More Tools for Wind & Seismic Design: AWC Publishes 2027 SDPWS Standard

New edition adds two new construction systems and updated CLT diaphragm provisions giving engineers more tools to build safely in seismic and wind-prone regions.

LEESBURG, Va., Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Wood Council (AWC) published the 2027 edition of the Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic (ANSI/AWC SDPWS-2027), the wood product industry's standard for designing in high seismic and wind zones. The new edition has been approved as an American National Standard by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and will be referenced in the 2027 I-Codes.

The 2027 SDPWS is the result of five years of technical work and two years of balloting under ANSI's consensus-based process, including 13 rounds of balloting and a full public review period before reaching final approval. As an ANSI-approved standard, SDPWS is typically updated every six years to ensure its provisions stay aligned with other design references and new research, which gives designers assurance that they are using the most up-to-date provisions.

"This edition of SDPWS gives engineers research-based and tested tools to design with confidence in the highest-hazard regions of the country," said Brad Douglas, Vice President of Engineering at AWC. "Adding new systems isn't just about expanding the toolbox, it's about demonstrating that wood can meet the performance demands of the most challenging seismic and wind-prone regions."

These new tools include two new systems, the Post-Tensioned Timber Rocking Wall and a new sheathed wood-frame High-Capacity One-Sided Shear Wall system, that ultimately give designers more flexibility in wood construction.

Among numerous other changes, the design provisions for cross-laminated timber (CLT) diaphragms were also revised, drawing on new full-size CLT diaphragm test data, the same research that is now being used to support new seismic design force reduction factors for CLT diaphragms in ASCE 7-28.

With SDPWS complete, AWC is finishing updates to the Permanent Wood Foundation Design Specification (PWF) later this year, then turning to updates for the 2024 National Design Specification for Wood Construction^® (NDS^®), the 2024 Fire Design Specification for Wood Construction (FDS), and the 2024 Wood-Frame Construction Manual for One- and Two-Family Dwellings (WFCM).

The 2027 SDPWS is available to view online, and will be available for purchase in 2027.

The American Wood Council (AWC) represents 87.5 percent of the structural wood products industry and the almost 465,000 men and women working family-wage jobs in mills across the country. From dimension lumber to engineered wood products, we champion the development of data, technology, and standards to ensure the best use of wood products and recognition of their unique sustainability and carbon-reduction benefits. http://www.awc.org

SOURCE American Wood Council