In structural engineering a cutting wall is a structural system composed of braced panels (also known as cutting panels) to counteract the effects of lateral loading acting on a structure. Seismic and wind loads are the most common loads that cutting walls are designed to carry. Under various building codes, including the International Building Code (where a reinforced wall line is called) and the Uniform Construction Code, all exterior wood wall lines or steel frame constructions must be braced. Depending on the size of the building, some interior walls must also be braced.
A cutting-edge structure in the center of a large building, which often encloses an elevator shaft or staircase, forms a cutting core. The walls of cut resist loads in the plane that are applied along its height. The applied load is generally transferred to the wall by means of a diaphragm or a collecting element or drag. They are constructed of wood, concrete and CMU (masonry).
Plywood is the conventional material used in wood cutting walls (wood), but with advances in modern technology and construction methods, other prefabricated options have allowed cutting mounts to be injected into narrow walls that fall on either side of a opening. Steel sheet and steel backing sheeting panels instead of structural plywood in sharp walls have been shown to provide increased seismic resistance.