That Steel Sips and OSB sips cost exactly the same. Which would you purchase and why.

no termite problems

Lets say you lived in northern maine where its cold and no such thing as termites...only house flys and lady bugs.. :) Ands its cold 8 months a year..

I would stick with the OSB SIP because it has years of performance history, commonly used and avaliable from many manufactures.  I have tested both steel channel SIPs, OSB and other skin materials, and todate I have found OSB to be the most consistent performer with the fewest defects.

Good luck to all,

 

Matt B. Phelps, P.E.,R.S.

mphelps@apec-llc.com

My concern with steel SIPs is that they are not breathable.  If moisture gets in there -- during manufacture, construction, or later -- there is no way for it to get out, and it may begin to cause problems, even if the metal itself doesn't mind a little water.  OSB will disintegrate if it stays wet, but if you let it breathe it will, which should prevent it from staying wet.  A good drainage plane and proper detailing will protect it from everything other than extended flooding.  (I would not build below sea level or in a very flood-prone area using OSB as a structural element.)

On the other hand, steel SIPs offer a lot of other advantages.  I would be hard pressed to choose between them if the price were the same.

Now, if you ask me about fiber cement vs. OSB, there seems to be no reason to prefer OSB other than cost.  FC is breathable and does not disintegrate when wet.  MgO board may have the same or better performance as well, though I would say it is as of yet unproven in SIP applications.  Promising, though.

I own and designed a metal SIP home built in 1996. I prefer Metal SIPs for this reason. In some locations within a homes design the metal SIP with it's enamle like paint coating can be left exposed as the exterior finish giving an economical, low maintanence and durable finish. An example of this would be the underside of the roof overhang or porch roof.

For do-it-yourself home builders steel SIPs are the best choice. They are lighter to handle than OSB and for all intents and purposes weather proof. So, if a homeowner takes a year or more to dry in their house, they don't have to worry about theirs SIPs disintergrating in the weather because they took too long to build.

It seems a bunch of the forum discussions end up in debating steel vs OSB and PU vs. EPS and sometimes other ideas. These discussion continue without any definitive conclusion. What this seems to make clear to me is that the difference between these technologies is not enough to produce a universal winner and so the "best" panel in any installation is going to be guided by availability, local cost, site requirements, customer preference, etc. etc.

If none of the somewhat specialized issues that really do differentiate the various panels apply to your situation and the price and availability are the same, then I'd suggest you could flip a coin and be just as happy with either.

When one technology is clearly superior and the same or lower cost, the debate ends and the superior technology wins. For example, I haven't seen many recommendations for thatched roofs recently.

I would hate to be the do-it-yourself builder that has the steal skin slip and cut off three of my fingers.

and why on earth is it taking a year to dry in any house.

The steel SIPS that I know about have 26 gauge metal skins bonded to polyurethane.  Cutoffs are through the metal and foam which leaves the metal flush with the foam.  The metal can have sharp edges but the installers can wear leather gloves.  The panels are light enough that one person can carry a 2' x 12' x 3" panel.  I would think that heavier OSB panels would lend themselves to injuries more so than light metal panels.

I have known many wood carpenters that have lost fingers with saws.
Fortunately I do not have any knowlege of a metal sips installer loosing any digits, it comes down to being a responsible worker taking care, using gloves, safety goggles and harnesses when appropriate.
Mis use of any building component will eventually result in tragedy

I have worked for a metal panel manufacturer for 6 years following metal SIP projects through from delivery to completion. Injuries do happen and they are mostly lacerations. Here is the most common situation I have seen. The truck with an enclosed trailer comes to the jobsite and a bunch of day laborers or lower level crew members start pulling the panels off of the truck. Firstly no one has any gloves and secondly they have no idea how to handle the panels. The panels are light but slippery and cumbersome to handle. So they start pushing them too fast of the end of the truck and the poor guys at the back of the truck on the ground have to quickly catch the falling panel. this is where someone gets hurt. Usually it is a cut at the second knuckle joint of the first finger. You can tell this happened by the next day when you see the guy or several guys with a finger in a splint and bandages. So the moral of this story is to firstly have the panels delivered in a open truck if possible to allow access of mechanical lifting equipment, secondly have enough persons to do the job safely, thirdly have a safety talk before handling the panels and lastly but not leastly WEAR GLOVES! :) I have heard legends of worse injuries happening but they seem to be very very rare.

We sell to do-it-youself clients all the time with great success and no injury because of metal edges, our factory cuts are rolled over, making a soft edge.

It take a year or longer sometimes if the DIY is inexperienced in construction, there is a price for the learning curve.

Chris,

After working with Structall's panels for many years I am very impressed by the rolled over edges of your panel product. This eliminates cut injuries and makes fitting the panels into recieving channels much easier. Also, the axial load bearing characteristics of the panel are improved due to a tight fit in the top and bottom channels of the wall.

Jeff;

we are currently having some additional load testing done and yesterday
 an 8" x 12 ft. panel did not break until it had 318 lbs. per sq.ft. load imposed on it.
This is 5 times a category 5 hurricane load

JeffD and SimonD ........thanks for your intelligent input to this forum

cwarman;

I have posted this previously but it lists the many reasons we use them:

Although any SIP construction will save 50 – 60% in energy costs, are 3 times stronger than frame, and are more environmentally friendly. Steel is a better choice for the following reasons

 

Advantages of Steel SIPs vs.OSB

v  Steel will not warp, swell, twist, rot

v  Rain during construction do not affect materials in any way

v  No cranes needed for installation a steel SIPs are lighter than OSB

v  The underside of the roof panel automatically forms an attractive finished soffit overhang or exterior porch ceiling.

v  Joints are a T&G friction fit they do not require splines, mastic or fasteners greatly speeding installation time

v  Steel is more stable during manufacturing and panels are held to 1/16” tolerance

v  OSB is limited to 24ft. in length …Steel SIPs are available up to 53ft. in length, eliminating roof butt joints

v  Steel panels are manufactured on a continuous line making them available in square pre-cut lengths in  ¼ ” increments, but only charged to the nearest  ½ ft., OSB often rounds up to the nearest 2 ft. increment – making you pay for waste that gets thrown away

v  Higher ” R – Value” denser foam provides a 4.25 R- value per inch of foam

v  No Termites … Impervious to termites and carpenter ants , foam core is borate treated

v  No foam grooving is required for window and door openings, after cutouts are made, openings are simply “picture framed” with 18.ga. steel channels

v  The steel skin is the “vapor barrier” on walls no additional covering is required before siding is applied

v  Eave overhangs can be 4 feet with no additional support

v  Sound Control – utilizing a 1-1/2” steel furring strip creates a dead air space for improved STC ratings.

v  Wiring – utilizing that same air space, wiring is much easier than fishing wire thru OSB and any future retrofit wiring is easier.

v  Will not support mold growth – painted galvalume steel skins are UDSA approved

v  Indoor air quality is better due to the tighter and cleaner construction material of the interior

v  Any steel building is safer from lightning strikes

v  “Monocoque construction” All connections and attachments are with screws having greater pullout strength than nailing

v  For economy or insulated utility buildings, steel SIPs have been left exposed as the finished siding and roofing.

v  Zurich Ins. In partnership with the Steel Framing Alliance offer reduced builders risk insurance premiums

v  In Florida and other hurricane prone regions Steel SIPs are 30% less to insure that block/truss and  53% less to insure than wood frame construction

Chris,
In the past you have given sqft pricing for raw panels. Can you tell me if the price has increased, decreased or stayed the same with recent changes in raw material and fuel costs?

GuyB;

prices did increase towards the end of last year but we have heard they will be dropping soon to the same as they were
1-1/2 years ago.
The inventoried steel coil bought up during the peak needs to get used up first.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/wired_panel_hou.php

This guy used non structural alum refrigeration panels on a steel frame.  I'm not too sure how durable they are for a home.  I used them on 30,000 sq ft freezer.