A study comparing the effective length method and the
notional load method for cold-formed steel industrial
storage rack design was carried out. The finite element
method, which considers both geometric and material
nonlinearities, was used as the basis for evaluating the
accuracy of these two design methods. Results showed that
the effective length method is more conservative than the
notional load method and that the notional load method
agrees better with the finite element results than the
effective length method does. The notional load approach
would lead to more economical structures than the
effective length approach. It is, therefore, recommended
that the notional load method be considered as an
alternative means for cold-formed steel industrial storage