Volex Labs / Calculations / Steel beam design to Eurocode 3, in your browser.

Steel beam design to Eurocode 3, in your browser.

Enter the span, loading and section — or let Volex pick the lightest UB/UC that works — and get the full EC3 check set: cross-section classification, bending and shear resistance, lateral-torsional buckling to §6.3.2, and SLS deflection. Every check states the clause it came from, so a checker can follow the calculation without opening the software.

Volex carries the SCI section library (226 UK sections) with S275/S355 properties, applies the UK National Annex partial factors, and produces a PDF calculation sheet you can drop straight into a design package.

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What Volex checks

Validated against the published example

UB 457×191×67 S355 at Lcr = 5.0 m — buckling resistance Mb,Rd SCI P363 'Blue Book' Mb,Rd capacity tables
QuantityPublishedVolexError
Mb,Rd292.5 kNm292.5 kNm0.01%
χLT0.5610.56050.10%
This case is one of 359 published checks the platform passes — the full table, with every source and every error, is public at volexlabs.com/verification.

Frequently asked

Is there a free EC3 steel beam calculator online?
Yes — a free Volex account includes 10 calculations a month with the full EC3 check set, clause references and on-screen results. PDF calc sheets and unlimited calculations are on the Pro plan (£29/month).
Does it check lateral-torsional buckling?
Yes. LTB is checked to EC3 §6.3.2 using the general method with the UK National Annex buckling curves. The χLT value is validated against the SCI P363 Blue Book tables — see the verification page for the exact errors.
Which steel sections are included?
The full UK library — UB, UC, PFC, SHS/RHS/CHS, angles — 226 sections with properties from the SCI tables, in S275 and S355.
Can I hand the output to a checking engineer?
That is what it is designed for: every line of the calc sheet carries its EC3 clause reference, the partial factors used, and the platform version, so the calculation is auditable without access to the software.

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