Note: This podcast interview was recorded before the CFS10 shake table tests, which took place in June 2025 at UC San Diego.

The landmark NSF-funded Cold-formed Steel 10 research project, CFS10, is evaluating the seismic performance of tall buildings framed with sheet steel members and modules. The capstone test: a 10-story CFS building on the UC San Diego shake table.

CSF10 lead investigators Tara Hutchinson, professor of engineering at UC San Diego, and Ben Schafer, professor at Johns Hopkins University, provide the details on cold-formed steel:

• Cold-formed steel is formed at room temperature.
• It’s strong, light, and has a low carbon footprint.
• Most U.S. sheet steel is produced from recycled material.
• Many industries rely on CFS as a light, strong building material.

The CFS10 project culminates decades of research by Hutchinson and Schafer, including projects with two-story and 6-story buildings, which they discuss in detail.

LEARN MORE: Tara Hutchinson’s CFS shake table videos https://www.youtube.com/@TCHutchinson

Cold-formed steel for seismic resilience? It’s on the table
https://designsafe-ci.org/community/news/2025/may/cold-formed-steel-for-seismic-resilience-its-on-the-table/

Official CFS-NHERI: 10-Story Building Capstone Test Program
https://cfs10.ucsd.edu/

DesignSafe Radio interview with Ben Schafer, May 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwKAiwBOGS4

Learn more about cold-formed steel:

Cold-Formed Steel Research Consortium
https://cfsrc.org/

Cold-formed Steel Engineers Institute
https://www.cfsei.org Build Steel, the steel-framing industry association https://buildsteel.org