Standard Steel Doors and Frames for Modular Masonry Construction

The Module

Definition:

The size of any individual part, taken as a unit of measure for regular proportion. A basic unit of measure adopted by the building industry as 4 inches.

Concept:

The use of a standard modular dimension common to building products such as masonry improves finished buildings and structures in the following ways:

• Increased accuracy, legibility, and simplicity of contract documents.
• Added aesthetic flexibility induced by small unit standardization, allowing freedom of architectural design.
• Increased flexibility of finished structure through lower modification, addition, and renovation costs.
• Reduced overall material and labor costs by facilitating the use of standard practices and definable operating procedures.
• Interchangeability of materials is facilitated by the ability to substitute modular components.
• Estimating and takeoff simplified.
• Detailing and drawing coordination between trades and specialties simplified by small size standard grid.

Dimensions:

Concrete masonry units (CMU) have been standardized to a nominal 8″ high and 16″ long module.

Modular bricks have been standardized to a nominal 2 2/″ high and 8″ long module, therefore 6 bricks correspond to the modular size of CMU. This relationship is clearly shown on the following pages.

Frame Installation in Cast-In-Place Concrete Walls

While the use of hollow metal frames in cast-in-place concrete walls is a common construction practice, the SDI does not recommend the inclusion of the frame as part of the process of pouring the wall. Instead, a roughopening should be blocked out no less than 3/16″ (4.8 mm) larger than the frame on all three sides. For example the opening for a 3′0″ x 7′0″ standard frame with 2″ faces would be 3′ 4-3/8″ x 7′ 2-3/16″ minimum. The installer is responsible for anchoring the frame per the manufacturer’s installation instructions, shimming and aligning as necessary.