Steel Building Terms
As with any industry, the world of steel buildings has it’s own language, and understanding that language will go a long way to help you communicate with the steel building professionals involved in the project.
The list of terms below is not all-inclusive, but is certainly a good place to start!
Accessories
Canopy
Any overhanging or projecting roof structure with the end being unsupported. Canopy’s can be at eave or below eave.
Framed Opening
A combination of headers and jambs which surround an opening in the wall of a building, usually for installation of accessories such as: windows, doors, louvers, etc. Framed openings may or may not include full cover trim which hides the underlying headers and jambs and makes the framed opening more aesthetically pleasing.
Insulation
Any material used to reduce heat transfer with white vinyl-backed fiberglass insulation being the most common material used in steel buildings.
Louver
An opening provided with fixed or movable, slanted fins to allow the flow of air. Louvers may be painted or Galvalume.
Rollup Door
A door that opens by traveling vertically and stored above itself in a roll or coil when up. Standard commercial rollup doors used in metal buildings require about 2′ of space above the framed opening to allow for the storage of the door when it is up.
Sectional Door
Doors constructed in horizontally hinged sections that roll along a rail/track into an overhead position. These kids of doors are most often used in residential settings.
Translucent Light Panels
Panels used to admit light and can be either insulated or non-insulated. Panels are translucent (not clear) and do require regular maintenance/cleaning to maintain their effectiveness.
Basics
Eave Height
Measured from the top of the finished slab to the top of the eave strut.
Endwall
The exterior wall which is parallel to the interior main frame of the building. A typical building will have a LEFT endwall (sometimes abbreviated as LEW) and a RIGHT endwall (sometimes abbreviated as REW)
Gable
A triangular portion of the endwall of a building directly under the sloping roof and above the eave line.
Length
The dimension of the building measured perpendicular to the main framing from end wall to end wall.
Peak
The highest point of a gable.
Roof Pitch
The tangent of the angle that a roof surface makes with the horizontal, usually expressed in units of vertical rise to 12 units of horizontal run. A 30′ wide building with a 1:12 roof pitch would be 15″ higher at the peak than at the eave, calculated as follows: (30 ÷ 2) × 1″ = 15″
Sidewall
An exterior wall which is perpendicular to the frames of a building system and would generally include a front side wall (sometimes abbreviated as FSW) and back side wall (sometimes abbreviated as BSW)
Width
The dimension of the building measured parallel to the main framing from sidewall to sidewall.
Bracing
Bracing
Sometimes referred to as wind-framing; uses sheeting, cables, rods, angles, fixed base, or portal frames to stiffen roof and walls and transfer loads to the foundation.
Cable Bracing
Bracing system arranged diagonally in both directions to form an “X” using cable. Cable bracing is the most common and cost-effective method of bracing in a steel building.
Diaphragm Bracing
The resistance to racking generally offered by the covering system, fasteners and secondary framing.
Portal Frame
A rigid frame so designed that if offers rigidity and stability in its plane. It is generally used to resist longitudinal loads where other bracing methods (IE: cable or rod bracing) can not be used.
Rod Bracing
Bracing system arranged diagonally in both directions to form an “X”. Rod bracing is generally used in areas with higher seismic or wind loads.
Drawings
Anchor Bolt Plans
A plan view showing the size, location and projection of all anchor bolts for the metal building system components, the length and width of the foundation (which may vary from the nominal metal building size). Anchor bolt plans are NOT the same as Foundation Plans.
Approval Plans
Approval plans are not sealed by the engineer and are generated for review by the customer so that the customer may determine if Buck Steel correctly interpreted the customers requests and/or specifications for the metal building, accessories, and accessory placement.
Erecting Drawings
Erecting drawings are the only drawings that should be used by the erecting crew and are always marked “for erecting”. They are generated after final detailing of the project and might include information not on the Permit Drawings.
Permit Plans
Permit plans are sealed by the engineer and are generated for permitting use and use by the structural engineer designing the foundation for the project.
Foundations
Anchor Bolt Plan
A plan view showing the size, location and projection of all anchor bolts for the metal building system components, the length and width of the foundation (which may vary from the nominal metal building size). Anchor bolt plans are NOT the same as Foundation Plans.
Anchor Bolts
Bolts (usually located at the bottom of columns, door jambs, and framed openings) used to anchor structural members to a foundation.
Footing
Sometimes also referred to as a pier, usually of concrete, located under a column, wall, or other structural member, that is used to distribute the loads from that member into the supporting soil.
Monolithic Pour
A method of pouring concrete piers, grade beam, and floor slab at the same time to form the building foundation.
Structural
Base Plate
A plate attached to the base of a column which rests on the foundation or other support, usually secured by anchor bolts.
Base Angle
An angle secured to the perimeter of the foundation whose purpose is to allow the bottom of wall panels a point to secure to.
Cables, rods, angles, fixed base, or portal frame used to stiffen roof and walls and transfer loads to the foundation.
Clip
A plate or angle used to fasten two or more members together.
Closure Strip
A weather resistant foam strip, formed to the contour of ribbed panels used to close openings created by joining metal panels and flashing.
Column
The main beam supporting the wall system.
Framing
The primary and secondary structural members (columns, rafters, girts, purlins, brace rods, etc.) which go together to make up the skeleton of a structure to which the covering can be applied.
Girt
A secondary horizontal structural member attached to sidewall or endwall columns to which wall covering is attached.
Haunch
The bottom of the point at which a column and rafter connect. This point usually represents the lowest point of clearance in a building.
Header
A horizontal framing structural member over a door, window or other framed opening.
Leanto
A structure having only one slope or pitch and relies on another structure for partial support.
Main Frame
An assemblage of rafters and columns that support the secondary framing members (purlins and girts) and transfer loads directly to the foundation.
Purlin
A horizontal structural member which supports roof covering, similar to the way in which a girt supports wall covering.
Rake Trim
A flashing designed to close the opening between the roof and endwall panels.
Rafter
The main beam supporting the roof system.
Rigid Frame
A structural frame consisting of members joined together with moment connections so as to render the frame stable with respect to the design loads, without the need for bracing in its plane.
Loads
Collateral Load
All specified additional dead loads other than the metal building framing including: sprinklers, mechanical and electrical systems, ceilings and lighting.
Dead Load
The dead load of a building is the weight of all permanent construction, such as floor, roof, framing, and covering members.
Deflection
The displacement (or movement) of a structural member or system under load.
Live Load
Live load means all loads, including snow, exerted on a roof except dead, wind and collateral loads.
Roof Life Load
Loads that are produced (1) during maintenance by workers, equipment, and materials, and (2) during the life of the structure by movable objects and do not include wind, snow, seismic or dead loads.
Roof Snow Load
That load induced by the weight of snow on the roof of the structure. Usually obtained by taking a fraction of the “Ground Snow Load”.
Seismic Load
The lateral load acting in any horizontal direction on a structural system due to the action of an earthquake.
Uplift
Wind load on a building which causes a load in the upward direction.
Wind Load
The load caused by the wind from any horizontal direction.