Whenframing a wall, strength, quality, durability, and ease of use are chief concerns.
Wood studs are strong and easy to install, but quality can sometimes be spotty.
Anyone who has purchased wood two-by-fours is familiar with the process of culling out warped or bent boards.
William Britten / Getty Images
Wood studs are durable, but only as long as they are kept dry.
But are steel studs right for your project?
Ideal for basement, attic, and garage remodels, steel studs are embossed to create additional stiffness.
Illustration: The Spruce / Ellen Lindner
Flange grooves help with drywall sheet alignment.
Not long ago, it was rare to see steelstudsin residential buildings.
Builders or home remodeling professionals purchased them from specialty building supply outlets.
Now steel studs are found more often at home improvement centers, though wood studs remain more popular.
Standard steel studs available at home centers use 25-gauge steel.
Not only that but working with steel comes with additional safety hazards.
This is because metal is a much better thermal conductor.
Avoid this by constructing walls with a thermal break or gap.
Metal framing is stronger and is lighter in weight.
While wood framing is flammable, steel is fire-resistant.
Steel will not shrink, warp, split, or mold.
Wood is less expensive, safer to work with, faster to install, and will never rust.
Metal studs are not as strong as wood studs.
Wood can support more weight than metal studs.
Wood studs can be used for load-bearing walls, new cabinets, doorways, and frames.
Electrical wires that feed through knock-outs in steel studs must be run through plastic grommets or bushings.
