Steel vs. Wood Weight Calculator
Estimate weight savings and understand thermal trade-offs.
Wood Frame
0 lbs
Steel Frame
0 lbs
SAVINGS
Weight Saved
0 lbs
Weight Comparison Chart
Wood Framing
100% (Baseline)
Steel Framing
65%
The Trade-Off: Weight vs. Warmth
Critical Analysis
✅ Weight Advantage (Steel)
Steel is approximately 30-35% lighter than wood. For a typical tiny house, this frees up 400-800 lbs of capacity for your belongings, appliances, or water tanks.
⚠️ Thermal Bridging Risk (Steel)
Steel conducts heat 300-400 times faster than wood. If you don’t create a “Thermal Break” (a layer of insulation between the steel and the outside air), your studs will act like radiator fins, sucking heat out of your home in winter and creating condensation/mold issues (Ghosting).
Real-World Example
“The 24ft Roamer Build”
- The Gain: Switching to steel framing saved the builder 480 lbs of raw weight.
- The Fix: To stop thermal bridging, they applied 1″ continuous foam insulation to the exterior.
- The Net Result: The insulation added back ~60 lbs. Net savings: 420 lbs. A significant win for towing capacity.