Terms of Use
Last updated: 11 February 2026
These terms govern your use of steelcalculator.app ("the Site"), operated as a free educational resource for structural steel design calculations. By accessing or using the Site, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Site.
1. Educational use only — no professional advice
The calculators and content on this Site are provided for educational and preliminary reference purposes only. They are not a substitute for professional engineering services.
- No engineer-client relationship is formed by using this Site.
- All calculation results must be independently verified by a qualified professional engineer before use in any real project.
- Users are solely responsible for ensuring code compliance, safety, and fitness for purpose in their own work.
- The Site covers provisions from AISC 360, AS 4100, EN 1993, and CSA S16, but does not claim full coverage of any standard.
2. Disclaimer of warranties
The Site and all content are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. We do not warrant that calculations are accurate, complete, current, or suitable for any particular purpose. Use of any output is entirely at your own risk.
3. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the operator of this Site shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from the use of, or inability to use, the Site or its content, including but not limited to damages resulting from reliance on calculation results.
4. How the Site works
Core calculations run client-side in your browser. Account, authentication, analytics, billing, export, and other operational features may use hosted services. Some features may require accounts, logins, or payment now or in the future.
5. Acceptable use
You agree not to:
- interfere with or disrupt the operation of the Site,
- attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Site,
- use automated tools to scrape, crawl, or reproduce Site content at scale without written permission,
- use the Site for any unlawful purpose.
6. Intellectual property
The Site's source code, design, text, and calculation logic are the property of the Site operator or its licensors. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Site for personal and educational purposes.
Referenced design standards (AISC 360, AS 4100, EN 1993, CSA S16) are copyrighted by their respective standards organizations. This Site does not reproduce those standards and is not a substitute for obtaining them from the official publishers.
7. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms at any time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the Site after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.
8. Governing law
These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the applicable jurisdiction. Any disputes arising from use of this Site shall be resolved in the competent courts of that jurisdiction.
Explanatory context
These terms of use are designed to establish a clear legal framework for using the site while protecting both users and the site operator. The following sections provide additional context for key provisions.
Educational purpose and professional responsibility (Section 1)
Structural engineering is a regulated profession in most jurisdictions. Using a web-based calculator does not exempt you from the professional responsibilities that apply to engineering work. The educational purpose designation means the site supports learning, preliminary screening, and verification reference -- not final design certification.
The distinction between "educational" and "professional" use is important:
- Educational use: Learning design concepts, performing preliminary checks, running what-if scenarios, and verifying hand calculations.
- Professional use: Applying the output to actual construction, relying on it for design decisions, or submitting it as part of regulatory compliance documentation.
Professional use may still be appropriate when the outputs are independently verified and integrated into a professional workflow, but the responsibility for verification rests entirely with the user.
How calculations work (Section 4)
The site's architecture is designed for privacy and performance. Core structural calculations run entirely in your browser using WebAssembly (WASM). This means your design inputs -- beam sizes, loads, connection geometry -- never leave your device during normal calculator use. The calculation engine is compiled from Rust code, which provides predictable performance and numerical accuracy.
Supporting services that may involve data transmission include:
- Account registration and authentication (if you choose to create an account)
- Usage analytics (only with your consent via the cookie banner)
- Export generation (DXF, CSV, JSON, SVG files that you explicitly request)
- Billing and subscription management (for paid tiers, when available)
Acceptable use and content protection (Section 5)
The acceptable use provisions protect the site's operation and content. Automated scraping or crawling at scale is prohibited because it can degrade service performance for other users and potentially misrepresent the site's content. If you need programmatic access to the site's data, contact us to discuss appropriate arrangements.
The prohibition on unlawful use covers a wide range of activities, including but not limited to:
- Using the site to design structures that violate building codes or regulations
- Misrepresenting calculator outputs as certified or approved by any authority
- Using the site to infringe on intellectual property rights of standards organizations
- Attempting to compromise the site's security or extract proprietary calculation logic
Intellectual property (Section 6)
The site's content, source code, design, and calculation logic are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You are granted a limited license to use the site for personal and educational purposes, but this does not grant you ownership of any content or the right to reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works without permission.
The design standards referenced by the site -- AISC 360, AS 4100, EN 1993, and CSA S16 -- are copyrighted by their respective standards development organizations. The site references clause numbers, formulas, and methodology descriptions for educational purposes but does not reproduce the full text of any standard. To obtain authoritative requirements, you must purchase the official standard from the relevant publisher.
Changes to terms and governing law (Sections 7 and 8)
The site may update these terms from time to time to reflect changes in functionality, legal requirements, or operational practices. Significant changes will be communicated through the site. Your continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
The governing law provision establishes the legal framework for interpreting these terms. If a dispute arises, it will be resolved in the competent courts of the applicable jurisdiction. This is standard for online services and provides clarity for both users and the operator about the legal venue for dispute resolution. You may have additional rights under consumer protection laws in your jurisdiction.
Data handling and privacy
The terms reference data handling practices, but detailed information about data collection, storage, and processing is in the separate Privacy Policy. Key points relevant to these terms include:
- Calculator inputs remain in your browser during normal use
- Analytics are consent-gated and never collected without your permission
- Account data is stored securely through third-party providers
- We do not sell or rent personal information
For complete details, review the Privacy Policy separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the calculators suitable for stamped or certified design? No. They are educational and preliminary. Final design must be verified and signed off by a licensed professional engineer.
Do you guarantee code compliance? No. Compliance depends on the applicable standard edition, jurisdiction, project-specific conditions, and professional verification.
Is my calculation data stored or transmitted? Routine calculator inputs stay in your browser during normal use. Account, billing, analytics, export, and other operational services may exchange data where those features are enabled.
Can I embed or link to calculator results? Embedding or framing the Site is not permitted without written permission. You are welcome to link to any page on the Site.
What about standards copyrights? Design standards referenced on this Site (AISC 360, AS 4100, EN 1993, CSA S16) are copyrighted by their respective organizations. The Site references clause numbers and formulas for educational purposes but does not reproduce the standards themselves.
How do I report an issue or error? Use the contact link in the Site footer to report calculation errors, bugs, or other concerns.
Does creating an account change my rights under these terms? No. Account registration provides access to additional features such as higher usage limits and saved calculations, but the terms of use, disclaimers, and limitations of liability remain the same. All calculator outputs remain preliminary and require independent verification regardless of account status.