---

Steel wide-flange column design calculator

Directions: Enter values for steel type, column height, effective length coefficient (K), and axial load (kips) in yellow fields.
Press "update" button.

Based on dimensions of W-sections and methodology contained in the Steel Construction Manual, 14th edition, AISC (ASD method). More detailed explanations and examples can be found in my text.

Steel type	A36 A992
Height		feet inches meters
K	1.0 0.5 0.65 0.7 0.8 1.2 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4
Axial load		kips pounds kilonewton newton
Limit KL/r to 200 No limits on KL/r
Five lightest choices:
1
2
3
4
5

---

Disclaimer: This calculator is not intended to be used for the design of actual structures, but only for schematic (preliminary) understanding of structural design principles. For the design of an actual structure, a competent professional should be consulted.

First posted March 21, 2016 | Last updated March 22, 2016