Base Plate Calculator

Check an axially loaded steel column base plate for concrete bearing pressure, required plate thickness, and (optionally) anchor-bolt shear, to CSA S16 and CSA A23.3.

Lower-confidence tool — independent check recommended.This base plate calculator is a preliminary estimate only. Its bearing-pressure and plate-thickness checks reproduce a published worked example (Kulak & Grondin, Limit States Design in Structural Steel, Example 9.8), but the concrete bearing resistance and any anchor-bolt-shear result have only limited verification, and the plate-thickness method (0.95d / 0.80b cantilever) is one of several in use. Base plate sizing should be independently checked by a qualified structural engineer before use.
Standards used on this page:CSA S16-19 Clause 13.5 (plate bending, φ = 0.90) · CSA A23.3 concrete bearing (0.85 φc f'c √(A2/A1), φc = 0.65, √ capped at 2) · anchor shear to CSA S16 Clause 13.12.
Scope: concentric (axial) load only - no base moment or uplift. Confidence differs by check: bearing pressure and plate thickness are validated against a published textbook example; concrete bearing resistance is vendor-cross-checked only; anchor shear uses the validated bolt formula but has no base-plate-specific published example (and assumes the anchor threads are intercepted by the shear plane). Anchor tension/pull-out and concrete breakout are NOT checked.
Column
Base plate
Load and concrete
Anchor bolts (optional)
This calculator provides preliminary, indicative structural calculations only. It isnot a substitute for assessment by a qualified structural engineer, base plate sizing should be independently checked before use, and ca.cad-steel.com accepts no responsibility for its use in any final design.