AISI S240 is the North American Standard for Cold-Formed Steel Structural Framing; AISI lists the 2020 edition as a free download and says it applies to the design, manufacture, installation, and quality of structural members and connections in cold-formed steel light-frame construction. To review a set against it, confirm the AISI editions the adopted building code references, then check that the drawings separate structural framing from nonstructural framing, name who designs delegated framing, and show the same members, connections, bracing, and openings in the structural notes, framing plans, wall types, details, and specifications. AI can flag conflicts; the engineer of record and the framing engineer decide the design.
What does AISI S240 cover?
AISI’s design standards page lists AISI S240-20, North American Standard for Cold-Formed Steel Structural Framing, 2020 Edition, which supersedes the 2015 edition, and describes it as applying to the design, manufacture, installation, and quality of structural members and connections in cold-formed steel light-frame construction. It works with companions on the same list: AISI S100 for the design of cold-formed steel structural members, S202 as a code of standard practice for the design, fabrication, and installation of structural framing, S220 for nonstructural framing, S400 for seismic force-resisting systems and diaphragms, S310 for profiled steel diaphragm panels, S230 as a prescriptive method for one- and two-family dwellings, and S250 for the thermal transmittance of envelopes with cold-formed steel framing.
AISI publishes these standards free. Its list for the 2021 I-Codes names AISI S100-16 (2020) with Supplement 2, S202-20, S220-20, S230-19, S240-20, S310-20, and S400-20, while the main list also carries S100-16 (2020) with Supplement 3, 2022, and S310-23. Checked October 21, 2026. The editions that govern are the ones referenced by the building code edition the jurisdiction adopts, with its amendments, so confirm them on the adopted code before citing a newer printing. See the local codes guide.
Loads come from the building code and ASCE 7, and hot-rolled steel that supports or receives the framing follows AISC 360. See the ASCE 7 guide, the AISC 360 guide, and how delegated design works.
Gather the framing design basis and the sheets that show it
Collect the structural general notes and design criteria, the framing plans, wall types and partition types, exterior wall sections and details, header and opening details, shear wall and strap bracing elevations if the lateral system uses framing, the cold-formed metal framing and gypsum board specifications, the deferred submittal list, and the framing engineer’s calculations and shop drawings when they exist.
Add the AISI editions the adopted code references, which AISI publishes free, and the code and ASCE 7 editions from copies you are licensed to upload.
Trace cold-formed steel framing through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Editions | Structural notes, framing specification, framing calculations | Confirm the notes, specification, and calculations cite the same AISI editions and that they match the adopted code’s references. |
| Structural or nonstructural | Wall and partition types, framing plans, specification | Record which walls are structural framing and which are nonstructural, and flag a wall type used for both. |
| Design responsibility | Structural notes, specification, deferred submittal list, cover sheet | Confirm the set states who designs delegated framing, what criteria it gives the framing engineer, and when the submittal is due. |
| Members and designations | Framing plans, wall types, details, specification, calculations | Match member designations and spacing for the same wall across sources, and record differences without choosing one. |
| Connections, bracing, and anchorage | Typical details, shear wall elevations, foundation and floor plans | Check that bracing, bridging, hold-downs, and anchorage to concrete or steel shown in one source appear in the others. |
| Openings and head of wall | Door and window schedules, header details, head-of-wall details, rated wall types | Confirm headers and jambs exist at every opening and that slip or deflection tracks agree with the rated wall details. |
Partitions continue in the gypsum board and partition types guide, head-of-wall joints in the joint systems guide, cladding attachment in the metal wall panel guide, and envelope U-factors in the IECC guide.
Example: a wall type that is structural on one sheet only
Hypothetical example. A four-story residential building over a podium uses cold-formed steel bearing walls. The structural framing plan shows a corridor wall as a bearing wall with a strap-braced shear wall elevation, but the architectural partition schedule assigns it a nonstructural partition type, the framing specification makes all framing a delegated design without naming criteria, and the door schedule shows a new opening in the braced bay.
The corridor wall is a bearing and strap-braced wall on the structural sheets but a nonstructural partition type on the architectural schedule, the specification delegates the framing without stating design criteria, and a scheduled door falls in the braced bay. Confirm the wall’s role, the delegated design criteria, and the opening, and coordinate the structural, architectural, and specification documents.
The engineer of record and the architect confirm the wall type, move or detail the opening, and add the criteria for the framing engineer. The finding is a document conflict, not a member design.
Review cold-formed steel framing with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Add the AISI S240, S100, S202, S220, and S400 editions the adopted code references, which AISI publishes free, plus the building code and ASCE 7 editions from copies you are licensed to upload. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the structural general notes, framing plans, wall and partition types, wall sections, header, opening, and head-of-wall details, shear wall elevations, door and window schedules, the cold-formed metal framing and gypsum board specifications, the deferred submittal list, and any framing calculations. Flag conflicting AISI editions, walls classed as structural in one source and nonstructural in another, delegated framing with no stated criteria or responsibility, member designations that differ for the same wall, bracing or anchorage shown in one source only, and openings with no header or inside a braced bay. Use the supplied AISI standards and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets and documents involved. It does not size studs, joists, or connections.
Document review does not certify compliance or design framing, and it does not replace the engineer of record, the delegated framing engineer, or the building official.