Metal Stud vs Wood Stud — GTA Construction Guide

Wood is structural — it carries roof, floor, and seismic loads. Standard cold-formed metal studs (typically 25-gauge for non-load-bearing partitions) are not structural and can't carry vertical load. Heavier-gauge structural metal studs exist (16-gauge and lower) but cost much more and require an engineered design.

Wood is the default for residential single-family construction in Ontario for good reason:

1. load-bearing — wood handles vertical loads from above with cheap, code-defined sizing
2. cheap and abundant — every lumber yard in the GTA stocks 2x4, 2x6, and engineered LVL
3. every framing crew is trained on wood — easier to find qualified labour
4. attaches to wood floor systems naturally — no transitions needed
5. better thermal performance — wood has a lower thermal conductivity than steel, reducing thermal bridging through the wall
6. cheaper for typical residential cavity assemblies.

For new homes, additions, garden suites, and most basement renovations, wood is correct.

Metal studs win when:

1. commercial or industrial fit-outs — building code, insurance, and tenant requirements often specify non-combustible framing
2. fire-rated separations between dwelling units in townhouses and multi-unit residential — metal simplifies UL/ULC rated assemblies
3. wet areas — basement remediation after flooding, swimming pool enclosures, or commercial kitchens benefit from non-organic framing
4. tall walls — over 12 feet, cold-formed structural metal studs (engineered) remain straighter than wood
5. any wall where dimensional stability matters — straight walls without wood's seasonal warping
6. high-rise multi-residential — building codes typically require non-combustible interior framing
7. shop-fabricated assemblies — metal panels can be welded into prefab modules off-site.

The install actually goes faster on long, simple commercial runs because metal studs are pre-punched for wiring and plumbing and clip into track cleanly.

On a per-square-foot basis, wood is 5-15% cheaper than metal for typical partition walls. The gap reverses on long, repetitive commercial runs because metal install is faster — a Toronto fit-out crew can frame 1,000+ sq ft of metal stud partition per day versus 600-800 sq ft of wood.

Ontario Building Code (OBC) treats both wood and metal as approved framing materials. The major differences come up in: Part 9 residential builds (wood is overwhelmingly used and well-supported), Part 3 commercial and multi-unit residential (where non-combustible construction may be mandatory above certain heights), and fire-rated assemblies (UL/ULC ratings for metal-stud walls are abundant and often simpler to specify than equivalent wood-stud assemblies).

For any wall taller than 10 feet or in any commercial/industrial context, get an engineered design. Cold-formed structural metal stud framing is its own discipline (governed by AISI S100 in North America) and the wrong gauge or spacing fails inspection.