Coldformed

Coldformed, or cold forming, is the shaping of metal at ambient temperatures by plastic deformation, below the metal’s recrystallization temperature. The term is most commonly used with steel, but applies to other metals such as aluminum and copper. Cold-formed products include structural sections like channels, angles, C- and Z-sections, studs, tracks, tubes, and various fasteners or stamped components.

Processes: Common methods are roll forming for continuous lengths; bending, punching, piercing, and stamping for discrete parts; cold drawing and cold extrusion to produce near-net shapes. Roll forming, in particular, uses successive rollers to form a continuous strip into a final cross-section with tight tolerances.

Properties: Because of plastic deformation, cold forming work-hardens the metal, yielding higher strength and hardness. This often increases yield and tensile strength but reduces ductility relative to annealed stock. The process can produce good surface finish and dimensional stability, though residual stresses may require stress-relief annealing for some applications.

Applications: In construction, cold-formed steel framing members, such as studs and tracks, are widely used for walls and floors. Cold-formed sections are also used in automotive, electrical, and appliance components, and in consumer hardware where lightweight, precise parts are needed.

Standards and design: Design and fabrication of cold-formed steel members are governed by region-specific standards, including AISI S100 in North America and EN 1993-1-3 and EN 10365 in Europe. These documents address material properties, member geometry, resilience, and connections, as well as manufacturing tolerances.