PortalFrameDesignperEurocode3
Specialized Portal Frame Analysis and Design for Single-Storey Industrial Structures
Portal Frame Design per Eurocode 3 — Specialized analysis and design for single-storey steel industrial structures.
Overview
What is Steel Portal Frame EC3?
Steel Portal Frame EC3 is a Eurocode 3 design program from RUNET Norway AS, distributed in India by RAM CADDSYS, purpose-built for single-storey, single-bay steel portal frame buildings. One workflow carries frame analysis, rafter/column/haunch member design, bolted eave/apex/base connections, base anchoring and reinforced-concrete foundation design, with gravity, snow, wind and seismic combinations generated automatically. It also designs purlins and bracing for warehouses and factories.
Content verified against the vendor's official material — Last updated 18 July 2026
Applications
Single-storey industrial sheds & warehouses
Design of the steel portal frames that form the primary structure of warehouses, factories and storage buildings.
Agricultural & logistics buildings
Rapid design of clear-span sheds, barns and distribution centres where the single-bay portal frame is the standard structural form.
Commercial & retail clear-span structures
Showrooms, retail units and similar buildings needing a column-free interior delivered by a haunched portal frame designed to Eurocode 3.
Connection & foundation detailing for fabricators
Producing the bolted eave/apex/base connection details, base anchoring and concrete footing design, with DXF/PDF drawings ready for the fabrication shop.
Eurocode compliance in seismic regions
Portal-frame buildings in seismic zones where EN 1998-1 lateral-force or response-spectrum checks and the appropriate National Annex parameters must be demonstrated.
What Steel Portal Frame EC3 does
Portal Frame Analysis
Linear-elastic finite-element analysis of the single-bay portal frame, with second-order effects captured through equivalent imperfection loads and amplification factors per EN 1993-1-1.
Design Codes
Supported codes and standards
EN (Eurocode — Steel)
EN 1993-1-1:2005
EN 1993-1-8:2005
EN 1993-1-3:2005
EN 1993-1-5:2006
EN (Eurocode — Actions & Basis)
EN 1990:2002
EN 1991-1-1:2002
EN 1991-1-3:2003
EN 1991-1-4:2005
EN (Eurocode — Concrete, Geotechnical, Seismic)
EN 1992-1-1:2004
EN 1997-1:2004
EN 1998-1:2004
CEN/TS 1992-4
BIM Integration
DXF / AutoCAD
Fabrication-ready CAD drawings of the frame and connection details export to DXF, the native AutoCAD interchange format (plus PDF and WMF).
PDF export
Calculation reports and drawings export to PDF on A4/A3/A2 paper sizes.
Microsoft Word (DOC) reports
Calculation reports export as editable DOC files for Word, for checking and project documentation.
Compare
Steel Portal Frame EC3 vs STEEL express — which RUNET tool for a portal frame?
One is a dedicated single-bay portal-frame workflow that includes the concrete foundation, the other is a broader steel-component toolkit that covers portal frames up to two bays alongside general member, connection and composite design.
| Criterion |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Portal frame scope | Steel Portal Frame EC3Single-storey, single-bay portal frames only — the software's sole purpose | STEEL expressStrength: Single- and two-bay/floor portal frames, as one capability among several |
| Frame analysis | Dedicated linear-elastic FE analysis of the frame, with automatic gravity/snow/wind/seismic load generation and EN 1990 combinations | Portal frame checks under vertical, horizontal and seismic actions as part of its member/connection design scope |
| Foundation design | Strength: Reinforced-concrete pad-footing design to EN 1992-1-1 with geotechnical checks to EN 1997-1 | Steel base/footing anchoring (pinned or fixed) with anchor/washer-plate details — no concrete footing design |
| Beyond the portal frame | Scope stops at the single-bay frame, its connections, purlins, bracing and foundation | Strength: Also designs standalone steel beams/columns, welded connections, cold-formed sections (EN 1993-1-3) and composite steel-concrete members (EN 1994-1-1) |
| Best fit | The primary structure of a single-bay industrial shed, warehouse or clear-span building, foundation included | Practices that need general steel member and connection design plus occasional two-bay portal frames, without a foundation module |
The choice comes down to whether the job is a dedicated single-bay portal frame including its foundation, or broader steel-component design that happens to include a portal frame.
Part of the RUNET Family
One developer, one Eurocode engine, a program for every structural member. Explore the rest of the family.
Looking for Steel Portal Frame EC3 Training?
Talk to our team about Steel Portal Frame EC3 training and onboarding, or browse the live and self-paced courses on RAM CADDSYS Campus.
License Types
Perpetual License
- Customised Training
- Maintenance & Unlimited Support
- Bulk Discounts
- Long-term Investment
- Perfect for Institutions & Corporates
Subscription License
- Customised Training
- Unlimited Support
- Bulk Discounts
- Less Expensive Upfront
- Perfect for MSMEs
Get started
Put Steel Portal Frame EC3 to work
on your next project.
Portal Frame Design per Eurocode 3 — Specialized analysis and design for single-storey steel industrial structures. Supplied in India and South Asia by RAM CADDSYS — licensing, training and engineering support from one team.
Chennai, IN
Mon–Sat, 9–6 IST
Singapore, SG
Mon–Fri, 9–6 SGT
Dubai, AE
Mon–Fri, 9–6 GST