Which steel design standard should I use? NBR 8800, AISC 360, or Eurocode 3?
Standards & Codes
Use the standard your project is legally required to follow — usually based on the country where the structure is built. Brazil: NBR 8800 (hot-rolled) + NBR 14762 (cold-formed). USA: AISC 360 + AISI S100. Europe: Eurocode 3 (EN 1993-1-1 and its national annexes). India: IS 800. Australia: AS 4100. Canada: CSA S16. These codes produce similar results for common cases but differ in load factors, resistance factors, stability curves, and serviceability limits. CalcSteel supports 41 design standards and lets you pick the one that matches your jurisdiction — the verification report will reference the specific code clauses used for each check.
Key takeaways
- All three codes have converged on limit-state (probabilistic) design, but reached it from different starting points and at different times.
- AISC 360 is the oldest lineage (first U.S. spec 1923) and uniquely keeps both ASD and LRFD in one unified document since the 2005 edition.
- Eurocode 3 grew out of a 1975 European harmonization programme; the definitive EN 1993-1-1 was approved by CEN on 16 April 2004 and published in 2005.
- Pick by jurisdiction first: Brazil uses NBR 8800, the U.S. uses AISC 360, the EU/UK use Eurocode 3 — and the right software automates whichever your project requires.
Full guide
NBR 8800 vs AISC 360 vs Eurocode 3: Which One?
Step-by-step with figures and sources — 8 min read
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