Photo © Bigstock.com/ Aizhong Wang
The Steel Recycling Institute (SRI) recently released the first industry-wide Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for cold-formed steel (CFS) studs and track manufactured in the United States and Canada.
The EPD quantifies the ‘cradle-to-gate’ lifecycle environmental impacts of CFS studs and track, which architects and engineers can document. Based on a peer-reviewed lifecycle assessment (LCA), the EPD can also help designers achieve the credits required for building certification within Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and other green building rating programs.
Cold-formed steel studs and track are being used as the primary structural system for buildings up to nine stories tall and have been used for curtain walls and interior partitions for decades.
“Environmental impacts of materials are critical decision factors for architects, engineers, and builders with the construction industry moving to comprehensive assessments of a product’s entire lifecycle,” said Lawrence Kavanagh, president of Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI). “It is important this EPD is now added to the resources we and our partners have developed for our customers in the construction industry.”
To download the EPD, click here. For more on EPDs, see “The Emergence of Disclosure in Green Design.”
