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Structural engineering calculators

The calculators we are building, by subject. The ones that are open are linked and run in your browser; the rest are listed, and each will be linked from here on the day it is released.

Calculators
97
Open
4
Subjects
17

Beams

4 calculators

Trusses and cables

3 calculators

  • Truss member forces Axial force in every member, tension or compression, and the reactions of a 2D truss.
  • Cable tension and elongation Tension, stress and elastic and thermal stretch of a cable; pulling a load against friction.
  • Cable sag and pretension The pretension a cable needs to hang with a given sag.

Frames

2 calculators

  • Plane frame analysis Moments, shears, axial forces and reactions of a 2D frame.
  • Stiffness matrix, step by step Local and global stiffness matrices, displacements and reactions of 2D members, with every step shown.

Buckling

3 calculators

  • Column buckling load Critical load from the length, the end conditions, the material and the section.
  • Plate buckling stress Critical stress of a plate in compression.
  • Column with lateral load A column that carries axial and transverse load at the same time.

Sections and materials

6 calculators

  • Inertia and centroid of any shape Moments of inertia, centroid, section moduli and the other geometric properties of a custom section.
  • Properties of standard sections Area, centroid, inertia and section modulus of I, T, C, L, hollow and solid shapes.
  • Rolled steel shape lookup Dimensions and properties of rolled shapes, found by designation.
  • Modulus of elasticity Young’s modulus from stress and strain, or from a test curve.
  • Poisson’s ratio From measured strains, or from the elastic and shear moduli.
  • Spring force and stiffness Hooke’s law: the force in a spring from its stiffness and its extension or compression.

Steel and aluminum

11 calculators

  • Steel member strength Flexure, shear, tension, compression and combined loading of a steel member. Standards: AISC 360 · CSA S16 · EN 1993-1-1 · AS 4100 · NZS 3404
  • Wide-flange beam capacity A quick check of the load an I-shape carries over a given span and bracing. Standards: AISC 360
  • Single-angle capacity Capacity and utilization of single-angle members. Standards: AISC 360 · EN 1993-1-1 · AS 4100 · NZS 3404
  • Steel channel capacity Flexure, shear and axial capacity of C shapes. Standards: AISC 360
  • HSS and pipe capacity Rectangular, square and round hollow sections under flexure, shear and axial load. Standards: AISC 360
  • Plate bending and shear Out-of-plane bending and shear capacity of a steel plate, and its weight per length. Standards: AISC 360 · EN 1993-1-1 · AS 4100
  • Cold-formed steel members Strength and load interaction of cold-formed shapes, buckling modes included. Standards: AISI S100 · CSA S136 · EN 1993-1-3 · AS/NZS 4600
  • C and Z purlins Capacity, span and spacing of purlins: flexure, shear and deflection. Standards: AISI S100 · EN 1993-1-3 · AS/NZS 4600
  • Aluminum members Flexure, shear, tension, compression and combined actions in aluminum shapes. Standards: ADM · CSA S157 · Eurocode 9 · AS/NZS 1664
  • Scaffold tubes and couplers Capacity under axial load, bending and shear. Standards: AISC 360 · BS EN 12811 · AS/NZS 1576
  • Steel deck spans Capacity of a roof deck, and the unshored span of a floor deck. Standards: SDI

Timber

6 calculators

  • Wood beams and columns Flexure, shear, tension, compression and interaction in wood members. Standards: NDS · CSA O86 · EN 1995-1-1 · AS 1720.1 · NZS AS 1720.1
  • Bearing at wood supports Local crushing of the wood where a member sits on its support. Standards: AS 1720.1
  • Wood connections with fasteners Capacity of fastened connections, by type of fastener and direction of load. Standards: EN 1995-1-1 · AS 1720.1
  • Maximum joist span The longest span of a floor joist for the loads, the spacing and the species and grade. Standards: AWC
  • Roof rafters Strength of a rafter from its section, its material and its loads. Standards: NDS
  • Wood shear walls Segmented walls: unit shear, hold-down and chord forces, plate bearing and drift. Standards: NDS · SDPWS

Reinforced concrete

14 calculators

  • Concrete beam capacity Capacity of rectangular and T-shaped reinforced beams. Standards: ACI 318
  • Column interaction diagram Rectangular and circular columns: the axial–moment diagram and the design checks. Standards: ACI 318 · CSA A23.3 · Eurocode 2 · AS 3600 · NZS 3101
  • Concrete wall strength Strength and utilization of structural walls. Standards: ACI 318 · AS 3600
  • Short corbels Design of reinforced concrete corbels. Standards: ACI 318
  • Slab flexure and shear Flexural and shear resistance of a reinforced slab. Standards: CSA A23.3
  • Punching shear at columns Punching capacity of a slab around a column or a concentrated load. Standards: ACI 318 · CSA A23.3 · Eurocode 2 · AS 3600
  • Bar development and splices Development, anchorage and lap-splice lengths of reinforcing bars. Standards: ACI 318 · Eurocode 2 · AS 3600 · NZS 3101
  • Crack width estimate Expected crack width of a section under the loads entered. Standards: BS 8007
  • Concrete members in fire Capacity of a member under fire exposure. Standards: EN 1992-1-2
  • Fire rating of columns Fire-resistance period of a reinforced column. Standards: AS 3600
  • Cover and durability Nominal cover and minimum concrete class for the exposure. Standards: Eurocode 2
  • Stiffened slab on ground Slabs on expansive or compressible soils: flexure, shear and deformation. Standards: ACI 360
  • House slab on ground Residential slabs sized for the soil class and the layout of the house. Standards: AS 2870
  • Confined concrete stress–strain Stress–strain curves with and without confinement, by Mander’s model.

Foundations

6 calculators

  • Footing pressure and reinforcement Soil pressure and stability, one-way and punching shear, flexure and steel of a footing.
  • Isolated footings Pad footings under axial load, uplift, shear and biaxial moment. Standards: ACI 318 · Eurocode 2 · AS 3600
  • Wall footings Continuous footings under walls. Standards: ACI 318 · AS 3600
  • Helical piles Structural and geotechnical capacity of screw piles in tension and compression.
  • Laterally loaded piles Required embedment, lateral resistance and shear and moment diagrams, by Broms or Brinch Hansen.
  • Axial pile capacity Piles sized for the axial load they carry. Standards: IBC

Retaining walls and soil

4 calculators

  • Retaining wall stability Cantilever and gravity walls: sliding, overturning and bearing.
  • Soil bearing capacity By Terzaghi, Meyerhof, Hansen and Vesic, with a sensitivity study. Standards: Eurocode 7 · AS 4678 · AS 5100
  • CPT soil profile Cone penetration readings turned into a soil profile and its physical and mechanical properties.
  • SPT correlations Standard penetration test data and the soil parameters correlated from it.

Bolts and anchors

6 calculators

  • Bolt group forces Force per bolt, shear, tension and their interaction, bearing, tear-out and spacing. Standards: AISC 360 · CSA S16 · EN 1993-1-8 · AS 4100 · NZS 3404
  • Bolt group in eccentric shear Instantaneous center of rotation and coefficient C of the group. Standards: AISC 360
  • Bolt bearing in cold-formed steel Bearing strength at bolted connections of thin steel. Standards: AISI S100
  • Bolt tightening torque Torque, or clamp force, from the diameter and the friction condition.
  • Column base plate and anchors Plate, anchor rods, welds and the supporting concrete under the applied actions.
  • Shear lug under a base plate The lug, and the transfer of its force into the concrete.

Welds

3 calculators

  • Fillet weld group strength Strength and utilization of a weld group from its geometry and its loads. Standards: AISC 360 · EN 1993-1-8 · AS 4100 · NZS 3404
  • Weld group in eccentric load Coefficient C and capacity of a group loaded off its centroid. Standards: AISC 360
  • Lifting lugs Tension, bearing, shear, tear-out and the weld of a lug.

Steel connections

16 calculators

  • Beam-end shear connections A beam’s shear carried to its support: plates, angles, bolts and welds checked.
  • Shear tabs, single or double Web connections made with one plate or with two.
  • Clip angles, single or double Connections made with one angle or with two, eccentricity included.
  • Shear end plates End-plate connections and their fasteners.
  • Directly welded beam web The weld, the web and the base metal checked.
  • Beam-to-support moment connections Moment, shear and axial force passed between a beam and its support.
  • Flange plates and welded flanges Moment carried through plates on the flanges or through flanges welded directly.
  • Moment end plates, flush or extended Bolted end plates that carry the moment of the beam.
  • Bolted beam splices Splices that carry moment, shear and axial force.
  • Column splices Compression, tension, moment and shear across the splice.
  • Vertical brace gussets Diagonal brace connections and their gussets, in tension and in compression.
  • Horizontal brace connections Horizontal bracing connected with plates or with angles.
  • Chevron brace gussets V-brace connections made through a gusset.
  • Knee braces and truss joints Knee braces, and the gusseted joints of a truss.
  • Seat angles and WT connections Bearing and shear connections made with a seat angle or with a WT.
  • Angle kicker braces Angle braces connected to W shapes, in tension and in compression.

Wind

3 calculators

  • Design wind pressures Wind speed, pressures and design loads for the site, the structure and the standard. Standards: ASCE 7
  • Gust-effect factor The factor for a rigid or a flexible structure, in metric and in imperial units. Standards: ASCE 7-16 · ASCE 7-22
  • Wind on houses Wind class of a house and the pressures on its walls, roof and tie-downs. Standards: AS 4055

Snow

2 calculators

  • Roof snow load Snow load at the site and on the roof. Standards: ASCE 7
  • Snow drift at roof steps Drift where roofs meet at different levels. Standards: NBCC

Seismic

2 calculators

  • Seismic design parameters Site parameters and the design actions that follow from them. Standards: ASCE 7
  • Earthquake design actions Earthquake actions on a structure. Standards: AS 1170.4

General tools

6 calculators

  • Roof pitch and rafter length Pitch in degrees, percent and ratio, and how long the rafter is.
  • Load combination builder Combinations, factors and patterns for strength and for service. Standards: ASCE 7 · NBCC · Eurocode · AS/NZS 1170 · IS 875
  • Tributary areas and member loads The area, and the load, each member takes in one-way and two-way systems.
  • Engineering unit converter Units of length, force, temperature and section properties.
  • Flooring quantity and cost Floor area, material with its waste allowance, and what that material costs.
  • Sheet-metal bend K-factor Position of the neutral axis when sheet metal is bent.

Where an entry names several design standards, each one is a version of the same calculator.