More than 250 structural engineers, designers, researchers and construction professionals registered this week in Long Beach, California, for the 2026 CFSEI Expo presented by the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI). CFSEI Expo is the industry’s leading annual event dedicated exclusively to cold-formed steel (CFS) framing design and construction.
Held May 18–20 at the Westin Long Beach, the three-day conference combines technical education, networking and hands-on demonstrations. Expo focuses on the latest developments in cold-formed steel (CFS) design, engineering and construction.
Day One of the CFSEI Expo focused on hands-on demonstrations from manufacturers and special networking events for attendees. CFSEI also hosted a separate mixer for younger engineers.
Featured image above: Chuck Webb of ClarkDietrich Engineering Services helps Allyssa Pease, P.E., of raSmith sharpen her fastening skills during Tool Time at the 2026 CFSEI Expo in Long Beach, California.
‘Tool Time’ Takes Engineers to the Field
The Expo opened Monday afternoon with “Tool Time,” a hands-on outdoor demonstration session that has become one of the event’s signature attractions. Rather than beginning with classroom presentations, attendees gathered around live demonstrations featuring fastening systems, framing components, layout tools and installation techniques.
Maihan Ali of George Mason University, a CFSEI student competition award winner, uses the TrueShear shearing press from Grabber to cut a sample cold-formed steel (CFS) stud during Tool Time at the 2026 CFSEI Expo in Long Beach, California.
Jaime Manzo of CEMCO demonstrates the CEMCO FireRip® for fire-rated drywall assemblies to engineers attending Tool Time at the 2026 CFSEI Expo in Long Beach, California.
Cydney Skeens of Scottsdale Construction Systems demonstrates pop-riveting tips to engineer Suyun Sun of Gregory P. Luth & Associates during Tool Time at the 2026 CFSEI Expo in Long Beach, California. Skeens is host of the “Roll Forming with ScotCyd” video series.
Manufacturers and suppliers showcased products while engineers, contractors and design professionals discussed constructability, performance and field applications. The atmosphere of the lead-off session felt closer to an active job site than a traditional engineering conference. Tool Time reflected a broader theme to run throughout the 2026 CFSEI Expo: practical engineering built around resilient cold-formed steel systems and grounded in real-world construction experience.
“Tool Time helps connect engineering theory with what actually happens in the field,” one attendee said during the session. “You can see how products perform, ask questions directly and have conversations that are difficult to replicate in a classroom setting.”
CFSEI Expo Attendees Relax at Evening Socials
The first day concluded with a social mixer that gave attendees an opportunity to continue their “Tool Time” conversations.
CFSEI also hosted a special networking mixer focused on younger engineers. The event reinforced the organization’s emphasis on mentorship, professional development and strengthening the next generation of cold-formed steel design professionals.
“These conversations remain one of the Expo’s biggest draws,” said one attendee.
“The ability to sit down with people who deal with the same design challenges every day is incredibly valuable,” another attendee said.
Structural engineers, designers, researchers and construction professionals relax during the 2026 CFSEI Expo social mixer following the conference’s first day in Long Beach, California.
Jeff Klaiman, P.E., of ADTEK Engineers; Benjamin Schafer, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University; Kara Peterman, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst; and Frank Pospisil of USG unwind during the 2026 CFSEI Expo in Long Beach, California.
Nicola Ishaq of Bailey Metal Products, Ltd. and his wife, Maram, relax during the 2026 CFSEI Expo social mixer following the conference’s first day in Long Beach, California.
Young engineers gather during the CFSEI Young Member Group Mixer at the Westin Long Beach during the 2026 CFSEI Expo in Long Beach, California.
Tuesday’s Keynote to Highlight CFS Resilience
The 2026 CFSEI Expo technical program will feature presentations on seismic design, prefabrication, structural research and emerging trends in cold-formed steel framing. Engineers will earn continuing education credits while exchanging ideas with peers from across North America.
The 2026 CFSEI Expo keynote will provide a rare opportunity. Attendees will hear directly from researchers leading one of the most significant structural experiments ever conducted on a cold-formed steel building.
KEYNOTE: “Advancing Cold-Formed Steel in Mid-Rise Building Systems in High Seismic Zones: Accomplishments of the CFS-NHERI and CFS10 Capstone Programs,” will be presented Tuesday, May 19, from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Tara Hutchinson, Ph.D., of the University of California San Diego and Benjamin Schafer, Ph.D., P.E., F.SEI, of Johns Hopkins University, and Lynn Padgett, ClarkDietrich Engineering Services, will examine recent research and full-scale testing focused on improving the seismic performance of cold-formed steel building systems.
Leading Researchers Behind CFS-NHERI and CFS10
The keynote will be presented by three internationally recognized researchers in structural engineering.
Dr. Tara Hutchinson
Tara Hutchinson, Ph.D.
Tara Hutchinson is a professor in the Department of Structural Engineering at University of California, San Diego. Her research spans geotechnical, structural and earthquake engineering.
Much of her work involves large-scale shake-table and fixed-reaction experimentation. Hutchinson earned her Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, and her M.S. from the University of Michigan. Hutchinson joined the UC San Diego faculty in 2007 and currently serves as director of the Powell Laboratory. In 2024, she was appointed the Jan Talbot Endowed Chair in the Jacobs School of Engineering.
Dr. Benjamin Schafer
Benjamin Schafer, Ph.D., P.E., F.SEI
Benjamin Schafer is the Hackerman Professor of Civil and Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins University and director of the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute.
Schafer is widely recognized for his contributions to cold-formed steel structural research and design standards. He serves on several national committees focused on steel building engineering. His work has earned numerous awards for research, teaching and professional leadership.
Lynn Padgett
Lynn Padgett
With three decades of engineering experience, Lynn Padgett, senior project manager at ClarkDietrich Engineering Services, LLC, specializes in cold-formed steel (CFS) multi-story load-bearing building design.
Since 2006, Padgett has been part of a design team for MSLB building systems with a focus on value engineering, efficient structural solutions, constructibility and good client service. His experience includes design, testing, and construction for many load-bearing wall and lateral force-resisting configurations including steel sheet and flat strap shear walls, CFS joist floor and roof, structural steel integration into CFS assemblies, and exterior non load-bearing framing.
Prior to joining ClarkDietrich, Padgett was an engineer at Worthington Construction Group, where he was part of a design-supply-build team advancing the application of CFS building systems in commercial and residential markets in China, Africa and the Middle East. He is a 1996 graduate from Fenn College of Engineering at Cleveland State University.
Attendees packed technical sessions during the 2026 CFSEI Expo in Long Beach, California. Registration exceeded 250 people, setting a record for a CFSEI Expo event.
Professionals attending the 2026 CFSEI Expo will gain insight into the research shaping the future of cold-formed steel construction. The keynote offers a timely look at the data and design insights that could expand the material’s role in seismic regions.
2026 CFSEI Expo
Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) 2026 Expo
May 18-20, 2026
Westin Long Beach Hotel
Long Beach, CaliforniaEarn up to 15 PDHs / 9 AIA LU Credits
Expo Capitalizes on CFS Framing Growth
Cold-formed steel framing continues to expand into mid-rise buildings, panelized systems and prefabricated construction. That growth has increased demand for engineers with specialized CFS knowledge, helping drive attendance at events such as the CFSEI Expo.
CFSEI’s annual conference has become a central meeting place for engineers working in cold-formed steel design and research. The event draws both longtime industry engineers and specialists and younger engineers entering the profession.
This year’s Expo underscores the continued momentum behind cold-formed steel framing. Engineers, manufacturers and contractors look for resilient and more sustainable building systems.
Additional coverage from the 2026 CFSEI Expo will appear on BuildSteel.org in the coming days and weeks.
Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute
The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) comprises hundreds of structural engineers and other design professionals. Together, they are finding a better way to produce safe and efficient cold-formed steel (CFS) designs for commercial and residential structures. CFSEI members develop industry standards and design methods. CFSEI issues technical bulletins, organizes seminars and provides online training so that engineers and design professionals can improve their knowledge and skills. CFSEI is part of the Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) family. For more information, visit www.cfsei.org.
Additional Resources
- Register for the 2026 CFSEI Expo in Long Beach, California (May 18-20)
- CFS-NHERI and CFS10 Capstone Seismic Research to Take Center Stage in Keynote at 2026 CFSEI Expo
- CFSEI Expo’s Emerging Technologies Session to Showcase the Future of Cold-Formed Steel Design (May 20)
- Building for Fire: How Cold-Formed Steel Is Changing Noncombustible Construction (May 20)
- CFSEI Announces Speakers for 2026 CFSEI Expo in Long Beach, California (May 18-20)