There are ample service holes in Light Gauge Steel (LGS) frames, however, if additional service holes are required in wall studs, they should be:
A grommet should be inserted in the hole to protect future services from the sharp edges. Common hole sizes for grommets are 28mm,32mm and 34mm. Other sizes are used, but please check with the frame manufacturer before commencing work.
NASH recommends that hole sizes comply with the following diagrams. Always check with the frame fabricator prior to making service holes in beams.
There are three main ways of creating additional holes:
TIP: If using a saw, pre-drill the hole (the same size used in the hole saw) as this prolongs the tool life and allows you to use a lower speed when you contact the steel frame with the hole saw.
NASH recommends the following hole layout for specific services.
The NASH Standard is available to purchase on the NASH website in either PDF or hardcopy format.
A guide to using tin snips to make large penetration holes in light-gauge steel including studs, noggins, and top plates up to 0.75mm thick.
Making penetration holes for ventilation or services is easily achieved in all steel framing thicknesses by drilling with a tungsten carbide hole cutter.
Learn how to create penetration holes for ventilation or services in steel thicknesses up to 3.2mm using a hydraulic punch.
There may be times when you need to make extra holes on-site. Tungsten carbide cutting tools are recommended for their cutting accuracy.
A manual hydraulic punch is a versatile tool that punches holes for plumbing and electrical cable grommets, and larger penetration holes for services.
The S100 stud punch manufactured by Stainelec is an alternative hole punching tool used to make additional holes in steel framing for plumbing, electrical or data cable.
At times it might be necessary to repair a screw that has been stripped or overdriven. It's easy to do in 3 steps!