Reprinted from
The Construction Specifier, April 2007
Studcast
Walls
Precast and steel framing hybrid more than the sum of its parts
by Brian Smith and Michael Chusid, RA, FCSI, CCS
I
nnovative combinations of construction materi-
als and methods often result in new and improved
building systems. A case in point is the union of
architectural precast concrete and light-gage, cold-
formed steel stud framing. Both materials have long
records of service in construction and offer many ben-
efits. While each technology has inherent limitations,
using them together can yield a synergy in which the
combined performance exceeds the sum of the parts.
Architectural precast concrete, for example, is
a versatile building system that can be quickly erected
to provide durable walls. Unfortunately, traditional
precast can be very heavy, making it difficult to handle
and adding dead load to a structure. Cold-formed steel
framing, on the other hand, is lightweight, but does not
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enclose a building envelope. Combining the two mate-
rials provides both skin and bones for a wall. The con-
crete resists shear (in-plane) loads and braces the steel
framing, while the steel studs carries most of the wind
(transverse) and gravity (vertical) loads.
This fusion of steel studs and precast concrete
is termed thin-shell, cementitious-coated, cold-formed
steel stud wall panels by the International Code Con-
ference Evaluation Services (ICC-ES) Acceptance Cri-
teria (AC) 282. More simply, the hybrid system is often
referred to as studcast or pre-framed precast concrete.
The result is a prefabricated system suitable for clad-
ding, curtain walls, shaft walls, and exterior and interior
load-bearing walls.
Precast concrete and steel framing are both es-
1 April 2007 The Construction Specifier
tablished materials, and the construction industrys ac-
cumulated experience with them has benefited studcast.
For example, studcast walls can generally be engineered
and installed in accordance with applicable standards
created by organizations such as the Precast Concrete
Institute (PCI), Steel Framing Alliance (SFA), and Steel
Stud Manufacturers Association (SSMA), while spe-
cialized fasteners, connectors, and other accessories are
readily available. These materials do not support mold
or mildew and are impervious to damage caused by ter-
mites or vermin. They are also non-combustible and can
reduce property insurance premiums, while improving
life safety.
Studcast concretes light weight makes handling
easier, reduces or simplifies connections necessary to
attach the wall and adjacent construction, and allows
the use of smaller, more economical cranes. Alterna-
tively, larger panels become practical, with designs only
limited by transportation and job-site handling consid-
erations. Larger panels require fewer joints and can re- The layout of steel studs in walls always has to be coordinated with
duce air infiltration. Prefabrication leads to faster build- the layout of floor and roof framing members to optimize the load
ing enclosure, allowing other trades to work out of the path through the steel framing.
weather. walls, interest appears to be growing. (Various producers
Unlike conventional precast, studcast compo- have opened shop in climates as diverse as Eastern Can-
nents have built-in cavities for insulation and utilities. ada and California.) A selection of proprietary studcast
Interior finishes can be applied directly to the studs systems are available, primarily differing in the way the
without the additional furring. As the entire wall concrete is joined to the steel. For example, in some cas-
frame and skinis thinner, studcast concrete walls es, stud anchors can be welded to panelized steel frames
yield more floor area for the same building footprint, and embedded into fresh concretea method requiring
typically saving approximately 70 to 100 mm (3 to 4 in.) a qualified welder for panel fabrication. A simple alter-
around the perimeter of each floor. native is to use shear-transfer strips that can be screwed
Studcast systems have been used for the past two onto studs by any worker; the shear-transfer strips have
decades and while they still represent a small share of flanges that anchor in concrete. Another technique uses

Automated equipment can produce details in the steel framing that would be impractical with ordinary fabrication techniques. These
details, such as swaging the ends of studs and using notched studs instead of U-shaped channels for top and bottom rails contribute
to increased wall strength. Details like pre-punching and dimpling fastener holes also ensure more accurate dimensions and allow
fastener heads to be recessed. The end result yields a flatter substrate for better drywall application.
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 Light on the Environment
W
eight (i.e. mass) is an oft-overlooked issue
in the determination of environmental
sustainability. Mass is an indication of
the quantity of material consumed in
constructionbuildings with less mass simply use
less of the planets mineral, biological, and chemi-
cal feedstocks. When pursuing green goals, it is
always important to evaluate products from a to-
tal, balanced, sustainability point of view. As such,
it is crucial to take into account various aspects of
a materials environmental impacts at its various
manufacture, use, and end-of-life stages. Never-
theless, mass does come into play.
Transporting and handling heavy mate-
rials generally consumes more fuel and creates
other transportation-related environmental im-
pacts. Mass also translates into building dead load.
Minimizing a buildings mass can reduce the size
of structural members and conserve materials and
energy otherwise entrained in its foundation and
superstructure.
By this standard, studcast precast walls
with cellular concrete are mass misers. At as little
as 575 Pa (12 psf), cellular studcast have about
the mass of wood framing with 22-mm (7/8-in.)
thick stucco far less than most noncombustible
load-bearing wall systems. A conventional precast
concrete wall, for example, can weigh at least 400
special metal forming equipment to modify the flanges
of the studs so they can be embedded into concrete. Re-
cent innovations in studcast precast walls take advan-
tage of two new technologiessteel framing automa-
tion and cellular concrete.
Automated fabrication
Conventional steel panelization is labor-intensive.
Standard lengths of studs must be measured and cut to
size, workers must be specially trained, and assembly
requires special jigs and quality controlthese factors
combine to add time and expense. As steel stud fabrica-
tion catches up with the digital age, the project design-
ers CAD files can now be converted into instructions
for computer-aided manufacturing equipment (CAM)
to improve the speed, economy, and precision of fab-
rication and assembly. A compact, computerized roll-
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percent more.
The cellular concrete can contain as much
as 50-percent recycled material content, while the
steel can be even higher. Both components can be
produced from locally extracted raw materials.
Fly ash is a recycled smokestack by-product, and
framing can be fabricated from post-consumer
recycled steel.
Further, the prefabrication process pro-
duces almost no waste, either in the factory or
on-site, and the product has no volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) to emit. The cellular concrete
provides thermal insulation, and its light weight
makes it possible to fabricate and handle very
large panels that reduce air infi ltration to con-
serve heating and cooling energy.
The concrete in most studcast systems is
only 51 mm (2 in.) thick and contains less than
75 percent of the material required for thicker
conventional concrete walls. The small volume of
concrete translates into low cement consumption,
reducing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2). (A
ton of the greenhouse gas is emitted per ton of ce-
ment clinker produced.)
Finally, studcast walls have a long lifecycle
and require minimal maintenance. When it is
eventually demolished, most of the materials can
be readily separated for recycling.
forming machine transforms a coil of steel into studs
and channels ready for assembly. The components are
automatically cut to exact lengths so panels can be pro-
duced to accuracies within 1 mm over 23 m (1/32 in.
over 60 ft) of wall.
The automated equipment also fabricates steel in
ways that improve performance, but would be difficult
or impractical to manually implement. These include:
pre-drilling all pieces for screw assembly, which en-
ables a single worker armed with a screw gun to assem-
ble panels without special clamps or jigs;
dimpling screw holes so screw heads lie flush with
the panel surfacethis provides a flatter substrate for
gypsum board, which, in turn, allows higher grade fin-
ishes;
swaging stud ends for accurate mating with the in-
ternal profile of the channels (allowing studs to bear
3 April 2007 The Construction Specifier
directly on the bottom of the channel for better load
transfer); and
aligning holes in the stud webs for easier installation
of utilities in the finished wall.
Conventional steel framing uses U-shaped channels
at the top and bottom of C-shaped studs. Since the C-
shaped profile is stronger, the new system notches them
so they can be employed instead of U-shaped members
at the tops and bottoms of walls. Using the same profile
for both horizontal and vertical members, in conjunc-
tion with the swaging, also contributes to a flatter sub-
strate for gypsum board.

The champagne of concrete

The other significant innovation is cellular concrete,
which contains a potent, performance-enhancing addi-
tiveair. By replacing 50 percent of the concrete vol-
ume with closed-cell air bubbles, panel weight can be
cut to as little as 575 Pa (12 psf), half the weight of stud-
cast panels with normal concrete.
This type of cellular concrete is generated by
mixing cement paste with a froth. The resulting con-
crete foam has been used for many years in horizon-
tal applications like roof decks and below-grade fill.
However, its use in studcast construction is one of its
first applications in walls. Unlike some types of cellu-
lar concrete, (e.g. autoclaved aerated concrete [AAC])
the frothed mixture does not need to be heated during
curing; the reduced fuel requirement contributes to the
environmentally sustainable aspect of cellular studcast
walls. (For more on green implications of studcast, see
Cellular studcast walls are given form when an architects CAD
design is convertetd into a building information model (BIM) that
analyzes loading conditions, lays out studs and components ac-
cording to pre-engineered algorithms, and determines the length
and detailing of each component in the wall.
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The cementitious slurry contains up to 50 percent fly ash, a recycled
material. It is a pozzolanic material that increases the strength
and density of the concrete and acts as a filler to reduce portland
cement use. The free-flowing material encapsulates the expanded
metal and, when cured, produces a composite structure.
Light on the Environment, page 58.)
The aggregate used in this mixture consists of
billions of bubbles, rather than the crushed rock and
sand found in conventional concrete. The froth creates a
flowable and self-leveling mixture, even with a low wa-
ter-to-cementitious materials (w/c) ratio. Keeping the
w/c low increases concrete strength and decreases dry-
ing shrinkagetwo factors minimizing cracking. Syn-
thetic fibers are also used to increase concrete strength
and crack resistance.
The cement paste is a blend of portland cement
and as much as 50-percent fly ash. The latter acts both
as filler and as a supplementary cementitious material
(SCM). Since fly ash is a pozzolan, it improves the con-
crete by correcting a fundamental problem with the ce-
ment. As portland cement cures, approximately 20 per-
cent of the products of hydration become lime (calcium
hydroxide), a compound that does not increase concrete
strength and is water-soluble.
Lime can leech out of the concrete, leaving
microscopic pores that allow moisture to enter. Lime
deposits on the surface become efflorescence and can
permanently disfigure concrete. In contrast, pozzolans
react with the lime to form additional cementitious
crystals that densify and add strength to the concrete.
Fly ash decreases potential for efflorescence and creates
very dense cell walls of cement paste around each air
4 April 2007 The Construction Specifier
After frames are assembled, expanded metal is screwed to one face, and a perimeter mold strip is attached to form the edge of the
concrete facing and hold the framing at the correct height above the casting table. At left, the framing has been set in-place above thin-
brick veneer that will be cast into the face of the concrete. The photo at right provides a size comparison between a penny and cellular
concretes closed-cell air bubbles. By replacing 50 percent of the concrete volume with air, panel weight can be significantly reduced.

bubble to limit moisture migration.
The wedding of CAD/CAM-produced steel and
cellular concrete is a quick and easy ceremony. Instead
of the welded wire mesh used to reinforce other stud-
cast panels, the new system uses expanded metal direct-
ly screwed to one side of the panelized steel. Without
coarse aggregate, the cellular concrete can flow through
the expanded metal. When cured, the concrete/metal
combination gains significant shear resistance.
The concrete and expanded metal also provides
exceptional bracing to the steel studs. For example,
a 33-mil thick steel unrestrained studcalculated to
withstand approximately 300 kg/m (200 lb/ft) axial load
before buckling, according to SSMAwill resist about
1200 kg/m (800 lb/ft) when combined with expanded
metal and concrete (a 400-percent gain).
A special perimeter strip holds the panelized
steel frame at the proper height so the expanded metal
is at mid-depth in the concrete and about 25 mm (1 in.)
of the stud flange is fully embedded. As mentioned, the
concrete foam is self-leveling and therefore requires
neither vibration nor consolidation. Perimeter strips
also create edge details on the panel for reveals or to
simplify joint sealing.
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Form liners can be used to precast the concrete
with a variety of textures and patterns. The studcast
concrete can also be integrally colored or finished with
thin-brick, exposed aggregate, or other materials cast
into its surface. Alternatively, the concrete can be fabri-
cated with a smooth finish for field-applied coatings.
As is the case with the steel-forming equipment,
the new generation of equipment needed to make a
batch of foamed concrete has also been reduced in size
and complexity. The system is so compact it can even be
transported into the field to allow on-site casting of very
large panels.
Other benefits
In addition to reducing weight, air cells enhance the
concretes thermal and fire resistance. Studcast walls
with 51 mm (2 in.) of cellular concrete achieve R-4,
as compared to a conventional concrete masonry unit
(CMU) wall with a value of R-1.5. The same studcast
wall, with just 51 mm of cellular concrete, can provide
two hours of fire resistanceeven without adding gyp-
sum board over the exposed steelwhen tested under
ASTM International E 119, Standard Test Methods for
Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials. With
5 April 2007 The Construction Specifier
Light-gage steel studs are produced by automated roll-forming equipment that punches, notches, dimples, numbers, and cuts to length.
76 mm (3 in.) of concrete and one layer of 16-mm (5/8-
in.) gypsum board, it tested to three hours of fire resis-
tance.
Its acoustical insulating properties are similar-
ly beneficial. A wall with 51 mm of cellular concrete,
fibrous insulation, and a layer of 5/8 gypsum board
achieves a sound transmission coefficient (STC) of 55.
In addition to its fire resistance, this means cellular con-
crete studcast is suitable for corridor walls, party walls,
and other locations requiring both fire safety and acous-
tical privacy.
Studcast walls have sufficient strength for many
applications. Cold-formed steel framing can be used for
load-bearing walls up to six stories high, and the cel-
lular concrete facing of a studcast wall provides even
greater capacity. Under cyclical load testing, walls with
cellular concrete have been tested to provide racking
shear capacity of 4800-kg (10,500-lb) minimum top-of-
wall force with 11-mm (0.44-in.) maximum top-of-wall
displacement. The walls have even passed the stringent
Miami/Dade County Windblown Missile Impact Test.
Despite their myriad benefits, studcast walls are
not for every application. Forming curved or highly fac-
eted surfaces can be difficult, and the front-end logistics
of CAD/CAM programming can make the system im-
practical for small projects. In extreme environments,
special consideration must be given to controlling con-
densation due to potential thermal bridging by the met-
al studs. Still, studcast walls can be very affordable to
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build. For example, the National Training Center (Fort
Irwin, California) is currently erecting a 57-building
complex using studcast walls with cellular concrete. The
contractor for this design-build project compared stud-
cast walls to a number of other building systems and
found it to be not only the least costly, but also that its
prefabrication and simplified construction enabled the
schedule to be reduced by six months.
Conclusion
Studcast technology is applicable for both factory pre-
fabrication and site-cast (tilt-up) wall construction on
almost all types of buildings, including multi-family
housing, schools, industrial, commercial, and institu-
tional structures.
The special properties of cellular concrete stud-
cast make it a viable solution for buildings in all corners
of the United States. Shear-resistance makes it a candi-
date for earthquake-prone California, while the mois-
ture resistance of its closed cell structure is welcome in
the rainy Pacific Northwest. Studcasts added thermal
resistance and performance under potential conden-
sation and freeze-thaw conditions makes it attractive
for design professionals in Maine, and its resistance to
mold, wind, and airborne debris can enable a wall to
survive the hurricanes of Florida and the Gulf Coast.
6 April 2007 The Construction Specifier
 Additional Information
Authors
Brian Smith is CEO of Ecolite Concrete USA. He
began investigating cellular concrete more than a
decade ago while operating an architectural precast
company that used convention materials. He can be
reached at (800) 755-0555.
Michael Chusid, RA, FCSI, CCS, is principal of
Chusid Associates, technical and marketing consul-
tants to several companies producing pre-framed
precast wall systems. He can be contacted through
www.chusid.com.

MasterFormat No. UniFormat No. Key Words

03 45 00-Precast Architectural Concrete B1020-Structural Interior Divisions 03, 05, 07
05 41 00 - Structural Metal Stud Framing Walls Supporting Floors Cellular concrete
07 42 63-Fabricated Wall Panel Assemblies B1020-Structural Interior Light-gage steel framing
Walls Supporting Roofs
Pre-framed precast
B2010-Exterior Wall Exterior Skin
C1010-Partitions
Studcast

Abstract known as studcast. This prefabricated hybrid product is

A relatively new building system that fuses steel studs suitable for cladding, curtain walls, shaft walls, and exte-
and precast concrete into a thin-shell, cementitious- rior and interior load-bearing walls, but specifiers must
coated, cold-formed steel stud wall panels, otherwise understand the related design considerations.

Ecolite Concrete USA, Inc.

Head office:
2091 Las Palmas Drive. Suite E Carlsbad, CA 92011-1551
Tel: (760) 804-1957 Fax: (760) 804-9038
www.EcoliteConcrete.com info@EcoliteConcrete.com

www.EcoliteConcrete.com 800-755-0555 7 April 2007 The Construction Specifier