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AISI S100-16(2020) w/S2-20United States

Cold-Formed Steel Stud / Column

Axial load reactions from beams above link directly to this calculation and update automatically when any upstream input changes. Design cold-formed steel studs and columns to AISI S100-16(2020) with independently specified strong-axis, weak-axis, and torsional effective lengths; checks cover local, distortional, and global buckling via the Direct Strength Method for concentric axial loading.

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What it calculates

Design cold-formed steel studs and columns to AISI S100-16(2020) with independently specified strong-axis, weak-axis, and torsional effective lengths. Checks cover local, distortional, and global buckling via the Direct Strength Method. Axial load reactions link to connected beam and footing calculations so changes propagate automatically.

Code standards

  • AISI S100-16(2020) w/S2-20

How it calculates

The Cold-Formed Steel Column calculator designs CFS studs and columns to AISI S100-16(2020) using the Direct Strength Method (DSM) for concentric axial loading. LRFD load combinations from ASCE 7/IBC determine the governing factored axial demand Pu.

DSM axial capacity

The nominal axial capacity is governed by the minimum of three limit states:

Global buckling - φPne: Critical elastic buckling loads are computed from the effective slenderness ratios KxLx/rx (strong axis), KyLy/ry (weak axis), and torsional slenderness about the shear center (using section properties Xo, Yo - distance from centroid to shear center). The least elastic buckling load governs, and the DSM global buckling equations convert this to the nominal global capacity Pne.

Local buckling - φPnl: Critical local buckling load Pncrl is determined from the section geometry. The DSM local-global interaction equations per AISI S100-16 Section C3.1 give the local buckling capacity relative to Pne:

Pnl = DSM_local(Pne, Pncrl)

Distortional buckling - φPnd: The characteristic distortional buckling load Pncrd is derived from the section's distortional buckling mode. The DSM distortional column equations give Pnd independently of the global buckling result.

The governing capacity is:

φPn = min(φPnl, φPnd, φPne)

and the utilization check is Pu / φPn ≤ 1.0 where φ = 0.85.

Shear and bending

This calculator covers concentric axial loading only. Shear capacity and beam-column interaction are not checked. If the column also carries significant bending moments (from eccentric reactions or lateral loads), those checks should be performed separately.

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Frequently asked questions

What design method and standard does this calculator follow?
AISI S100-16(2020) with Supplement 2 (S2-20), using the Direct Strength Method (DSM) for local, distortional, and global (flexural and torsional-flexural) buckling of cold-formed steel columns. Load combinations follow ASCE 7/IBC LRFD provisions.
What are the key inputs?
Member designation (from the CFS section database), column height, effective length factors K for the strong axis (Kx), weak axis (Ky), and torsion (Kt) along with their respective unbraced lengths, applied axial loads by load type (D, L, Lr, S, R, W, Ev, Eh), and optional live load reduction.
What buckling modes does it check?
Global buckling: flexural buckling about the strong and weak axes and torsional-flexural buckling about the shear center - governed by the least slender effective length KL/r in each direction. Local buckling: DSM local interaction using the section's critical local buckling load. Distortional buckling: DSM distortional equations using the characteristic distortional buckling load. The governing capacity is the minimum across all three modes.
Can I model wall studs with different bracing intervals in each direction?
Yes - strong-axis, weak-axis, and torsional unbraced lengths are entered independently. This is the intended workflow for wall studs where sheathing provides weak-axis bracing at panel spacing but strong-axis and torsional bracing differ.
Does the calculator check combined axial plus bending (beam-column)?
This calculator is designed for concentric axial loading only. For combined axial and bending in a CFS column, enter the axial demand and note that bending-moment checks are not included - they would need to be assessed separately or via a dedicated beam-column check.
Does this calculator support load linking with beam calculations?
Yes - axial load reactions from connected beam calculations link directly to this column. When loads change in any upstream beam, the column's axial demand updates automatically - no manual re-entry of reactions.

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