Girt
The horizontal wall member that carries siding between a building's columns.
Quick Answer
A girt is a horizontal secondary member spanning between columns in a wall, supporting the siding or wall panels and transferring wind load to the frame. In pre-engineered metal buildings girts are usually cold-formed Z or C sections. Estimators count them by linear feet or by piece from the building package or erection drawings.
The Full Picture
A girt is the wall counterpart of a roof purlin. Where purlins span between rafters and carry roof panels, girts run horizontally between the primary columns and carry the wall panels. They resist wind pressure and suction on the wall and pass it into the frame. In a typical metal building the girts are spaced up the wall at intervals set by the panel and the load.
In pre-engineered metal buildings (PEMBs), girts are commonly cold-formed Z or C sections, supplied with the building kit by the manufacturer, along with the primary rigid frames, purlins, bracing, clips and fasteners. The manufacturer's design controls the section, gauge and spacing. In conventionally framed steel buildings, girts can instead be hot-rolled channels or tube sections shown on the structural drawings.
Girts show up on wall framing elevations, building sections and the manufacturer's anchor and erection drawings, often with callouts for size and spacing and details at openings, such as framed openings for doors and louvers. Headers and jambs around those openings carry extra pieces, so the girt count near openings is not simply the wall length divided by spacing. The architectural plans show the wall panel type; the structural or manufacturer sheets show the framing behind it.
Girts are quantified by linear foot per wall, by piece count, or as part of a metal building package priced by the manufacturer. If the building is bought as a package, the estimator's job is to verify what the supplier's quote includes, usually primary frames, secondary framing and often panels, and what it excludes, such as foundations, anchor rods, doors, insulation and erection. Girts are a common place for scope gaps when different bidders carry different parts of the wall system.
Real Examples
Common Misconceptions
People assume: Girts and purlins are the same thing.
Actually: Both are cold-formed secondary members, but purlins support the roof and girts support the walls. They are quoted and installed with the same package but sit in different parts of the drawings.
People assume: You can price girts from the wall length alone.
Actually: Spacing, bay widths, openings, base angle, eave strut and bracing all change the count. Read the framing elevation or erection drawing and don't rely on a wall-length formula.
Does MeltPlan Solve This?
Partially — adjacentMeltPlan's takeoff works from PDF plans, with US-based estimators reviewing the AI's quantities, which covers measuring and counting framing members shown on the drawings. Manufacturer package design and pricing are outside it.
Count wall framing and openings from your plans →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a girt and a purlin?
A girt supports wall panels and spans horizontally between columns. A purlin supports roof panels and spans between rafters or rigid frames.
What are girts made of?
In metal buildings they are normally cold-formed Z or C sections in light-gauge steel. In conventional steel framing, girts can be channels, tubes or other rolled shapes. The manufacturer or structural drawings give the actual section.
How are girts quantified in a takeoff?
By linear feet or piece count per wall from the framing elevations, or as a lump sum inside a metal building package. Confirm what the supplier quote includes.
Who designs the girts on a metal building?
The metal building manufacturer's engineer usually designs and supplies them with the building, to the loads stated in the contract documents. The contract documents state the design loads.
Are girts shown on the architectural drawings?
Typically the architectural drawings show the wall panel and finishes, while the framing behind them appears on structural sheets or the manufacturer's drawings.