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Steel Beam & Column Design

Steel section design — classification, lateral-torsional buckling, axial buckling and interaction checks per IS 800, AISC 360 and Eurocode 3.

Design rolled and built-up steel sections for flexure, axial, shear and combined loading. Section classification, lateral-torsional buckling (LTB), column buckling and beam-column interaction equations — all code-aware.

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Design codes
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Use cases
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FAQs answered

Design codes supported

IS 800:2007
Indian limit-state steel design code
AISC 360-22
American steel specification
Eurocode 3 (EN 1993-1-1)
European steel design code
Why engineers pick it

What makes this different

Section classification automated

Plastic / compact / semi-compact / slender — determined from b/t ratios so you don't have to remember the limits.

LTB the right way

Lateral-torsional buckling capacity computed with proper Cb / km factors instead of the conservative shortcut.

Beam-column interaction

Combined axial + biaxial bending interaction with the correct second-order amplifier per code.

Indian + American + European catalogue

Pick from ISMB, ISWB, IPE, HE, W, HSS — the section properties database covers all three regions.

Workflow

How it works

  1. 1

    Pick a section from the catalogue

    Search ISMB / IPE / W series; properties auto-populate. Or define a custom built-up section.

  2. 2

    Enter unbraced lengths

    Lateral and torsional unbraced lengths for LTB; effective length factors for axial buckling.

  3. 3

    Apply loads & combinations

    Axial, major + minor moments, shear; combine via code-specified load combinations.

  4. 4

    Review interaction & export

    Pass / fail summary with the governing equation; PDF report ready for review.

Real-world use

Common scenarios

Industrial portal frame rafter

Major-axis moment + axial — LTB is usually the governing check for unrestrained spans.

Multi-storey steel column

Pure axial with effective length depending on bracing — both major and minor axis buckling checked.

Floor beam with composite slab

Continuous lateral restraint from the slab — LTB is suppressed, so flexure governs.

HSS column under wind

Hollow structural section with combined axial + biaxial bending; torsional checks where applicable.

Worked examples

Try it on a real scenario

Three engineering cases with the inputs and expected results. Open one to see exactly what to type into the calculator.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

ISMB, ISWB, ISLB, ISJB (Indian); W, HSS, channels, angles (American); IPE, HE, UB, UC, RHS (European). Custom built-up sections are also supported.
Yes — full LTB calculation with Cb / km factors per IS 800 §8.2.2 / AISC F2.2 / EC3 §6.3.2.
Beam-column interaction is checked with the code's combined-stress equation (IS 800 §9.3, AISC H1, EC3 §6.3.3).
Plastic and compact sections are detected automatically; full plastic moment capacity is used where the section qualifies.
Yes. The PDF report shows section classification, every check with code references, and the governing demand/capacity ratio.

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