> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.enercalc.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.enercalc.com/e3d-user-manual/design/steel-design.md).

# Steel Design

How to set up materials, sections, load combinations, and analysis to run steel design per AISC 14th edition LRFD.

The steel design module performs steel design for beams and columns according AISC 14th edition LRFD \[Ref. 21]. Static analysis must be performed successfully before steel design can be performed. Sound engineering judgment is especially important to interpret and apply the design results given by the program.

Due to the fact that the software provides step-by-step calculation procedures, the technical treatment of the design process is kept minimal here.

## Running Steel Design and Viewing Results

To run the Steel Design and obtain results, the following **minimum** conditions must be met. Note that steel design is a complex process, and this list is not comprehensive. For a more detailed description of the Steel Design feature, please refer to the [Steel Design](/e3d-user-manual/interface/toc175916526/steel-design2.md) section of the ENERCALC 3D User Manual.

1. Load Combinations must be set for Steel Design:
2. Navigate to Create > Loads > Load Combinations.
3. For each load combination to be considered, double-click the combination.
4. Enable the option "Perform Steel Design using this Load Combination".
5. If the steel design includes sway column criteria requiring P-Delta analysis, also enable "Perform P-Delta Analysis on this Load Combination".
6. Click OK in the Load Combination window.
7. Click OK in the Load Combinations window.
8. Members in the model must be assigned a steel material:
9. Go to Tables > Properties > Materials and click the Std Material... button.
10. Choose the desired steel material from the drop down menu, then click OK.
11. Click Apply to close the window.
12. Next, go to Tables > Entities > Members.
13. Update the Material column to assign the steel material previously added. 1. Tip: To assign the same material to all members quickly, right-click the section in the table after setting it for one member. You will be prompted to auto-fill the column with this value. Click Yes to apply it to all members.
14. Click OK to confirm.
15. Members in the model must be assigned a steel section:
16. Go to Tables > Properties > Sections and add a steel section by clicking the AISC Table... button.
17. Choose the desired section, then click OK.
18. Click Apply to close the window.
19. Next, go to Tables > Entities > Members.
20. Update the Section column to assign the steel shape previously added. 1. Tip: To assign the same section to all members quickly, right-click the section in the table after setting it for one member. You will be prompted to auto-fill the column with this value. Click Yes to apply it to all members.
21. Click OK to confirm.
22. Static analysis has been run:
23. Go to Analysis > Static Analysis.
24. After running the static analysis, check the Log File to ensure there are no model instabilities or other issues. Address any issues before proceeding with the design.

Once those conditions are met, execute the steel design by navigating to Steel Design > Perform Steel Design. You can then review the results via Steel Design > Steel Design Results.


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