Framing Materials in Canadian Residential Construction: Current Shares and Emerging Trends

For decades, Canadian residential construction has been synonymous with wood framing. While that association remains largely accurate today, it no longer tells the full story. Rising housing demand, labor shortages, fire-safety concerns, and the push toward industrialized construction are reshaping how homes are built — and cold-formed steel (CFS) framing is emerging as one of the most important beneficiaries of this shift.

This post looks at the current balance of framing materials in Canadian residential construction, explains why older data no longer applies, and places special emphasis on the growing role of cold-formed steel. 

  Current Framing Material Landscape in Canada

 Wood Framing: Still Dominant, but Under Pressure

Estimated share in low-rise residential: ~70–90%+

Wood framing remains the default choice for:

• Single-family homes

• Townhouses

• Small low-rise apartment buildings

Its continued dominance is driven by cost, familiarity, speed of construction, and deep integration into Canadian building practices. However, wood is increasingly facing structural limits, not in performance, but in process:

• Skilled labor shortages

• On-site inefficiencies

• Fire-risk perception in dense housing

• Price volatility

These pressures are not eliminating wood framing, but they are opening the door for alternatives — especially in multi-unit housing.

 Cold-Formed Steel Framing: From Niche to Strategic Solution

Estimated share in low-rise residential: ~1–10% (and rising)

Cold-formed steel framing is no longer an experimental or marginal system in Canada. While its total market share remains smaller than wood, its growth trajectory is significantly steeper — particularly in urban and multi-unit housing.

 Where CFS Is Gaining the Most Traction

CFS adoption is strongest in:

• Multi-family residential buildings

• Mid-rise developments (4–8 stories)

• Modular and panelized housing systems

• Projects prioritizing fire resistance and dimensional accuracy

In many of these segments, CFS is not competing directly with traditional stick framing, but replacing it as the preferred system.

 Why Cold-Formed Steel Is Growing Now

 1. Alignment with Prefabrication and Modular Construction

One of the strongest drivers behind CFS growth is its compatibility with off-site manufacturing. Steel studs can be:

• Factory-fabricated into panels or modules

• Shipped with minimal waste

• Assembled rapidly on site

As Canada faces chronic housing shortages and labor constraints, industrialized construction methods favor CFS over conventional wood framing.

 2. Fire and Insurance Considerations

In dense urban housing and multi-unit developments:

• Non-combustible framing is increasingly preferred

• Insurance and risk mitigation considerations are influencing material choice

Cold-formed steel offers a clear advantage here, particularly as building envelopes become more complex and fire-separation requirements more stringent.

 3. Precision, Quality, and Repeatability

CFS framing provides:

• High dimensional accuracy

• Straight, uniform members

• Better tolerance control for finishes and façades

For large-scale residential developments, repeatability and predictability are major advantages — especially compared to site-cut wood framing.

 4. Sustainability and Material Efficiency

While steel has higher embodied energy than wood, CFS systems:

• Are typically made from recycled steel

• Are fully recyclable at end of life

• Generate less on-site waste

As lifecycle analysis becomes more prominent in project evaluation, CFS is increasingly framed as a sustainability-aligned system, especially in prefab contexts.

 Concrete Framing: Stable, Necessary, but Segment-Specific

Concrete remains:

• Essential for foundations and basements

• The dominant structural system for mid-rise and high-rise residential buildings

However, for low-rise housing, concrete framing systems (including ICFs) remain niche. Concrete’s role is stable rather than expanding rapidly, especially when compared to the growth momentum of cold-formed steel.

 Key Trends Shaping the Next Decade

 Wood: Adapting Rather Than Declining

Wood framing is evolving through:

• Engineered wood products

• Mass timber systems

• Improved fire and acoustic assemblies

Its share may slowly decline in some segments, but it will remain foundational to Canadian housing.

 Cold-Formed Steel: The Fastest-Growing Framing System

Among all framing materials, CFS shows the strongest relative growth, driven by:

• Urban densification

• Modular construction

• Fire safety requirements

• Labor efficiency

While it may not overtake wood in detached housing anytime soon, it is becoming a mainstream option for multi-unit and mid-rise residential construction.

 Concrete: Performance-Driven Continuity

Concrete will continue to dominate where height, durability, and fire performance demand it — even as carbon-reduction strategies evolve.

 Final Takeaway

• Wood framing remains the majority system for Canadian low-rise housing, but its dominance is no longer uncontested.

• Cold-formed steel framing is the most dynamic and rapidly expanding structural system in residential construction today, especially in multi-family and prefabricated housing.

• Concrete framing remains essential for taller residential buildings but is not driving change at the low-rise scale.

The future of Canadian residential construction is not about replacing wood outright — it’s about diversifying structural systems, and cold-formed steel is increasingly at the center of that shift.