Question 1

How durable is a light gauge steel frame?

Accepted Answer

The steel is protected by a zinc-aluminium-magnesium alloy, zinc-magnesium coating (European steel supply chain), around three times more corrosion-resistant than standard galvanising, warranted for 25 years and proven in testing up to 90 years with no additional treatment. As long as it is protected from corrosion, steel does not lose its mechanical properties: it does not warp, crack or rot. As with a traditional house, cladding and roofing must be maintained. In North America, Australia and New Zealand, light steel construction has been in use since the 1950s-70s.

Question 2

Which steel do you use?

Accepted Answer

Cold-formed C sections: 89 mm web, 41 mm flanges, two 11 mm returns, 1.00 mm thickness (1.20 mm where required), in S350GD structural steel with zinc-magnesium coating protection. They are formed, cut and punched on CNC machines, with holes for assembly screws and Ø 35 mm openings for cabling and plumbing.

Question 3

How does steel behave in fire?

Accepted Answer

Steel is non-combustible: it does not burn or char, does not contribute to a fire or its spread and releases no smoke. Walls can be fire-protected with fire-rated boards (plasterboard type). Party walls are structurally independent, with fire-rated boards in the separation.

Question 4

What about lightning or electricity?

Accepted Answer

A steel building is no more exposed than a traditional one: steel conducts energy straight to earth. Where frames remain accessible, they can be earthed.

Question 5

Does steel expand with heat?

Accepted Answer

Expansion is negligible: less than 1 mm per metre for a 60 °C difference. It is absorbed by the elasticity of the sections and the tolerances of the fixings. The risk of plaster cracking is no higher than in traditional construction.

Question 6

Can you build in winter?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Steel contains no water and does not freeze.

Question 7

How do you handle fatigue and failure?

Accepted Answer

They are covered in our calculations in accordance with Eurocode 3, through factors that reduce the capacity of the steel.

Question 8

Do you need specialised labour?

Accepted Answer

No. Every frame is prefabricated by a CNC machine replicating the BIM model to around 0.5 mm, then numbered and referenced on the drawings: assembly requires no measuring on site. Frames weigh less than 100 kg and are placed by hand, without lifting equipment. A 300 m² house over three levels is erected in less than two weeks with three people (walls, floors, roof). Tools: screwdrivers, plus a hammer drill for anchoring to the slab.

Question 9

How are the sections fixed?

Accepted Answer

With M6 screws on each face, fitted in the workshop into the punched holes. On site, connections are made with self-drilling screws, directly into the sections or through brackets supplied by Stabiframe.

Question 10

Do you supply assembly instructions?

Accepted Answer

Yes: an assembly sketch per frame with every member numbered, a general drawing, a 3D model viewable on a smartphone and a guidance booklet. We remain available to support you.

Question 11

Can the client assemble the frames?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Panels are referenced and service openings pre-punched; far fewer carpentry skills are needed than with timber. We still recommend assembly teams used to the system, and we can put you in touch with them.

Question 12

Can the building be modified later?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Openings can be created afterwards with steel lintels and reinforcing jambs. Long spans mean fewer internal load-bearing walls, which makes alterations easier.

Question 13

Which foundations are needed?

Accepted Answer

Most often a ground-floor slab on strip footings. A light steel structure weighs more than ten times less than masonry construction: the concrete engineer optimises the foundations using our load take-down, within the minimum dimensions required by standards. Alternative: a light steel ground floor over a crawl space, on posts on pads or foundation screws.

Question 14

Can you build a basement?

Accepted Answer

The frames are not designed to resist earth pressure: basement walls remain in concrete. Beam-and-block floors are too heavy and are not recommended.

Question 15

How is the wall base waterproofed?

Accepted Answer

The frame sits on a resilient strip at the slab edge, turned up on the outside to connect to the breather membrane. Thresholds are treated as in traditional construction on the ground floor; upstairs, the threshold sits lower than the internal level, with a bituminous waterproofing strip and a sloped floor finish.

Question 16

How are facings fixed?

Accepted Answer

Brick ties, external insulation and scaffolding are fixed directly to the studs, through the breather membrane, or onto bracing board boards. Bricklayers need no specific training.

Question 17

Which roof coverings are possible?

Accepted Answer

All of them. The structure carries tiles, photovoltaic panels and snow load. Roof windows and chimney flues are treated as in timber roof structures.

Question 18

What about thermal bridges?

Accepted Answer

Only 1 mm of steel crosses the insulation, against at least 50 mm for a timber stud. Thermal bridges are therefore no greater than with timber, and insulation between studs works without excessive thickness.

Question 19

How is airtightness achieved?

Accepted Answer

As with a timber frame: mainly through the breather membrane and the vapour control layer.

Question 20

What about floor acoustics?

Accepted Answer

Light steel does not have the mass effect of concrete. We recommend a lightweight floor of the dry lightweight floor with resilient layer and acoustic insulation type, with a resilient layer over the joists and acoustic insulation in the void: it exceeds Belgian residential requirements and remains compatible with underfloor heating.

Question 21

Does steel disturb radio, TV or Wi-Fi?

Accepted Answer

No. Waves pass between the studs; no interference has been observed.

Question 22

Is indoor air quality affected?

Accepted Answer

On the contrary: no chemical insect treatment and no resins, and a stable structure that does not open gaps where dust settles.

Question 23

How much architectural freedom?

Accepted Answer

A great deal: curves, cantilevers, large openings, one to three storeys. Where light frames are not enough, local reinforcement in hot-rolled sections is included in our stability studies and in manufacturing.

Question 24

Which internal finishes?

Accepted Answer

Usually plasterboard (plasterboard) screwed directly onto the frames. Ceilings use a secondary frame of Z or omega rails. Prefabricated partitions are 89 mm thick, plus boards.

Question 25

Can heavy loads be hung?

Accepted Answer

Yes, by screwing into a stud. Studs are easy to locate with a magnet.

Question 26

What warranty do you give?

Accepted Answer

We warrant that the frames match the ordered drawings 100 %, along with the strength and quality of all their components. As we do not carry out site works, we do not warrant the finished building, which falls under the builder's warranty.

Question 27

How long does a study take?

Accepted Answer

We work case by case in order to optimise the frames and propose the most economical solution.

Technical FAQ.

Structure & durability

Manufacturing & assembly

Foundations & masonry interfaces

Roof, insulation & performance

Design, warranty & finishes

Steel documentation.

Magnelis® — anti-corrosion coating (ArcelorMittal, PDF, EN)

XCarb® — low-carbon steel (ArcelorMittal, PDF, EN)