Director's Message: 2025 Brings the Updated BCSI
Key Changes Are Coming Your Way
Over the course of the past year, SBCA’s Engineering and Technical (E&T) Committee, led by Committee Chair Howard Gauger, and SBCA Technical Director Greg Greenlee, P.E., has revised the BCSI (Building Component Safety Information) guide. This tremendous effort has delivered significant improvements to SBCA’s flagship document, including a revised chapter format, updated graphics, easier to navigate formatting, and much needed updates to certain content areas.
This update has been years in the planning and required the help and contributions of significant stakeholders such as the Truss Plate Institute (TPI) and National Framers Council. Members of these groups rely on BCSI to properly conduct their business and requested to be part of the BCSI revision process. Representatives from each of the groups, along with members of SBCA’s E&T Committee, regularly met throughout 2024 to identify areas for revision and improvement.
Including user perspectives and sentiments wasn’t always easy but it resulted in a significantly improved document. The three organizations have a thorough understanding of how BCSI is utilized, from those installing components in the field to professionals who design truss design drawings and rely on BCSI’s bracing recommendations to properly design and resist roof and floor components systems. Component manufacturer (CM) perspectives remained at the forefront of all the change, and successful marketplace adoption lies squarely on CM shoulders.
Over the next several months, and even years, you will hear SBCA staff and others speaking about specific changes and how they will result in more successful truss installations. I encourage you to actively participate in those conversations, whether it is presentations at OQMs and BCMC, webinars led by stakeholders mentioned above, written articles in SBCA Magazine and other publications, or your own analysis through studying the revised BCSI.
However you learn about the changes to BCSI, don’t simply learn for your own awareness, but for the purpose of conveying that information to others. While you will likely have the easiest and most frequent access to learning opportunities through SBCA, our entire industry will need to convey the details of BCSI to code officials, builders, framers, engineers, and others up and down the construction industry supply chain. BCSI is only as effective as its proliferation throughout the industry.
I would like to personally thank everyone who contributed to the BCSI revisions, and to those who served on the BCSI 2025 Committee: including the SBCA E&T Committee, Junaidie Budiman, P.E.; Howard Gauger; Tim Noonan; Tim Riegel, P.E.; Ed Robbins, P.E.; and Zach Shepherd; from the SBCA Technical Advisory Panel, Ken Watters II, P.E.; from NFC, Mark Horan; John Slisky; Chris Tatge; and Mark Wesling; from the TPI Technical Advisory Committee, Darren Conrad, P.E.; Andrew Johnson, P.E.; Jay Jones, P.E.; Stu Lewis, P.E.; and Matt Vinson, P.E.; and from SBCA Staff, Greg Greenlee, P.E.; Sean Shields; Molly Butz; and Christine Wagner. Beyond this, we realize the current version of BCSI would not be possible without years of work and contributions from too many individuals to list here. I encourage you to turn to the Acknowledgements page of your new version of BCSI to better understand those who have contributed over BCSI’s great history.
Watch for an official release notice in SBCA Industry News in the coming weeks to announce the availability of the revised BCSI guide available at SBCA’s online store at https://pubs.sbcacomponents.com. A preorder option is also currently available in addition to the electronic subscription which will automatically be updated once the print version is available.
Jess Lohse, Executive Director