Shape browser and comparison
Up to six AISC shapes side by side, with every property the AISC Shapes Database v16.0 publishes for them, and a search for the lightest shapes of a family that meet the property minimums you enter. Use it to compare candidate sections before a member design, or to find the lightest W-shape with a required Zx and Ix within a depth, the way Manual Tables 3-2 and 3-3 are used by hand, by any property.
Inputs of the shape comparison #
- Shapes to compare: up to six AISC designations, US or metric (W21X50 or W530X74, HSS8X8X1/2, C12X20.7, L4X4X1/2, 2L4X4X1/2X3/8, Pipe6STD). The first one is the reference for the ratios.
- Find the lightest shape: turns the search on.
- Family: W, M, S, HP, C, MC, WT, MT, ST, single and double angles, HSS (rectangular, square and round) or pipe.
- Minimums: A, Ix, Sx, Zx, rx, Iy, Sy, Zy, ry, J and Cw; 0 means no minimum. A shape without a published value (Cw of HSS and pipe) does not meet a minimum on it.
- Largest depth: d (HSS: Ht; round HSS and pipe: OD); 0 for no limit.
- Shapes listed: how many of the lightest are listed; shapes tied at the lightest weight are always all listed.
The shape comparison has no auto-design: its search is the selection.
Checks performed #
| Result | Basis |
|---|---|
| Properties side by side, ratios of weight, Zx, Ix and ry to the first shape | AISC Shapes Database v16.0 (Manual Part 1) |
| Lightest shapes meeting every minimum and the depth limit, by weight | The selection of Manual Tables 3-2 (by Zx) and 3-3 (by Ix), by any property |
Limitations of the shape comparison #
- Hot-rolled shapes, HSS and pipe of the AISC Shapes Database v16.0 only: no cold-formed, aluminum, built-up or foreign shapes, no availability or cost.
- Properties are nominal, as published (HSS on the design wall thickness, AISC 360-22 B4.2). No strength, slenderness or local buckling is checked: design the shape chosen in its member calculation.
- The double angle drawing uses the gap in its designation (none, 3/8 in. or 3/4 in.).
Verification examples #
Verification status: 22 values compared in 6 examples (6 published, 0 hand calculations from the cited equations): 22 within tolerance, 0 recorded deviations. Code basis: the provisions it uses were read in the target edition.
| Example | Source | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Properties of a W21X50 | AISC Manual Table 1-1; Table 3-2, p. 3-25 | A, d, Ix, Sx, Zx, rx, Iy, ry, J, Cw |
| Lightest W with Zx ≥ 100 in³ | Manual Table 3-2, p. 3-25 | W21X48 (48 lb/ft, 107 in³) |
| Lightest W with Zx ≥ 90 in³ | Manual Table 3-2, p. 3-25 | W21X44 (44 lb/ft, 95.4 in³) |
| Lightest W with Ix ≥ 800 in⁴ | Manual Table 3-3 | W21X44 (843 in⁴) |
| Zx ≥ 100 in³ within 18 in. | Manual Table 3-2, p. 3-25 | W18X50 (50 lb/ft, 101 in³) |
| Properties of an HSS8X8X1/2 | Manual Table 1-12 | Weight, A, Ix, J |