Light Gauge Steel (CFS) Framing in Revit: A Practical Guide
Cold-formed steel, light gauge steel and metal stud framing: what the section names mean, the three ways to model it in Autodesk Revit, and how to get takeoffs and shop drawings out of the model.
Short answer. Revit has no built-in tool for cold-formed steel framing. To get real studs, track, headers and bridging that you can count and dimension, either place framing families by hand or use a framing plugin. CFS Framing frames CFS walls and floors from your rules in Revit 2025–2027, exports a weight takeoff to Excel and builds dimensioned shop drawings.
CFS, LGS, metal stud: one system, three names
Cold-formed steel (CFS) is the engineering name used by AISI and in US codes. Light gauge steel (LGS) is the usual term in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and much of Europe. Metal stud or steel stud framing is what most US contractors say. All three mean the same thing: galvanized sheet steel, roughly 0.018" to 0.118" thick, roll-formed at room temperature into C-shaped studs and joists and U-shaped track.
The system is used for load-bearing walls and floors in mid-rise and modular buildings, for non-load-bearing interior partitions, and as backup framing behind exterior cladding.
Reading SSMA member designations
In the US and many imperial markets, members are named with the SSMA designation, for example 600S162-54:
| Part | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Web depth | 600 | 6.00" (hundredths of an inch). Common: 250, 362, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200 |
| Member type | S | S = stud or joist (C-section with lips), T = track, U = channel, F = furring |
| Flange width | 162 | 1.62" (1-5/8"). Common: 125, 162, 200, 250, 300 |
| Thickness | 54 | Minimum base-metal thickness in mils: 0.054" |
| Mils | 18 | 27 | 33 | 43 | 54 | 68 | 97 | 118 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approx. gauge | 25 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 |
Metric projects usually describe the same shapes as C- and U-sections by web, flange and thickness in millimeters. CFS Framing switches automatically: SSMA sections in imperial projects, a metric C/U catalog in metric projects, with weights reported in lb or kg.
Three ways to model CFS framing in Revit
1. Wall layers only
Create a wall type with a "metal stud" layer. It is fast and fine for design development, but there are no members. You get no stud count, no track lengths, no weight and nothing to dimension.
2. Hand-placed framing families
Load C-stud and track families as structural framing or generic models and place them one by one inside each wall. The result is accurate but slow. It also does not follow the wall: move a window and every jamb, header, sill and cripple must be fixed by hand.
3. A framing plugin
A plugin reads each wall or floor, its openings and its intersections, then places every member from rules. With CFS Framing the workflow is:
- Set a preset per wall type: stud and track sections, spacing (for example 16" or 400 mm on center), and start and end offsets.
- Frame walls: base and top track, studs, L-corner and T-intersection studs, and sloped or gable tops.
- Openings: jambs, header, sill, cripples and infill studs sized from the real rough opening, with back-to-back, boxed or single header and jamb build-ups.
- Bridging and blocking: rows that stop at openings, plus multiple studs (nested, back-to-back or toe-to-toe) where needed.
- Floors: joists with rim track, openings and blocking.
- Connectors: clip angles at stud-to-track, stud-to-header and joist-to-rim.
- Change the model: framing re-generates when walls, floors or openings move.
Takeoffs: pieces, length and steel weight
Steel is bought and estimated by weight. Once the members exist in Revit, the takeoff is a sum of piece length × weight per foot (or per meter) for each section. CFS Framing exports an Excel workbook with a cut list per wall and floor, a summary by member role, and totals per section with pieces, lineal length, developed width and total weight. Clips are counted too, and framing inside linked models can be included.
Shop drawings and panel assemblies
For panelized and modular work, each wall or floor becomes a Revit assembly with elevation, plan, section and 3D views, a part list and a material takeoff. CFS Framing builds those views, dimensions every framing group and labels the members from reusable presets, so a full set of panel sheets does not need hours of manual dimensioning.
Common modeling mistakes
- Framing from the nominal door or window size instead of the real rough opening.
- Bridging rows that run through openings.
- Missing studs at L-corners and T-intersections, which makes counts low.
- Mixing imperial SSMA names into a metric project, or the reverse.
- Treating the model as engineering: member sizes and connections still come from the engineer of record (AISI S100 and the local code).