What is the shear capacity of a 19 mm shear stud?

Under EN 1994-1-1, a 19 mm headed stud with ultimate tensile strength 450 MPa in a solid slab has a design shear resistance of 81.7 kN in C30/37 concrete, where the stud steel governs, and 73.7 kN in C25/30 concrete, where the concrete governs. This assumes a partial factor of 1.25 and a stud at least four diameters tall after welding.

How is shear stud capacity calculated?

EN 1994-1-1 takes the smaller of two limits: stud steel, 0.8 x fu x (pi d squared / 4) / gamma V, and concrete, 0.29 x alpha x d squared x square root of (fck x Ecm) / gamma V, with gamma V = 1.25. AISC 360 uses Qn = 0.5 Asa square root of (f'c Ec), capped at Rg Rp Asa Fu.

Does stronger concrete increase shear stud capacity?

Only while the concrete governs. With 450 MPa stud material, the concrete limit governs in C25/30, but from C30/37 upward the stud steel governs and stronger concrete adds nothing per stud. A larger diameter does, because capacity rises with the square of the diameter.

What is S R Forgings' shear stud production capacity?

S R Forgings produces 150 tonnes of shear connector studs a month at Ludhiana, India: headed studs to ISO 13918 and custom studs to drawing, 13 mm to 1 1/4 inch diameter and up to 40 inch long, supplied with matched ceramic ferrules.

Shear Stud Capacity in kN per Stud: 16 to 25 mm, EN 1994

Suneer Kapoor, Managing Partner, S R Forgings · 29 September 2026

“Shear stud capacity” gets asked two ways. A designer wants to know how much longitudinal shear one stud carries. A buyer wants to know whether the manufacturer can supply the whole job on time. This page answers both.

81.7 kNdesign resistance of one 19 mm stud in C30/37 concrete, solid slab, EN 1994-1-1

150 t / monthS R Forgings shear connector stud production capacity

How much load does one shear stud carry?

A headed stud can fail in two ways. The stud itself can shear off at the weld collar, or the concrete around it can crush. The design resistance is whichever comes first. Eurocode 4 (EN 1994-1-1) writes the two limits like this:

Stud steel: P_Rd = 0.8 × f_u × (πd²/4) / γ_V

Concrete: P_Rd = 0.29 × α × d² × √(f_ck × E_cm) / γ_V

d is the shank diameter, f_u the ultimate tensile strength of the stud steel (not more than 500 MPa), f_ck and E_cm the concrete strength and modulus, and γ_V the partial factor, recommended as 1.25. The smaller of the two results governs.

The table below works both limits through for studs to ISO 13918 with f_u = 450 MPa, the minimum tensile strength for standard shear connector stud material, in normal-weight concrete of three common grades. It assumes a solid slab and a stud at least four diameters tall after welding, so α = 1.

Design shear resistance P_Rd per stud, kN. EN 1994-1-1, f_u = 450 MPa, γ_V = 1.25, solid slab, α = 1.
Stud diameter	Steel limit	C25/30	C30/37	C40/50
16 mm	57.9	52.3	57.9	57.9
19 mm	81.7	73.7	81.7	81.7
22 mm	109.5	98.9	109.5	109.5
25 mm	141.4	127.6	141.4	141.4

Two things stand out. In C25/30 the concrete governs at every size. From C30/37 upward the stud steel governs, so a stronger concrete buys nothing more per stud — only a larger diameter does. And capacity rises with the square of the diameter: one 25 mm stud carries about as much as three 16 mm studs.

When do these figures not apply?

Short studs. If the height after welding is between three and four diameters, α drops below 1 and the concrete limit falls with it. A 19 mm stud needs to be at least 76 mm tall after welding to keep α = 1.
Profiled steel decking. Studs welded through the deck lose capacity, often substantially when the ribs run across the beam. EN 1994-1-1 gives reduction factors for ribs parallel and transverse to the beam, and the designer applies them to the solid-slab figure.
Diameters outside 16 to 25 mm. The Eurocode expressions are stated for that range. Larger studs are made and used, but their resistance should be confirmed by the designer or by test.
Lightweight concrete and fatigue-loaded structures such as bridges need their own checks.

What about US practice?

AISC 360 uses Q_n = 0.5 × A_sa × √(f′_c × E_c), capped at R_g × R_p × A_sa × F_u, with F_u = 65 ksi for headed studs. For a 3/4 in. stud welded directly to the beam in 4 ksi normal-weight concrete, the concrete expression gives about 26.1 kips, the cap (R_g = 1.0, R_p = 0.75) gives about 21.5 kips (95.8 kN), and the cap governs. That is a nominal strength; the resistance factor is applied at the composite beam level, not per stud.

Indian composite designs to IS 11384 use that code’s own design values for headed studs. Whichever code you work to, the stud has to be what the calculation assumed: the right diameter, a sound full weld collar, and material that actually meets the tensile strength used in the formula.

Does the stud itself change the capacity?

Yes, through three things the manufacturer controls:

Tensile strength of the stud steel. It sits directly in the steel limit. A stud below the specified f_u carries less than the table says, and nothing on site will reveal it.
Diameter and head. The head is what anchors the stud in the slab against uplift. Head diameter and height are fixed for each stud size in ISO 13918.
Weld quality. The formulas assume a full weld collar formed inside a ceramic ferrule matched to the stud. We supply studs with matched ferrules for that reason. See shear stud sizes and how to specify them.

What is S R Forgings’ production capacity for shear studs?

150 tonnes of shear connector studs a month. In pieces that depends on the size mix. As a guide, a 19 × 100 mm stud weighs a little over a quarter of a kilogram, so 150 tonnes is in the order of 5.5 lakh (550,000) studs of that size a month.

Headed shear connector studs to ISO 13918, and custom studs to customer drawing
Diameters from 13 mm up to 1¼ in., lengths up to 40 in.
Supplied with matched ceramic ferrules
Forged at our own plant in Focal Point, Ludhiana, India, and supplied in India and for export

For a bridge or a large composite frame, the question is usually not whether a job fits in a month but whether deliveries can follow the erection sequence. Send the quantities by size and the site schedule, and we will tell you how we would phase supply.

How many studs does my job need?

Our shear stud weight and quantity calculator gives studs per beam from the layout and total weight for the consignment. For the difference between headed shear studs and punching shear studs, see shear connector studs vs PSR studs, and for the product itself, our shear connector studs page.

Planning a composite job?

Send the stud sizes, quantities and delivery schedule. We will come back with weights, ferrule quantities and a quotation.

Email your requirement Ask on WhatsApp

Resistance values on this page are worked examples of the published EN 1994-1-1 and AISC 360 expressions under the stated assumptions. They are for guidance and do not replace the structural designer’s calculation for a specific slab, deck and loading. S R Forgings, E-615 Phase-VII, Focal Point, Ludhiana 141010, Punjab, India.

Shear Stud Capacity: How Much One Stud Carries, and How Many We Make