How cold-formed steel structures behave in an earthquake

EBS Global was founded in 2008 in Dubai and expanded to Barrie, Ontario, in 2024. The company manufactures prefabricated cold-formed steel panel wall systems and other metal products, including metal siding, roof sheets, decks and studs.

An earthquake-resistant structure needs to absorb and dissipate seismic energy. Cold-formed steel is ductile, so it can deform and absorb energy as part of an engineered seismic design.

Cold-formed steel is strong for its weight. Seismic forces are directly proportional to the mass of the building, so a lighter structure is loaded less.

• Even load distribution. Engineers design the frame and its connections to distribute loads through the structure.
• Flexible, secure connections. Connections between structural elements affect how a building responds to an earthquake. EBS Global designs the connections as part of the prefabricated steel system.
• Lower inertial forces. Inertial forces in an earthquake depend on the mass of the building, and a cold-formed steel structure is light.

EBS Global prefabricates. Structural components are produced in a factory and assembled on site, which brings factory accuracy and quality control to the project.

These design considerations matter in earthquake-prone regions.