[2] Early in the 1900s, prior to the formation of the MBMA, metal beams and panels were used for garages with small structures and were advertised for sale in publications such as the Saturday Evening Post.

The first standing seam metal roof [3] was introduced by Armco Steel Corp at the 1934 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago.

The use of pre-engineered buildings increased during World War II with the introduction and evolution of the Quonset Hut, a portable and inexpensive solution to housing and other needs.

The builders provided contracting and erection services and the manufacturers offered training courses for the building of their structures.

[7] When MBMA was founded, a Technical Committee was established and began to research and document important issues in metal building design and construction.

[1] MBMA first co-sponsored research in 1966 with a study on tapered structural members conducted at the State University of New York at Buffalo by Dr. George Lee.

This work was performed at Underwriters Laboratories and was designed to show the fire resistive nature of the HOW joints in metal buildings.

[9] Hot Box Testing: Buildings consume approximately 40 percent of energy used in the United States annually.

The MBMA is working with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee to create more energy-efficient structures.

ORNL's Large Scale Climate Simulator (LSCS) can enclose building assemblies to replicate different climatic conditions and provide “hot box” testing in accordance with ASTM C1363 [10][11] MBMA is currently working with ORNL on next-generation roofing assemblies that have been designed to increase energy efficiency, primarily by using unique combinations of insulation.

[10][12] This work is helping to make metal building systems more efficient and keep the industry ahead of code requirements.

[13] As a result of this collective effort in the summer of 2010, DASMA released a technical guide to ensure that metal building framing can adequately support a rolling door.

[14] The MBMA continues to perform research into wind loads on metal buildings,[15] roof systems, and other aspects of low-rise construction.

Additionally, the association has sponsored and led research into bolted end plate connections, cold-formed steel, snow loads and wind uplift, and insurance issues for metal buildings, among other topics [16] that are pertinent to the industry.

[18] The MBMA Media channel on YouTube.com offers a variety of videos and recorded webinars on topics of interest, including design, construction, testing, research and accreditation.

The latest edition of the Metal Roofing Systems Design Manual includes current codes, standards and common industry practices.