American Institute of Steel Construction

The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) is a not-for-profit technical institute and trade association for the use of structural steel in the construction industry of the United States.

AISC publishes the Steel Construction Manual, an authoritative volume on steel building structure design that is referenced in all U.S. building codes.

The organization works with government agencies, policymakers, and other stakeholders to promote policies and regulations that support the industry's growth and development.

Foundation
In 1911 two civil engineering organizations, the Bridge Builders Society and the Structural Steel Society began cooperating to form broad codes of ethics and practices within the profession. In 1917, during World War I, the two groups merged into the War Service Committee which helped procure fabricated structural steel and coordinate industry efforts. However, by 1919 the Committee was disbanded but some steel fabricators insisted on creating a new association to promote the structural steel industry nationally, founding the National Steel Fabricators Association, which was renamed in 1922 to become the American Institute of Steel Construction, however, the Institute lists 1921 as their foundation year, as that was the year a uniform telegraphic code for the entire industry was created by the National Steel Fabricators Association which triggered the group's transformation from a group of steel manufacturers to the industry standard professional society.

Steel Construction Manual
According to the AISC, the Steel Construction Manual is the "premier reference for structural steel design and construction in the United States" having been published since 1927. Editions are usually made every five to six years to keep up with developments in structural steel codes and standards and to incorporate new materials.