Eurocode 3 Steel Beam Check (EN 1993-1-1)
Check a steel beam to EN 1993-1-1 in seconds. Choose a section, span, support and load, and FERS returns the governing utilization and the per-clause breakdown — bending, shear, combined N+M and lateral-torsional buckling — solved live by the same finite-element engine as the full app.
Runs in your browser — no install, no sign-up to start.
What the check verifies
The check evaluates each relevant EN 1993-1-1 verification and reports its utilization (UC = design effect ÷ resistance). The governing check is the highest UC, and the member passes when the governing UC ≤ 1.0. Every clause is shown so you can see exactly what governs and why.
| Clause | Verification | What it checks |
|---|---|---|
| §6.2.5 | Bending resistance | Cross-section bending resistance (elastic or plastic modulus × f_y ÷ γ_M0). Driven by the design moment M_Ed. |
| §6.2.6 | Shear resistance | Shear resistance from the shear area A_v. Driven by the design shear V_Ed. |
| §6.2.1 / §6.2.9 | Combined N+M | Cross-section interaction of axial force and bending. Relevant when the member also carries axial load. |
| §6.3.1 | Flexural buckling | Member buckling resistance over the buckling length. Driven by axial compression N_Ed. |
| §6.3.2 | Lateral-torsional buckling | Buckling of the compression flange between lateral restraints. Driven by M_Ed and the unrestrained length; skipped when the flange is continuously restrained. |
| §6.3.3 | Buckling interaction | Combined axial + bending member buckling via the interaction factors (Annex A / Annex B). |
The calculator above runs the FERS finite-element solver on your beam and returns each utilization live, so you see exactly which clause governs.
Worked example
Worked example: a 6 m simply supported IPE 300 in S235 under a 10 kN/m uniformly distributed load, compression flange unrestrained (γ_M0 = γ_M1 = 1.0, ULS load factor 1.35). The design moment is M_Ed = 1.35 × 10 × 6² / 8 = 60.75 kNm. These are the utilizations FERS returns for that beam:
- Bending §6.2.5
- 0.41
- Shear §6.2.6
- 0.10
- Lateral-torsional buckling §6.3.2
- 0.86 (governs)
- Governing utilization
- 0.86 — PASS
Frequently asked questions
More free calculators
Draw any 2D beam or frame and get support reactions, a free-body diagram and axial, shear and bending-moment diagrams.
Maximum bending moment, support reactions and deflection for a central point load or a uniformly distributed load.
Fixed-end bending moment, reaction and tip deflection for an end point load or a uniformly distributed load.
Support and midspan bending moments, reactions and deflection for a fixed-fixed (encastré) beam.
Fixed-end and span bending moments, both reactions and deflection for a fixed-pinned beam.
See FERS reproduce the standard NAFEMS finite-element benchmarks it can represent — beam free-vibration and plate/membrane statics — with live in-browser solving and target-vs-FERS error.
Describe a steel beam in plain English and get an EN 1993-1-1 check computed by the real FERS solver — a limited free demo (a few messages per day); connect your own LLM via MCP for unlimited use.
Check a whole frame, not just one beam
Open the full FERS Cloud app for multi-member frames and trusses, load combinations, and downloadable EN 1993-1-1 calculation reports with the full hand-calc trace.