The Steel Network, Inc.

At The Steel Network, we are a professional manufacturer company of Steel Frame Construction, Light Gauge Metal, Cold Formed Steel Framing, Metal Stud Framing and other steel product Over the years.

The Steel Network has operated out of Durham since 1995, and the company runs a second manufacturing facility in Hutto, Texas. TSN’s product line splits into load-bearing systems for mid-rise construction, curtain wall framing, and a wide range of connectors — including VertiClip and VertiTrack vertical deflection connectors, DriftClip and DriftTrak lateral drift connectors, StiffClip rigid connectors, and BridgeClip bridging hardware.

Beyond stock parts, TSN runs its own machine shop for custom cold-formed steel connector fabrication, taking projects from engineering consultation through custom cutting and load testing. The company backs its manufacturing with an ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System, and it has performed extensive field and laboratory testing on its connector lines since introducing Vertical Deflection Connectors to the metal framing market.

TSN makes its case for cold-formed steel over wood framing on several fronts: resistance to high wind and seismic loads, immunity to termites and pests, mold resistance, non-combustibility, and corrosion resistance, all of which the company argues lower a structure’s lifecycle costs even where upfront material costs run higher. That pitch shows up in real projects — TSN’s Design Assist service has been used to help contractors switch projects from wood to cold-formed steel mid-bid, documented on a five-story beachfront condominium project in Virginia Beach where the switch helped win the job.

TSN also supports the design side of the process. Its SteelSmart System software helps engineers, architects, and panelizers streamline cold-formed steel design and shop drawing production, while the companion SteelSmart Framer plugin brings that data into Autodesk Revit for BIM modeling.

The company has been recognized outside its own industry as well: it was named one of North Carolina’s top 50 Family-Friendly Companies in 2009 and 2010, it supports the Triangle Area American Red Cross, and it received a Department of Defense Freedom Award for its support of employees serving as Guard and Reserve soldiers. Company updates and technical articles are published through TSN’s Twitter/X account and YouTube channel, alongside the case studies and product news on its own site.