At this year’s Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) Expo in Raleigh, North Carolina, the future of cold-formed steel (CFS) framing took center stage, thanks to Dr. Ben Schafer, professor of civil and systems engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Schafer, a longtime champion of CFS innovation, delivered insights on two breakthrough research projects shaping the future of steel framing. One focuses on a non-proprietary modular CFS floor system. The other is a full-scale, 10-story seismic test known as CFS-10.
Watch the full interview with Dr. Schafer (below) to hear how these projects could reshape industry standards and expand the possibilities for cold-formed steel framing.
Both projects aim to push beyond current industry limitations and demonstrate CFS’s potential in high-performance and high-rise construction.
Schafer: With CFSEI When It Began
Dr. Schafer’s connection to CFSEI goes back more than two decades. When Larry Williams — former executive director of the Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) — spearheaded the creation of CFSEI, he tapped Schafer and Don Allen, SFIA executive director, to bring together a group of engineers. What began as the Steel Framing Engineers Council (SFEC) evolved—after a dinner discussion—into the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute. Schafer served as CFSEI’s inaugural president.
“Larry had the vision,” Schafer said. “And now, 20 years later, we’re seeing that vision pay off — at events like this, with professionals coming together to advance cold-formed steel.”
Williams, who retired in 2024, was honored this week at the 2025 CFSEI Expo with CFSEI’s Distinguished Service Award — a full-circle moment for Williams and for the group he helped establish.
A New Modular CFS Floor System
A standout at the 2025 CFSEI Expo was Schafer’s work on a non-proprietary drop-in floor system, developed in collaboration with the Steel Deck Institute, American Institute of Steel Construction, engineering firm SGH and others.
The system uses steel deck topped with a screwed-on cementitious panel. The system is customizable. It ranges from a single 1.5-inch deck for short spans to six-inch-deep deck sections for longer spans or increased fire performance. The design provides partially composite action, giving it excellent strength and stiffness.
“This system has the potential to replace traditional CFS joist-and-panel floor systems,” Schafer explained. “In some cases, it could eliminate the need for interior joists altogether, relying solely on perimeter framing and a ledger system.”
So far, the system has undergone structural testing for strength, stiffness and vibration performance. Acoustic testing is still pending, but early results using similar USG panels suggest a clear path to meeting sound transmission criteria for commercial buildings.
Schafer emphasized the flexibility of the system and its suitability for modular and offsite construction approaches.
“It’s non-proprietary, meaning anyone can use or adapt it,” he said. “That’s key to broader industry adoption.”
Breaking the Height Barrier: CFS10
Schafer also shared an update on the CFS10 project — a landmark experiment at the University of California, San Diego’s shake table facility, designed to test a full-scale, 10-story, steel-framed building under simulated earthquake conditions.
With leadership from Dr. Tara Hutchinson at UCSD and support from industry and government partners, the building stands 100 feet tall and features steel framing, steel sheet shear walls, non-structural systems and life-safety elements like fire sprinklers and gas lines.
The goal: to gather real-world data that could help raise the 65-foot seismic design limit currently imposed on CFS in U.S. building codes.
“We’re fully built, fully instrumented and about to go live,” Schafer reported.
The goal of CFS10 is to gather data to help raise the 65-foot seismic design height limit imposed on cold-formed steel (CFS) structures.
The goal of CFS10 is to gather data to help raise the 65-foot seismic design height limit imposed on cold-formed steel (CFS) structures.
“There are nearly 1,000 sensors in the structure, connected by more than 28 miles of cabling. We’re measuring both structural and non-structural behavior — everything from seismic response to fire system performance.”
Shake tests are scheduled to begin in June 2025. The results could mark a turning point for CFS in mid- and high-rise construction.
“We’ve already had initial discussions with West Coast structural firms about designing performance-based 10-story buildings using CFS,” Schafer said. “This research is already starting to translate into practice.”
CFS: Engineering a Smarter Future
The projects presented by Dr. Schafer at CFSEI Expo underscore the momentum behind cold-formed steel as a versatile, high-performance structural solution. Whether it’s redefining modular flooring or expanding seismic code possibilities, this research signals a new era of opportunity for the steel framing industry.
“CFSEI has always been about education, training — and now, increasingly, research and innovation,” said Schafer. “It’s exciting to be part of the next chapter.”
Additional Resources
- Shaking Up CFS Design at NASCC: Video Spotlight with Johns Hopkins’ Ben Schafer
- Construction Begins on 10-Story CFS-NHERI Building, Seismic and Fire Testing to Follow
- NHERI Tallwood, Built with Steel Studs and Connectors, Was Earthquake Simulator Tested
- Recent Studies Confirm the Durability and Seismic Performance of Cold-Formed Steel Sheathing