American Institute of Steel Construction

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American Institute of Steel Construction
The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC),
headquartered in Chicago, is a not-for-profit technical institute and trade association established in 1921 to serve
the structural steel design community and construction
industry in the United States. AISC’s mission is to make
structural steel the material of choice by being the leader
in structural-steel-related technical and market-building
activities, including: specification and code development,
research, education, technical assistance, quality certification, standardization, and market development. AISC
has a long tradition of service to the steel construction
industry providing timely and reliable information.

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during the war emergency. The two groups agreed that
this was the right step and called a meeting for all U.S.
steel fabricators. On November 21, 1917 in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, the structural steel War Service Committee
was formed. This group assisted the U.S. War Industries
Board in the procurement of fabricated structural steel,
and attempted to coordinate the efforts of the steel industry during the World War I effort.
The U.S. War Industries Board (WIB) was decommissioned at the conclusion of World War I on January
1, 1919. With the decommissioning of the WIB, the
leaders of the Structural Steel Society and the Bridge
Builders Society met in November 1919 to disband the
War Service Committee. Proactive fabricators attending
the meeting suggested that the War Service Committee be
reorganized into a new association that would continue
the promotional efforts of the structural steel industry
on a national basis. All parties agreed and the War Service Committee was reorganized to become The National
Steel Fabricators Association (NSFA). The NSFA immediately established an office at 50 Church Street New
York, New York, and Pittsburgh was established as the
home of the NSFA Annual Meeting.

History

Representatives from 34 of the then 85 founding members were present at the 1920 NSFA Annual Meeting.
While larger fabricators were still hesitant in joining the
NSFA at this time, the participation at this Annual Meeting illustrated the determination of the steel fabrication
industry in making the association a success.
During the 1921 Annual Meeting, the funding/membership structure of NSFA was confirmed
and a Board of Directors was established. NSFA also
adopted a tentative charter, constitution, and by-laws;
these documents would become the defining purposes
and goals of NSFA.
Empire State Building

At the 1922 Annual Meeting, the National Steel Fabricators Association officially changed its name to the American Institute of Steel Construction. Initially there was
discussion as to whether the proposed name the “American Institute of Steel Construction” was too similar to the
existing American Iron and Steel Institute. The group
considered an alternative name of the National Institute
of Steel Construction; however, as Canadian fabricators were actively part of the NSFA, it was decided that
“American” was a more appropriate term for the name.

In the early 1900s there were a number of independently
operated structural steel fabricator groups that were concerned with improving the disorganized climate in which
they operated. They individually sought some means to
establish a code of practice and ethics for the industry,
and to promote the usage of steel for building and bridge
construction. However, there was no defining event or
organization that could establish a unified message.

When the United States entered the World War I, the two
The objectives of AISC were presented as follows:
larger steel fabricator groups, the Structural Steel Society and the Bridge Builders Society, discussed the for• Establish AISC as a single steel code authority that
mation of a national group to represent the steel industry
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2 TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS
would be recognized by building code authorities
and designers.
• In an attempt to eliminate the confusion of numerous and different manuals produced by U.S. steel
mills, AISC would establish a set of loading tables
for all U.S. steel sections. AISC would then ask U.S.
mills to adopt this standard in their future publications; thus showing the public that the mills have accepted AISC standards as authority.
• AISC would establish a uniform code for use for the
entire industry, including mills and fabricators, to
establish a uniform reference that would contribute
to the advancement of the entire industry.
• AISC would become a champion in establishing and
enhancing college steel construction courses.
• AISC would also serve as an authority that would
market the economical and efficient use of steel to
architects, engineering professionals, and building
commissioners.

AISC Steel Construction Manuals

The first AISC '’Standard Specification for the Design,
Fabrication, and Erection of Structural Steel for Buildings’’ was published on June 1, 1923. The ’’Specification’’ met with immediate universal favor and began to
be adopted by building officials and code bodies throughout the country. By 1924, the ’’Specification’’ had been
adopted by 25 prominent cities in the United States and
today it’s incorporated into the International Building
Code, which is the primary source for building codes
throughout the United States.

Although the name the American Institute of Steel Constriction was not established until 1922, you will note that
the AISC seal states “founded in 1921”. Again during
the Annual Meeting 1921, the then young organization
NSFA defined its purposes and goals. Those purposes The current specification, dated June 10, 2010, is availand goals would continue after the name change to AISC. able for free to the general public at www.aisc.org. Both
Virtually from the beginning, AISC embarked on deter- the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) and Almined and aggressive programs of promotion, publicity, lowable Strength Design (ASD) methodologies of design
public relations, salesmanship, engineering and research. are incorporated into 2010 ‘’Specification’’. The next
AISC ‘’Specification” is scheduled to be adopted in 2016.
All of these programs continue today.
‘’Of the two founding structural steel fabricators associations, The Bridge Builders Society disbanded in 1921, 2.2 AISC Code of Standard Practice for
and the Structural Steel Society merged with the Central
Structural Steel Buildings and Bridges
Fabricators Association in 1926. The Central Fabricators
(AISC 303)
Association continues to promote structural steel usage in
the Midwest. ‘’
The AISC Code of Standard Practice for Structural Steel
Buildings and Bridges (COSP) provides a framework
for a common understanding of the acceptable standards
2 Technical Publications
when contracting for structural steel. As such, it is useful for everyone associated with construction in structural
The continued financial support and active participation steel.
of AISC Members in engineering, research, and development activities make possible the publishing of technical In 1924 the AISC Board of Directors approved a Code
publications. The following is a summary of AISC’s more of Standard Practice for the fabricated structural steel
industry. This document listed and classified the fabriprominent publications:
cated steel items that go into the structure, and stipulated
standard rules and procedures for: calculation of weights
2.1 Specification for Structural Steel for invoicing, preparation and approval of shop drawings,
resolution of discrepancies between drawings and specifiBuildings (ANSI/AISC 360)
cations, determination of good workmanship, inspection
The AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings and delivery, erection, delays, extras, proposals and conprovides the generally applicable requirements for the tracts.
design and construction of structural steel buildings and The publication of this standard caught the attention of
Herbert Hoover, secretary of the U.S. Department of
other structures.

3
Commerce. In October 1924, Mr. Hoover addressed a
letter to AISC which stated: “It gives me pleasure to congratulate you and the members of the American Institute
of Steel Construction on your splendid progress in simplification and standardization of your products and practices. Voluntary cooperation of industry, the engineering
profession, and the consuming public in these matters not
only helps eliminate waste, but strengthens employment,
and opens the door to greater prosperity for all concerned.
"

design guides to help the practicing engineer. The design
guides are intended to be informational, not normative,
and as such compile and organize the thoughts and suggestions of their authors on particular technical and market focused topics. All design guides bring the collective
experience and knowledge of the author and reviewers,
including fabricators, engineers, professors, researchers,
and practitioners in the engineering and construction industries. Currently, there are 29 Design Guides on topics
including: Blast Resistant Structures; Hollow Structural
Sections; Constructability of Steel Buildings; Fire ReThe current AISC Code of Standard Practice is dated
April 14, 2010 and is available for free to the general pub- sistance of Structural Steel Framing; and Steel-Framed
Open Deck Park Structures. More information is availlic.
able at www.aisc.org/bookstore.

2.3

AISC Steel Construction Manual

3 Periodicals

Best known and most widely used of AISC technical publications is the Steel Construction Manual, which holds a
highly respected position in engineering literature.
3.1

Modern Steel Construction Magazine

On June 1, 1923, AISC published Steel Construction, a
booklet that provided an explanation of the formulas in
the first Specification and contained design aid charts for
finding allowable stresses in columns, beam webs and laterally unsupported flanges.

Modern Steel Construction (MSC) is the monthly publication of the steel design and construction industry.
MSC brings its readership in-depth information on the
newest and most advanced uses of structural steel in
buildings and bridges by focusing on innovative and costIn 1926, with the cooperation of U.S. steel mills, AISC effective steel designs and the products that help bring
published its first handbook, entitled ‘’Steel Construction them to life.
Allowable Load Tables’’. This 104 page booklet included
tabulated data on the dimensions, properties, and allow- MSC is directed exclusively to professionals in the conable loads of all beam and column shapes rolled in the struction industry who make and influence purchasing
U.S., as well as data on connection angles, column base decisions—whether they are engineers, architects, buildplates, built-up members, rivet & bolt values and other ing owners, contractors, fabricators, detailers or erectors.
miscellaneous items, all based on the 1923 ‘’Standard MSC is the only magazine in the United States devoted
Specification’’.
exclusively to the design and construction of steel-framed
This was the first time in U.S. history when a designer structures. You can read both the current issue and every
could refer to a single publication that contained data back issue at www.modernsteel.com.
previously available only in a multiplicity of mill catalogs. The 1926 handbook was an immediate success and
became the forerunner of the AISC Steel Construction 3.2 AISC Engineering Journal
Manual.
Engineering Journal (ISSN 0013-8029) is AISC’s quarWith the publication of each new AISC Specification &
terly technical journal. It is a peer-reviewed publication
Code of Standard Practice, an accompanying Steel Condedicated to the improvement and advancement of strucstruction Manual is published. In March 2011, AISC
tural steel construction. Engineering Journal has been the
published the current 14th Edition Steel Construction
premier U.S. technical journal for structural steel conManual. The 14th Edition Manual is based on the 2010
struction since its beginnings in 1964.
Specification for Structural Steel Buildings and the 2010
Code of Standard Practice for Steel Building and Bridges.
This publication is found on the desk of almost every
practicing structural engineer as well as most structural 4 External links
engineering students. More information is available at
www.aisc.org/bookstore.
• American Institute of Steel Construction Official
Webpage

2.4

AISC Design Guides

Recognizing the wide range of projects that design professionals are called upon to handle, AISC has produced

• Modern Steel Construction Official Webpage
• National Steel Bridge Alliance Official Webpage

4

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References
• Gillette, Leslie H. (1980). The First 60 Years,
The American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc.
1921-1980. Chicago, IL: American Institute of
Steel Construction, Inc.

REFERENCES

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Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.1

Text

• American Institute of Steel Construction Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Institute_of_Steel_Construction?oldid=
684955049 Contributors: Bearcat, DocWatson42, Rpyle731, ESkog, A bit iffy, Wizard191, Magioladitis, Canaima, Altermike, Stickee,
Tassedethe, Yobot, Elizabeth Linden Rahway, Persian knight shiraz, Mean as custard, Scottmelnick, BG19bot, Panchobook, Mdann52,
Mogism, Michipedian, Jacinda Collins and Anonymous: 5

6.2

Images

• File:AISC_Manual_Image.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/AISC_Manual_Image.jpg License: CC-BYSA-3.0 Contributors:
Photo taken at office
Previously published: Picasa, Twitter, and Facebook
Original artist:
Jacinda Collins
• File:JLC_Empire_State_Launch.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/JLC_Empire_State_Launch.jpg
License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: New York on AISC owned Android phone
Previously published: Twitter, Picasa, Facebook Original artist: Jacinda Collins

6.3

Content license

• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

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