An isolated pad footing under Eurocode 2 runs through four checks — bearing, punching shear, one-way shear, and bending. And because footings carry no shear links, the punching-shear control perimeter (measured at 2d from the column, not d/2 as in some other codes) is usually what actually sets the thickness.
Every check above runs automatically inside the Structyze Isolated Footing module, free to try online — change any input and every downstream number recalculates instantly, with the governing code clause shown next to each result.
The Example We'll Use
- Column 400 × 400 mm
- Footing 2.6 × 2.6 m, thickness 450 mm, cover 50 mm
- Axial load: permanent 600 kN, variable 300 kN
- Allowable bearing 150 kN/m²
- Concrete C30/37, steel B500; 16 mm bars at 150 mm each way
Working Through It
Service bearing q = (600+300)/2.6² ≈ 133 kN/m² against 150 kN/m² allowable — the tightest check in the whole design at utilisation 0.89, since it's a pure geotechnical/EN 1997 check independent of the structural design that follows.
Design pressure qu = 1.35(600)+1.5(300) all over the footing area = 186 kN/m². One-way shear at d from the column face gives VEd = 347 kN against VRd,c = 451 kN (utilisation 0.77); punching shear on the 2d control perimeter gives vEd/vRd,c = 0.31/0.45 ≈ 0.68.
Bending at the column face, MEd = 113 kN·m/m, works through the K/K′ method to Ast ≈ 711 mm²/m — above the Cl 9.2.1.1 minimum of 578 mm²/m, so bending (not the minimum) sizes the bars here, comfortably covered by the 1340 mm²/m provided.
What Governs, and Why
Service bearing is the tightest check at utilisation 0.89 — ahead of one-way shear (0.77), punching (0.68) and bending (0.53). The two shear checks both carry comfortable margin on this 450 mm-thick pad, so the footing's plan size, driven by the bearing check, is really what's doing the work here, not its thickness.
Where Structyze Takes Over
Every check above runs automatically inside the Structyze Isolated Footing module, free to try online — change any input and every downstream number recalculates instantly, with the governing code clause shown next to each result.
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Quick FAQ
How does Eurocode 2's punching perimeter differ from other codes?
EN 1992 places the basic control perimeter at 2d from the column face, materially further out than the d/2 perimeter some other codes (like ACI 318) use — a larger perimeter generally makes the punching check somewhat easier to satisfy for the same thickness.
Does the UK National Annex change this result?
The UK Annex's αcc = 0.85 affects only the bending check here, nudging K up slightly while staying far below K′ — the bar count is unchanged, and shear (where αcc = 1.0 in every Annex) and bearing are unaffected entirely.
Final Thoughts
A Eurocode 2 footing's 2d punching perimeter, versus other codes' d/2, is a small geometric detail that changes the actual governing check — important to confirming explicitly rather than assuming the same pattern holds across codes.