The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
If you want to build without conventional softwood lumber, cold-formed steel, masonry, concrete, and structural insulated panels (SIPs) are recognized residential wall-construction options in the 2024 International Residential Code (IRC). Engineered wood products—including I-joists, laminated veneer lumber (LVL), and cross-laminated timber (CLT)—can replace sawn lumber in specific roles, but they are still wood-based. The right choice depends on the part of the building, the complete assembly, local code, and the project’s design requirements.
First decide what you are replacing
“Wood framing” can mean wall studs, floor joists, a beam, roof framing, sheathing, or the building’s entire structural system. Those are different decisions. A steel-stud wall may be an alternative to a wood-framed wall, while an LVL beam replaces a particular sawn-lumber member; neither automatically replaces every other component.
The 2024 IRC, a model code rather than a guarantee of local approval, lists wall construction types as “wood framed, cold-formed steel framed, masonry, concrete and structural insulated panel (SIP).” Check which code edition your jurisdiction has adopted and whether it has amendments before using that list as a project specification. See the 2024 IRC, Chapter 6: Wall Construction.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Non-wood alternatives to conventional framing
Steel, masonry, concrete, and SIPs are different construction approaches, not interchangeable materials to substitute member for member. Each needs a design for its structural role and for how the whole assembly handles thermal movement, moisture, fire, sound, openings, and connections.
#1 Best Overall
- By Crafters, For Crafters: Crafting and building with wood is our number one priority. Bringing you more of the wood craft supplies you love is our job
- Versatile Applications: These wooden sticks and lumber take paint, stain, and other embellishments well. Short lengths work well for many projects - from DIY decks to framing
- Pre-Cut and Pre-Sanded: The lumber comes pre-sanded and pre-cut to 12 inch sizes with less than a 1/64 inch tolerance, saving you time on cutting, sanding and measuring. For smaller than 12 inch pieces, you can easily cut them
- Quality Construction Material: Made from beautiful, quality Douglas Fir wood - only the best for woodworkers and DIYers. These boards are cut and prepared in the USA
- Sustainably Sourced: All of our wood comes from sustainable forests, ensuring that every tree is replaced and regrown for future generations
| Option | Where it fits | What to evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| Cold-formed steel | A residential wall-framing system recognized in the 2024 IRC. | Designed members and connections, thermal details, and compatibility with finishes and other trades. Code recognition alone does not establish suitability for a particular project. |
| Masonry | A wall construction system recognized in the 2024 IRC. | Structural design, foundations, openings, moisture management, and construction sequencing. It is not a drop-in replacement for every wood member. |
| Concrete | A wall construction system recognized in the 2024 IRC. | Structural design, reinforcement and connections, thermal and moisture performance, and the project’s construction method. |
| Structural insulated panels (SIPs) | A wall construction type recognized in the 2024 IRC; panel systems are also covered in APA’s engineered-wood guide. | Panel specifications, openings, connections, and the applicable code path for the project. |
For steel framing, do not select fasteners by name alone: the framing-system specifications and connection design govern the appropriate fastener. A metal stud framing screw is an accessory, not a substitute for a designed system.
Engineered wood: a lumber substitute, not a non-wood alternative
Engineered wood products are made by combining wood strands, veneers, lumber, or other wood fiber with moisture-resistant adhesives. They can provide a more suitable member or panel for a particular structural role, but they remain wood products. APA’s Engineered Wood Construction Guide covers structural panels, glulam, CLT, I-joists, and structural composite lumber (SCL); the guide page notes a 2016 revision with 2023 errata.
Rank #2
- By Crafters, For Crafters: Crafting and building with wood is our number one priority. Bringing you more of the wood craft supplies you love is our job
- Versatile Applications: These wooden sticks and lumber take paint, stain, and other embellishments well. Short lengths work well for many projects - from DIY decks to framing
- Pre-Cut and Pre-Sanded: The lumber comes pre-sanded and pre-cut to 12 inch sizes with less than a 1/64 inch tolerance, saving you time on cutting, sanding and measuring. For smaller than 12 inch pieces, you can easily cut them
- Premium Quality Wood: Our wood and lumber are made from beautiful, quality Douglas Fir - only the best for woodworkers and DIYers. These are cut and prepared in the USA
- Construction Grade Dimensions: Measures 1 in. x 4 in. (3/4 inch x 3-1/2 inch actual dimensions) construction premium Douglas Fir board stud wood suitable for various building applications
Structural composite lumber
SCL includes LVL, parallel strand lumber (PSL), laminated strand lumber (LSL), and oriented strand lumber (OSL). These products are used in selected structural applications where a designed product can serve in place of solid-sawn lumber. APA’s Structural Composite Lumber excerpt describes the product family.
I-joists, glulam, and CLT
I-joists are engineered floor or roof framing members; glulam is an engineered timber product used for structural members such as beams; CLT is a panel product used in structural applications. These are role-specific options, not a universal replacement package for a house. The 2024 IRC references product standards for some engineered products, including ASTM D5456 for structural composite lumber capacities and ANSI/APA PRG 320 for CLT. Product requirements and approval paths should be checked against the locally adopted code and the design.
Rank #3
- 💯 Included are 5 Black Walnut 5 Cherry and 5 Hard Maple 3/4" x 2" x 12"
- ✔️Beautiful Grain
- 🔥 Perfectly Kiln Dried
- ✔️ Two sides sanded to 3/4" thickness
- ❤️ Makes beautiful cutting boards
The American Wood Council’s 2024 Wood Frame Construction Manual is an ANSI-approved manual referenced in the 2024 IBC and IRC for one- and two-family dwellings. It is relevant when the project uses wood framing; it does not make engineered wood a non-wood system.
Hybrid systems can mix materials by role
A building does not have to use one material everywhere. A design may combine wood framing with steel members or other systems where a particular span, connection, or layout calls for it. HUD’s Hybrid Wood and Steel Details—Builder’s Guide (2008) provides background on hybrid details and alternatives to solid-sawn lumber. Because it is an older guide, apply its details only after current code and project-specific design review.
Rank #4
- By Crafters, For Crafters: Crafting and building with wood is our number one priority. Bringing you more of the wood craft supplies you love is our job
- Versatile Applications: These wooden sticks and lumber take paint, stain, and other embellishments well. Short lengths work for many projects from DIY decks to framing
- Pre-Cut and Pre-Sanded: The lumber comes pre-sanded and pre-cut to 12 inch sizes with less than a 1/64 inch tolerance, making it craft ready. For smaller than 12 inch pieces, you can easily cut them
- Quality Construction Material: Made from beautiful, quality redwood lumber cut and prepared in the USA for woodworkers and DIY enthusiasts
- Standard Dimensions: Measures 2 in. x 4 in. nominal size with actual dimensions of 1 1/2 inch x 3 1/2 inch, suitable for construction and framing projects
Compare complete assemblies, not material labels
Before choosing an alternative, compare the systems that can actually meet the project’s needs. A wall, floor, beam, and whole-building structure have different performance criteria, and changing one component can affect the others.
- Structural role: Identify the loads, spans, openings, connections, and member or panel being replaced.
- Code path: Confirm the locally adopted edition, amendments, applicable product standards, and any required evaluation or approval documentation.
- Thermal and moisture details: Compare the complete assembly, including interfaces, rather than inferring performance from the framing material alone.
- Fire and acoustics: Check the required assembly performance for the project; the material name by itself does not establish a tested or approved assembly.
- Renovation constraints: Account for existing structure, access, sequencing, and how the new system connects to what remains.
- People and supply: Verify local product availability and whether qualified designers, installers, and trades are familiar with the chosen system.
- Cost: Request local estimates for the same scope and assembly. Current installed-cost and stock comparisons are not established by the cited sources.
Environmental results depend on the building and study boundary
There is no universal environmental winner based on the material name alone. A meaningful comparison needs functionally equivalent buildings and transparent assumptions about life-cycle stages, service life, transport, replacement, and end of life.
Best Value
- By Crafters, For Crafters: Crafting and building with wood is our number one priority. Bringing you more of the wood craft supplies you love is our job
- Versatile Applications: These wooden sticks and lumber take paint, stain, and other embellishments well. Short lengths work for many projects from DIY decks to framing
- Pre-Cut and Pre-Sanded: The lumber comes pre-sanded and pre-cut to 12 inch sizes with less than a 1/64 inch tolerance, making it craft ready. For smaller than 12 inch pieces, you can easily cut them
- Quality Construction Material: Made from beautiful, quality redwood lumber cut and prepared in the USA for woodworkers and DIY enthusiasts
- Standard Dimensions: Measures 2 in. x 4 in. nominal size with actual dimensions of 1 1/2 inch x 3 1/2 inch, suitable for construction and framing projects
A 2024 study in Building and Environment modeled multi-story residential buildings. In its cradle-to-grave A–C comparison, modeled mass-timber buildings had estimated global warming potential 39–51% lower than functionally equivalent reinforced-concrete buildings and 28–34% lower than structural-steel buildings. With module D accounting for biogenic carbon and recyclability, the modeled mass-timber results were 81–94% lower than concrete and 76–91% lower than steel. These are results for that study’s modeled buildings and boundaries—not a prediction for every home, and not a detached-house comparison. See the 2024 Building and Environment study.
NIST’s 2017 BEES 3.0 technical manual describes environmental life-cycle assessment spanning raw material acquisition, manufacturing, transport, installation, use, and waste management, alongside economic assessment. It describes the publication’s method and data; it is not a current local price guide or a current market comparison.
Quick Recap
How to make a project-level choice
- Define the scope. Specify whether you are replacing a wall frame, joists, a beam, sheathing, or the building’s structural system.
- Set the project requirements. Record spans, loads, openings, renovation constraints, and required thermal, moisture, fire, and acoustic performance.
- Check local code and approvals. Ask the local building department or qualified design professional which code edition and amendments apply, and what product documentation or design approval is needed.
- Compare feasible assemblies. Have qualified professionals assess connection details, interfaces, sequencing, and trade requirements for the alternatives that fit the project.
- Get comparable local estimates. Ask suppliers and contractors to price the same scope and performance requirements, including installation and any associated work.
- Include life-cycle impacts if they matter to the decision. Compare equivalent building functions and state the boundaries and assumptions used rather than transferring results from a different building type.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
