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BCSI Gets a Face Lift

By Molly Butz

SBCA’s Building Component Safety Information (BCSI) booklet is the newest addition to SBCA’s digital offerings. One advantage of this annual subscription is that it always includes the most current handling, installation, restraining and bracing information. Furthermore, it provides users with the ability to search, filter, and annotate the content.

SBCA is pleased to offer these convenient electronic options in addition to its time-tested paper options. Instant access to these important best practices is critical in this digital age.

Not only has the BCSI booklet gone digital, it’s also being updated! At the end of 2023, SBCA formed a committee consisting of members from SBCA’s Engineering and Technology (E&T) Committee, TPI’s Technical Advisory Committee (TPITAC), and the National Framers Council (NFC) to review the current BCSI booklet. The objective of the combined committee was to refresh and update the BCSI booklet so that it reflects current industry practice and is more user-friendly. 

The result of the efforts is a complete revision of the BCSI document transitioning to a chapter format from the current B-Series layout. The technical basis behind the prescriptive bracing recommendations were reviewed to confirm they conform with current code and referenced standard requirements. The graphics in the revised BCSI have been updated and the layout now uses a single column format instead of the current two column format, similar to recent changes to the building codes. Chapters have been added to the document, which provide additional background information explaining the process of how components are specified, designed, and installed within the building process. The technical content of the new BCSI guide will be similar; however, additional details, explanations, and bracing options have been added.

“Once finalized, the updated and enhanced version of BCSI will be an even better resource for component manufacturers, framing contractors, building designers, and building officials,” says Tim Noonan, President of Cascade Mfg. Co. “The content will be expanded where it needs to be enhanced, as well as trimmed down where content may no longer be relevant. Combined with clearer graphics, it will be a more concise, reader-friendly, and overall, more useful document that the industry will rely on even more than the current version.”

The committee is nearly complete with its transformation efforts and a new updated version of the BCSI guide will be available soon. After the completion of the new BCSI guide, the BCSI Summary Sheets will be updated as well. The Summary Sheet B-Series’ names will remain the same, but the graphics and additional bracing options will be incorporated. Follow along to stay in the know about all things BCSI and for the release of the updated guide at www.sbcacomponents.com.