Standards play an essential role in the design and construction industries, providing criteria for safe and effective structures. When these Standards are incorporated by reference into building codes, such as the International Building Code, these Standards become mandatory, legally binding requirements.
Without these consensus Standards, the viability of cold-formed steel products as a building material is decreased because there would not be “rules” for designing and constructing with it.
Since 1946, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has played a vital role in the development of Standards for cold-formed steel in structural applications. The AISI Committee on Specifications and the Committee on Framing Standards produced and maintained a suite of 34 consensus Standards, developed under American National Standards Institute (ANSI) requirements. The ANSI designation of “American National Standard” (ANS) on a Standard developed under their rules is a mark that a standard was developed under rigorous guidelines that ensure fairness and due process. Without these American National Standards, building design and construction in the US would be severely hampered. In October 2023, AISI announced that they would be closing down their Codes and Standards division effective at the end of that year. This shutdown included the development and maintenance of those 34 cold-formed steel standards.
With AISI’s departure from the cold-formed standards arena, an immediate void needed to be filled quickly. Although the standards would still exist, no governing body would be left to maintain and update them. They would eventually fade into obsolescence, which threatened to disrupt the industry.
Recognizing this problem, the Steel Deck Institute (SDI) stepped into that void to continue the standards in AISI’s absence. This blog provides an overview of that process. It highlights:
- How we got here
- Which organizations are now managing standards previously maintained by AISI
- Where to find more information about the ongoing changes
Exit AISI, Enter SDI
The American Iron and Steel Institute closed its cold-formed steel standards program in late 2023. This left 34 cold-formed steel standards without a governing body to maintain and update them. Since then, a group of steel industry leaders, led by the SDI through its Technical Director, have been working to maintain and reassign the standards to the organizations best suited to manage them.
At that time, the Steel Deck Institute was the only impacted organization that was already an ANSI accredited standard developer (ASD). This made SDI a natural fit for managing many of the 34 standards. However, other organizations have stepped up, too. These include:
- The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)
- The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA)
- The Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA)
Together with SDI, these organizations are taking over the national standards that AISI abandoned. So, what does that mean for the industry?
The key takeaway is that the former AISI’s standards will still continue to exist. They’ll just be maintained by different associations more specifically aligned with those standards. Over time, this may lead to some changes in the designation of the standards. But the general provisions in those standards will remain similar to what the industry has worked under.
Similar Standards, New Standard-Bearers
One of the main challenges of this transition has been assigning the previous AISI standards to new organizations. Here’s a look at where we’re at today.
AISC
The American Institute of Steel Construction currently maintains the AISC 360 standard for heavier steel hot-rolled products. The current longer-term plan is for AISC to take content from the AISI S100 Standard and incorporate it into the existing AISC 360 standard. Until this incorporation, the SDI will continue to support and maintain the AISI S100 Standard.
The AISC has a task committee in place to consolidate some of the existing standards in this area. Previously, the standard a manufacturer followed would change based on the thickness of the steel and how it was formed. Industry leaders at SDI and AISC recognized this distinction as artificial. As the SDI Technical Director, Tom Sputo, has noted, “Steel should be a continuum, from thin to thick and light to heavy. Any line drawn is arbitrary.” The goal is to create a more unified approach to steel design.
SFIA
The Steel Framing Industry Association became an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer (ASD) in 2024 and has assumed responsibility for all of the standards related to cold-form steel framing. This also includes test standards specifically related to the framing process.
MBMA
The Metal Building Manufacturers Association became an ASD in February 2025, and has taken over four test standards related to metal buildings.
SDI
Many of the standards referenced above will take years to develop. For example, the AISC 360 update won’t be complete until the organization’s 2033 edition. Until that happens, the Steel Deck Institute will oversee the S100 standard. It is presently designated as the ANSI/SDI AISI S100-2024 Standard.
The SDI and other associations plan on keeping the AISI naming conventions in place. So, industry leaders and manufacturers won’t need to worry about learning new acronyms and definitions until the early 2030s.
The Steel Deck Institute will also keep two key AISI standards for the long term. The first is the AISI 310 standard, which is for diaphragm design. The second is the AISI S907 standard, which is a test standard for diaphragms.
There are also several AISI standards that have yet to be assigned to any organization. SDI may end up managing these long-term for the good of the industry. However, the process is fluid, and the specifics could still change.
How to Keep Up
AISI’s departure from managing cold-formed standards has left leaders with a lot to figure out in a compressed time frame. Together, we’ve made significant progress from AISI’s announcement in late 2023 until now. But there’s still work to be done.
If you’re in the industry and want to keep up, watching SDI’s website is the best way to do so. The site also indicates the new organizations that are now responsible for specific standards.
Some of our partner organizations are working on similar pages for the standards they’ll manage long-term. SDI will link to these as they are created to keep the industry informed.
Ultimately, this is a time of transition for our industry. But the key takeaway is that we’ll still have the standards engineers and architects have come to expect. They’ll just be managed by different standards developers moving forward and could be called different things at some point in the future.
If you’re interested in learning more about the specifics of this process, feel free to contact us at the Steel Deck Institute. We’re happy to tell you more about what to expect and how this could impact your business.