The Final Report of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) Project "Development of Dry Composite Construction Systems Based on Steel in Residential Applications", addresses new forms of construction in which light steel members and sheeting are designed to act compositely with ‘dry' materials, such as boards and gypsum products. The research covers the composite action of light steel frames with floor and wall boarding, the development of timber steel composites for roofing, and cladding-frame interaction in typical housing with brick facades. Participating countries involved in this study are: Sweden, Finland, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Germany.

In this section, an excerpt from the cited report, a review of requirements and standards in the participating countries has been undertaken. It shows substantial differences between the countries, partially due to climatic differences but also due to different traditions. The use of light steel in housing varies also considerably between the countries, but is increasing in Scandinavia, France and UK.

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