenter’s notes
• Evaluation Form
• Attendance Form

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is for engineers, architects, building officials and contractors.

Register Today

Format

Web-based seminar using "Go To Meeting" technology.

Duration

 1+ hour of lecture, followed by discussion and questions. (1.5 hours total).

Cost

Presenters

Roger LaBoube, Ph.D., P.E.
Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute

Dr. Roger A. LaBoube is Curator’s Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and former director of the Wei-Wen Yu Center for Cold-Formed Steel Structures at the Missouri University of Science & Technology. Dr. LaBoube holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla. He has an extensive background in the design and behavior of cold-formed steel structures. His research and design activities have touched on many facets of cold-formed steel construction, including cold-formed steel beams, panels, trusses, headers, and wall studs as well as bolt, weld, and screw connections. Dr. LaBoube is active in several professional organizations and societies. He served as chairman of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Committee on Framing Standards and is an emeritus member of the AISI Committee on Specifications for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members. He is a registered professional engineer in Missouri.

Patrick M. Hainault, P.E.
R.A. Smith, Inc.

Patrick Hainault is the Co-Director of Structural Services at raSmith in Brookfield, Wisconsin. His experience includes engineering design and staff management with raSmith and Matsen Ford Design Associates, Inc., where he was a principal and senior engineer for 21 years. His expertise includes application of the latest technologies and design concepts to a wide variety of primary and secondary structures, including prefabricated systems. His engineering systems design experience includes structural steel, reinforced concrete, engineered masonry and wood. He was a structural designer for a concrete reinforcement supplier and a technician for a national material-testing firm. Hainault is past-chair of the CFSEI Executive Committee, a member of the SFIA Technical Committee and the AWCI Construction Technology Committee. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Wisconsin and several other states. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Marquette University.

Andrew Newland, P.E.
ADTEK Engineers, Inc.

Andrew has more than 15 years of experience in both cold-formed steel manufacturing and design. He is a Principal at ADTEK Engineers, Inc. and the specialty structural team leader for the Charlottesville, VA, Fairfax, VA, Frederick, MD and Bay City, MI offices, which specialize in the design of load bearing and non-load bearing cold-formed steel framing in low & mid-rise construction as well as cold-formed steel framing and structural ceiling support for Data Centers.

Andrew is a member of the ASCE-SEI Committee on Cold-Formed Steel. He is a former member of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Committee on Specifications. He is a past chair of the CFSEI Executive Committee. Andrew is a graduate of Virginia Tech, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering and an M.S. degree in Civil Engineering.