Free steel beam calculator to SANS 10162-1
Checks a steel beam, column or beam-column for compression, bending with lateral-torsional buckling, shear and combined actions. Free, runs in your browser, and prints a calc sheet with clause references.
No install, no card. The result shows without an account; a free account opens every check with its clause, the calc sheet and the bending schedule for 3 designs a month (one calculator, 24 hours). Calculator packs, coming soon, remove the limit.
What the calculator checks.
Every check is shown with the working, the clause and a pass or fail.
- Compression resistance Cr with buckling about both axes (SANS 10162-1 cl. 13.3.1)
- Bending resistance with lateral-torsional buckling (cl. 13.5 and 13.6)
- Shear resistance (cl. 13.4.1.1) and section classification
- Beam-column interaction (cl. 13.8.3) and tension (cl. 13.2)
- Deflection under the service load you enter
- Sections from South African (SAISC), European, British, Australian and American tables
Codes: SANS 10162-1, Eurocode 3 (EN 1993-1-1)
A tool to check a design, not a design approval. Check the results and have the design signed by a registered professional engineer.
Short answers.
About this free calculator.
Is the steel beam calculator free?
Yes. It is free to use: enter your own values and every check shows on the page with its result.
Do I need an account?
No account is needed to use it: every check shows on the page with its result and clause, with a calc sheet summary. Without an account you see the result. A free STATIX account (email or Google, no card) opens every check with its clause, the full calc sheet to print or save as a PDF and the SANS 282 bending schedule for 3 designs a month (one calculator, open for 24 hours). Paid plans, coming soon, will make them unlimited.
Which code clauses does it use?
The calc sheet names the clause on every step: SANS 10162-1 cl. 13.3.1 for compression, cl. 13.5 and 13.6 for bending, cl. 13.4.1.1 for shear, cl. 13.8.3 for the interaction and cl. 13.2 for tension. Choose Eurocode 3 and the sheet follows that code.
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