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Easily calculate critical buckling load with our free online Buckling Force Calculator. Fast, accurate results for columns, cylinders, and beams.
Buckling is a sudden bending or collapsing of a column when it is subjected to a compressive force. It’s one of the most common failure modes in structural design. If you're an engineer, student, architect, or simply someone working with columns or cylindrical structures, understanding how much force a column can take before it buckles is vital.
To make this easier for everyone, we’ve developed a Buckling Force Calculator. This tool allows users to calculate the critical buckling force quickly, without digging through textbooks or building complex Excel spreadsheets. Whether you’re working with a wooden post, a metal pipe, or a concrete pillar, our calculator handles it all with just a few inputs.
Buckling force is the maximum axial load a column can carry before it starts to bend or buckle. Once this load is reached, the column no longer supports the applied weight and may collapse. This force is not just about strength, but about how tall, thin, or supported a structure is.
To calculate the buckling force, engineers rely on formulas that consider material strength, length, cross-sectional area, and end conditions of the column.
There are two main approaches to calculating buckling force: Euler’s formula for long and slender columns, and Johnson’s formula for short and thick columns.
Euler’s Buckling Load Formula (for long columns):
P = (π² × E × I) / (K × L)²
Where:
Johnson’s Buckling Formula (for intermediate columns):
This is used when the slenderness ratio is lower, and buckling is influenced by material yield strength.
To calculate slenderness:
λ = (K × L) / r
r = √(I / A)
λ_critical = √((2 × π² × E) / σ_y)
Use Johnson’s formula when λ < λ_critical.
Use Euler’s formula when λ ≥ λ_critical.
Our buckling calculator automatically chooses the correct formula based on your inputs. You don’t need to remember which formula to apply.
Using our calculator is simple and intuitive. First, select the type of material for your column, such as steel, aluminum, or wood. Then, enter the physical dimensions of the column, including length, width or diameter, and cross-sectional properties like area and moment of inertia if available.
After that, choose the column end condition, which could be pinned-pinned, fixed-free, fixed-fixed, or fixed-pinned. The end condition affects the value of K (effective length factor), which is critical for accurate results.
Once you input these values, hit the "Calculate" button. The calculator will instantly return the critical buckling force your column can withstand. This value helps in design decisions and ensures structural safety.
Let’s say you have a steel column that is 2 meters long with a moment of inertia of 8.1 × 10⁻⁶ m⁴ and a Young’s modulus of 200 GPa. The column is pinned at both ends, so the K value is 1.0.
Using Euler’s formula:
P = (π² × 200 × 10⁹ × 8.1 × 10⁻⁶) / (1 × 2)²
P = (3.1416² × 200 × 10⁹ × 8.1 × 10⁻⁶) / 4
P ≈ 39961 N
This means the column can safely carry about 39.96 kN of compressive load before buckling occurs.
We created this tool to save you time and eliminate guesswork. Instead of manually working through complex formulas or building your own Buckling force calculator in Excel, our online tool provides instant, reliable results. It's especially helpful for civil, mechanical, and structural engineers who need fast answers during design and testing.
This calculator also works perfectly as a cylinder buckling calculator or column buckling force calculator, supporting various shapes and sizes. Whether you’re using it for small-scale DIY projects or professional engineering, it delivers accurate and practical results.
Our Buckling Force Calculator simplifies structural analysis for students, professionals, and DIY builders alike. It combines industry-standard equations, real-world logic, and a user-friendly interface to give you what you need fast and accurate results. You don’t need advanced math skills or engineering software. All it takes is a few clicks.
This tool helps you make safer, smarter, and faster decisions when designing or reviewing structures. Whether you need to check a post, pipe, or pillar, this calculator is a smart solution to avoid structural failure.
Buckling is the bending or collapse of a column under axial load. It occurs when the load exceeds the column’s capacity.
Euler’s formula works well for long, slender columns. For shorter columns, the calculator switches to Johnson’s formula for better accuracy.
Yes. You can calculate the buckling force for steel, aluminum, wood, and other materials as long as you know their mechanical properties.
Not entirely, but it's perfect for quick checks, basic designs, and educational purposes. For large or complex projects, full analysis software is recommended.
We’re working on integrating an export option, but for now, the calculator gives you instant on-screen results that you can copy or note.