Steel Design Code Checks
AutoCalcs includes four production-grade 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 benchmarked against published worked examples.
Supported Design Codes
AISC 360-16
United States
American Institute of Steel Construction - LRFD & ASD design checks for W-shapes, HSS, CHS, channels, tees, and angles.
Eurocode 3 (EN 1993-1-1)
Europe / International
European standard for steel structures - Class 1-4 classification with effective width computation, LTB, and stability interaction checks.
AS 4100:2020
Australia / New Zealand
Australian/New Zealand standard for steel structures - residual stress categories, effective section modulus, and combined actions checks.
CSA S16-19
Canada
Canadian standard for steel structures - n-exponent compression curves, omega-2 moment factors, and Class H fabrication support.
Common Capabilities
All four 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 (flexural, torsional, and flexural-torsional buckling), flexure (yielding, LTB, local buckling), shear, and torsion (closed hollow sections only - 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.
Supported Section Types
| Section Type | AISC 360-16 | Eurocode 3 | AS 4100:2020 | CSA S16-19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I-Shapes (rolled & welded) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Channels | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tees | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rectangular Hollow Sections (RHS) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Circular Hollow Sections (CHS) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Angles (equal & unequal) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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.