Fewer field steps, tested performance and framing engineered for the long run.
U.S. data center construction starts surged to $77.7 billion in 2025, a 190% year-over-year increase, and another 76 projects worth $88 billion are already in preconstruction for the next six months, according to ConstructConnect’s February 2026 Data Center Report. That pace leaves little room for delays on the jobsite, putting a premium on framing products that keep crews moving without cutting corners.
Marino\WARE’s FireRip® high-deflection dynamic joint protection, StudRite® high strength-to-mass ratio studs and heavy-gauge structural framing are designed to install quickly and engineered to provide durable, long-lasting performance.
Rapid Deployment
On a data center jobsite, every field step you can remove protects the project timeline. Marino\WARE’s structural stud and track ship order-to-length in gauges up to heavy 10-gauge steel, so your crew spends less time measuring, marking and cutting on site and saves time that would have been spent cleaning up scrap.
It also means fewer partial pieces left over at the end of a run, and more consistency between crews on a large data center build with multiple framing teams working in parallel.
StudRite open-web studs weigh up to 25% less than traditional cold-formed steel studs, making them easier to handle. That weight reduction can mean fewer crew members are needed to lift and position studs safely, particularly on the tall-wall applications that are a defining feature of data center construction.
StudRite carries one of the best strength-to-mass ratios of any stud in the industry, and it is suitable for both structural and non-structural applications, so a single product line can serve non-load-bearing partitions and load-bearing conditions on the same job, with fewer separate stud types to spec, stock and track.
JoistRite® open-web joists carry the same speed and handling advantages into floor and ceiling framing, so the benefits aren’t limited to walls. The continuous, lip-reinforced open web lets electricians, plumbers and HVAC crews route wiring, conduit and ductwork straight through the joist without stopping to cut or reinforce a penetration—a meaningful time savings on data center floors, where raised-floor systems, cable trays and overhead mechanical runs all compete for the same space.
JoistRite is ICC-ES ESR-1741 listed, carries UL floor-ceiling designs and tests to STC 52/59 with IIC up to 74—giving specifiers documented acoustic performance for floors separating IT space from mechanical or office areas. Snap-Lock technology and pre-drilled web stiffeners speed field assembly further, so crews spend less time aligning and more time installing.
Reliability and Resilience
Cold-formed steel is inherently non-combustible, which puts Marino\WARE products on the right side of code requirements. FireRip is built for the head-of-wall joints on the partitions separating IT, battery and electrical rooms, where fire-rated separation and tested performance are essential.
FireRip provides unencumbered dynamic movement for high-deflection, dynamic joint applications and tested per UL 2079 (5th edition). It is tested to withstand up to 100% compression and 100% extension—a critical spec for the tall partitions common to data center construction, where joints are subject to high stress from settling, thermal expansion, equipment vibration and other sources of ongoing movement.
FireRip is highly versatile: it works with any UL-certified deep-leg or slotted-leg track already in your assembly, and a single-layer profile carries 1-hour, 2-hour and 3-hour fire ratings. That means the rating on a given partition can match what that specific room requires, without switching products.
Marino\WARE’s broader Firestopping line, including Fire Bead®, Fire Gasket® and HOTROD® XL, addresses the other joints and penetrations across the same partitions, so a project is not sourcing separate firestop systems from multiple suppliers.
Future-Ready Durability
Marino\WARE structural framing is available in web sizes from 1-5/8″ to 16″ and thicknesses up to heavy 10-gauge steel, giving you a range that is ideal for high-bay partitions and heavy loads. That range covers everything from interior partitions to the tall data center walls that carry cable trays and heavy overhead equipment. Between StudRite, suitable for both structural and non-structural framing, and heavy-gauge structural framing built to handle high-bay, load bearing conditions, Marino\WARE’s product range covers most of what a data center’s walls need to carry.
In addition, cold-formed steel is dimensionally stable, resisting the warping, shrinking and twisting that can affect other materials over time, so the assembly you install today is built to keep performing well into the building’s operation.
If your project has a sustainability target attached to it, it’s important to note that cold-formed steel is also recyclable, and Marino\WARE’s product-specific environmental product declarations support LEED v5 materials and reduced-embodied-carbon credits. That combination of documented environmental data and long-term dimensional stability gives a project team confidence in the framing package well past the ribbon cutting.
We’re Here to Help
If a detail needs a second look before it goes in the wall, Marino\WARE’s Technical Support team is ready to help with design and installation information for Marino\WARE products and guidance on structural, non-structural, fire and sound assemblies.
Our goal is to help you build faster and frame for lasting resilience, not just compliance. If you’re planning your next data center build, talk to your local Marino\WARE sales representative about how these products fit your framing package, or visit www.marinoware.com/data-center-solutions/ to learn more.
Crysta Hailes is the vice president of marketing at Marino\WARE. With more than15 years of leadership, she bridges Marino\WARE’s products directly to the real-world jobsite challenges faced by architects, engineers and contractors.
