Wall framing · Guide 4 of 5 · 5 min readUpdated
Plan steel stud openings, track cuts and material quantities
Check stud fit inside track, clear opening dimensions, folded-track tabs, separate stock groups and the drywall handoff.
This guide covers a member tool. Sign-in and approval unlock the full planner and material results. Request free early access.
Measure the overall track-to-track height
In steel mode, Overall frame height runs from the outside bottom face of the floor-track web to the outside top face of the ceiling-track web. The model seats the stud on the inside of the bottom web and stops it below the inside of the top web by the entered vertical fit clearance.
Track legs overlap the stud flanges. The model deducts web thickness, not the full leg height. With a flat 96-inch frame, 0.0188-inch track steel and a ⅛-inch top clearance, the calculated stud fit length is 95.8374 inches.
Flat-wall stud fit = overall height − bottom track web thickness − top track web thickness − top fit clearance
The ⅛-inch default is an example fitting allowance. It does not specify a deflection gap. A moving head needs the specified track, stud engagement, movement range and board/fastener arrangement; this fixed-track model does not design that assembly.
Set centre stations and the assembly orientation
Stud spacing O.C. and First centre from left control the flange-centre grid. End and opening jambs replace grid studs where they overlap. The drawing is a face elevation, so the cross-section sketch is the reference for web, flange and track-leg directions.
CGC's partition guidance keeps stud openings facing the same way and service punchouts aligned. Use the spacing and attachment details of the selected assembly. The planner does not count screws, anchors, protective bushings or services.
Nested end and jamb counts repeat pieces at one flange footprint in this model. They do not spread into a wood-style pack. Use those counts only for a matching specified nested assembly; boxed, reinforced or wider jamb details need separate quantities.
Enter the clear opening and folded-track tabs
RO width is the space between the jamb flanges. Door RO height runs from the floor datum to the underside of the head-track web. For windows, RO bottom is the top surface of the sill-track web, and RO height runs from there to the head-track underside.
The tool uses upward-opening head track and downward-opening sill track. CGC describes opening runners cut about six inches longer than the opening, with slit flanges and bent ends. The planner represents that as an editable 3-inch tab at each end. Use the tab length required by your actual detail; the drawing does not lay out the snips or bend radii.
| Example | Planner result |
|---|---|
| 38-inch clear opening; 3-inch tabs | 44-inch head-track cut; bends at 3 and 41 inches. |
| Window with the same opening width | One 44-inch head and one 44-inch sill track. |
| Door floor track | Stops at each side of the clear opening; no track is counted across the doorway. |
Head/sill blank before purchase rounding = clear RO width + 2 × end tab Bend stations from one blank end = end tab; end tab + clear RO width
An opening head track here is a partition closure, not a sized structural lintel. Door weight, closers, jamb reinforcement and connections come from the specified door/framing system.
Read the fit cut before the purchasing blank
Select a member to see its calculated fit cut to 0.001 inch. The numbered schedule and stock list round purchase blanks up to the next 1/16 inch. That rounding provides material for trimming; it must not erase a specified fit clearance.
E marks end C-studs, F common C-studs, J jamb C-studs, C cripples, H head track, S sill track, T top track and B bottom track. A repeated jamb mark has separate pieces in the cutting list. Upper and lower cripples stop at their actual track webs.
For slopes and peaks, stud top marks follow the entered elevation and top-track web offset. Track quantities follow the sloped axis. Track end joints, field bends, web notches and connections remain a separate fabrication detail.
Order C-studs and U-track separately
Under Stock & prices, select the C-stud or U-track group, enable lengths sold for that profile and enter its prices. The starting example enables 8-, 10- and 12-foot studs with 10-foot track. These are editable purchasing assumptions, not a supplier inventory.
ST stock numbers contain C-stud cuts; TR numbers contain U-track cuts. Offcuts never transfer between profiles. Head and sill blanks include their tabs and remain one piece. Full-height studs also remain one piece; an undersized stock selection cannot silently splice them.
Cutting loss starts at zero for snips; enter the blade loss if sawing. Spare stock rounds up separately for each profile. A material total requires a price for every enabled profile/length combination. Anchors, screws, seals, backing, labour, tax and delivery remain outside this takeoff.
Carry the same support spans into drywall
Plan the drywall transfers the steel wall profile, openings and modelled flange/track support spans. A cripple centre does not become an invented full-height stud. The saved transfer also retains the steel dimensions and opening tabs when you return to framing.
This handoff describes the fixed-track model. Confirm perimeter attachment and movement requirements for the selected board assembly. Changing the wall dimensions or openings in the drywall tool requires a fresh framing handoff.
Technical references
Confirm the current product literature and requirements for the material and assembly being installed.