AISC 325-23 Steel Construction Manual, 16th Edition

About this publication

The AISC 325-23 Steel Construction Manual, 16th Edition is the American Institute of Steel Construction’s flagship structural steel design reference and one of the most important working manuals available for structural engineers, civil engineers, steel detailers, fabricators, architects, contractors, inspectors, educators, and engineering students.

Published by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the 16th Edition brings together structural steel design information, member properties, design tables, connection guidance, specifications, and practical reference material used throughout the design and construction of steel buildings and structures. With 2,432 pages divided into 18 major sections, it is a comprehensive professional reference rather than a condensed design handbook.

A major reason the Steel Construction Manual remains so important is that it brings together both design guidance and the primary AISC standards engineers routinely need. Part 16 includes the ANSI/AISC 360-22 Specification for Structural Steel Buildings, the ANSI/AISC 303-22 Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges, and the 2020 RCSC Specification for Structural Joints Using High-Strength Bolts. That combination makes the Manual useful throughout structural design, detailing, fabrication, connection design, and project coordination.

The 16th Edition includes significant updates over the previous 15th Edition. AISC highlights new 50 ksi steel design tables, reflecting the broader availability and use of higher-strength structural steel materials. The edition also adds properties and dimensions for 210 new hollow structural section (HSS) shapes, expanding the available reference data for engineers working with modern HSS products.

Connection design receives substantial attention as well. The 16th Edition includes a revised and expanded discussion of prying action, along with new or revamped tables for double-angle connections, single-plate connections, single-angle connections, and shear end-plate connections. These revisions make the Manual especially valuable for engineers and connection designers who need practical design information beyond basic member selection.

The edition also adds a new section dealing with the design of simple connections for combined forces. This is important because real structural connections frequently experience combinations of loading rather than a perfectly isolated shear or axial force. The Manual’s expanded connection guidance gives engineers a more useful working reference for situations encountered in actual structural design.

AISC also updated discussion of the chevron effect and added new information and a design table for wrap-around gusset plates. These additions strengthen the Manual’s usefulness for braced-frame and connection design, where gusset geometry, force transfer, and connection behavior can significantly influence structural performance.

The Manual’s 18 major parts cover the core subjects structural steel professionals use repeatedly, including dimensions and properties, general design considerations, flexural members, compression members, tension members, combined forces, composite members, bolted and welded connections, and other structural design topics. Each section is organized for repeated professional use rather than merely academic reading.

For engineering firms, the Manual also serves as a bridge between calculations and current code requirements. The inclusion of AISC 360-22 means users have direct access to the current specification governing structural steel building design, while AISC 303-22 provides the Code of Standard Practice governing important responsibilities and practices across design, fabrication, and erection. The RCSC specification adds the principal requirements used for high-strength bolted structural joints.

This combination makes AISC 325-23 valuable throughout the structural steel workflow, from preliminary member selection and structural analysis through connection design, detailing, fabrication review, construction coordination, and code compliance. It is equally useful as an everyday engineering-office reference and as a long-term technical library title.

The 16th Edition supersedes the 15th Edition AISC 325-17 and is the current Steel Construction Manual. For professionals still using older editions, the changes to structural specifications, shapes, connection design, steel grades, and design tables provide a strong reason to move to the current manual rather than relying on outdated reference data.

At 2,432 pages, this is one of the most substantial structural engineering references in the AISC catalog. For anyone who regularly designs, reviews, details, fabricates, or constructs structural steel, the Steel Construction Manual is less a bookshelf ornament and more the book that ends up permanently open next to the calculations.

Why This Manual Matters

The AISC 325-23 Steel Construction Manual, 16th Edition is a foundational reference for professionals working with structural steel. It is especially valuable for:

• Structural and civil engineers

• Steel connection designers

• Steel detailers and fabricators

• Architects and design professionals

• Contractors and construction managers

• Building officials and plan reviewers

• Structural inspectors

• Engineering consultants

• Engineering educators and students

• Design-build organizations

• Structural engineering and construction libraries

Product Features

• Official AISC Steel Construction Manual

• Current 16th Edition

• Comprehensive 2,432-page structural steel reference

• Includes 18 major content sections

• Includes ANSI/AISC 360-22 Specification for Structural Steel Buildings

• Includes ANSI/AISC 303-22 Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges

• Includes the 2020 RCSC Specification for Structural Joints Using High-Strength Bolts

• Adds new 50 ksi steel design tables

• Includes properties and dimensions for 210 new HSS shapes

• Revised and expanded discussion of prying action

• Updated double-angle connection design tables

• Updated single-plate connection design tables

• Updated single-angle connection design tables

• Updated shear end-plate connection design tables

• Adds guidance for simple connections under combined forces

• Updated discussion of the chevron effect

• Adds information and a new table for wrap-around gusset plates

• Supports member selection, structural analysis, connection design, detailing, fabrication, and construction coordination

• Essential working reference for modern structural steel design