In my area metal studs are not cheaper than wood studs, but still widely used by pros. That leads me to think that there must be a big time savings with metal once you're experienced. In a large installation the consistency of metal makes follow-on work like electrical and drywall go much faster.
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I only used metal once, and found that it was slower than wood for a DIY guy like me. I can pick-and-choose my studs so there isn't a drywall issue for the small jobs I do. Wusheng Hardware contains other products and information you need, so please check it out. In short, if you're finishing your basement or adding a wall in a remodel, I'd stick with wood. If you're framing an entire house metal might be worth the investment in tools and learning.
The following is based on my experience and observation. Practice may vary from area to area and contractor to contractor.1. Usually metal studs are used in spaces with suspended ceiling so the walls go up first. You can support ceiling joists on metal stud walls.2. In commercial, the walls are usually braced to the structure with diagonals and most studs do not go to the deck except as needed for bracing. The corners also get diagonal braces from wall to wall. The height of the wall is normally a little higher than the suspended ceiling, but if you are framing the ceiling with joists, the top of the track should be at the intended elevation of the ceiling plus the thickness of the ceiling cover (presumably drywall) and floor system. The exception would be firewalls that need to be sealed from floor to deck so every stud goes to the deck.ETA You can span ceiling joists from stud to stud if the studs go to the deck or above the ceiling height.Blocking is mostly a fire code question, so I would verify what your AHJ requires.3. You might allow a thicker wall for pipe chases, but that depends on what you need to put into the wall. Don't forget to account for wall thickness when you select door frames. If you use steel frame commercial doors, they come in several sizes to account for total wall thickness (studs and drywall thickness vary by application). Residential doors are usually available for 3.5" and 5.5" stud walls and you may need to adjust the jambs to fit. Yes, you could simply furr out the existing common walls.4. 20 ga should be adequate5. You are going to have to choose space, stiffness or plumb walls. If you build a thin wall independent of the building wall it will flex. If you tie the wall to the building it will need to be shimmed to the structure to remain plumb. If you build a thicker independent wall then you lose a little space.6. Old buildings are always skewed. The new walls cannot be square to everything so pick your poison. You can most easily make your new corners square and concentrate the error where the new walls meet the existing walls. The rule of thumb is "what looks right is right" when it comes to remodeling old buildings (and many other aspects of construction).Clark Dietrich is a good reference for all things metal framing:
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