Steel Design Code Checks

AutoCalcs includes public steel design engines that check members against international design standards. Each engine performs section classification, capacity checks (tension, compression, flexure, shear), lateral-torsional buckling, and combined-action interaction - all checked against published worked examples.

Supported Design Codes

Common Capabilities

All engines share the same architecture and output format:

• Section Classification - Each element is classified according to the relevant standard (compact/noncompact/slender for AISC, Class 1-4 for EC3/S16, compact/slender for AS4100).
• Individual Capacity Checks - Tension, compression, flexure (yielding, LTB, local buckling), shear, and code-specific stability checks. Closed hollow section torsion is included where supported; warping torsion for open sections is not performed.
• Combined Actions / Interaction - Biaxial bending with axial force interaction equations as specified by each standard.
• Utilization Ratios - Every check outputs a demand/capacity ratio. Values above 1.0 indicate the member fails that check.
• Advisory Warnings - Slenderness ratio advisories, effective width warnings, and other engineering notes.

Common Scope Exclusions

These engines are member-strength checks. A passing member check does not automatically verify connection-region detailing, brace design, support bearing, or non-strength limit states.

• Local force-transfer checks - Point-load and reaction checks such as web crippling, web local yielding, web sidesway buckling, flange local bending, bearing stiffeners, and doubler plates are not derived automatically from the FEA model.
• Connection effects - Bolt holes, staggered net sections, welds, bolts, brace attachments, and detailed shear-lag geometry require connection-specific checks or manual review.
• Bracing assumptions - Effective lengths, unbraced lengths, moment-gradient factors, and full-restraint assumptions are design inputs. The software does not prove that the physical brace or diaphragm has adequate strength, stiffness, or attachment location.
• Compound member detailing - Laced, battened, built-up, back-to-back, and multi-component member interconnection requirements are not automatically generated unless a code-specific page states otherwise.
• Other standard chapters - Ponding, fatigue, fire, corrosion, composite action, seismic detailing, and serviceability limits are outside these steel member-strength checks unless covered by a separate workflow.

Supported Section Types

How It Works

The standalone design calculators let you input section geometry, material properties, design actions, and member lengths. Click Run Check to send the data to the design engine API, which returns individual check results with utilization ratios.