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I've worked on the designs of buildings using steel framing, structures that in the past would have normally been wood framed. The reasons for using it was primarily the favorable financial savings. Lumber in the US fluctuates and steel studs are often cheaper than wood. I've also used it in commercial applications where it was required, but it is gaining favor as a replacement for traditional wood framing applications. Steel studs are also considerably lighter, perhaps half the weight of wood. You can almost always depend on there being no rejects from a shipment of studs. It doesn't shrink, warp, twist, absorb moisture. If there is a bad piece, it is likely due to it having been run over in the warehouse. And it comes with slots at 24" o.c. for running wires. Rusting should not be an issue. This steel framing is coated using a galvanization process . If moisture levels in your layout area are high enough to affect the steel, wood framing would have long before rotted beyond hope . No special tools are required beyond what most layout builders already have around. A variable speed drill and tin snips being the main ones. And work gloves. (The cut edges can be sharp.) The fact that your layout gets screwed together rather than glued & nailed makes future modifications simpler . Read the article. The author makes a good case for steel, one that my experience confirms. Wayne
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