STRES CORBEL: Reinforced Concrete Corbel Design for $35
STRES CORBEL is a $35 Windows program for structural engineers that designs reinforced concrete corbels to ACI 318-19 metric. You enter the corbel's size and forces, and it returns the reinforcement, a Word design note and a DXF drawing.
A corbel takes a few pages of hand checks that barely change from job to job. This tool does those checks and draws the result, which is about all it sets out to do.
Quick facts
- Developer: STRES Structural Engineering Software SARL
- Design code: ACI 318-19, metric units (cm, kN, MPa)
- Output: Word design note and AutoCAD-compatible DXF drawing
- Price: $35, one-time payment
- License: unlimited in time, tied to one computer
- Demo: free, with limits on concrete and steel properties; the download form asks for your name, country and email
- What we checked: $35 with no renewal charge on the order page, and the 3-page manual and product page, on November 6, 2026. We didn't install the demo or check a design by hand.
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Overview
STRES CORBEL keeps everything in one window. You type in the concrete and steel strengths, the corbel geometry, the shear-friction coefficient and the factored shear and tension. Calculate returns Asc, the primary reinforcement, and Ah, the closed stirrups.
The main window, with a 700 kN shear and 300 kN tension corbel. The title bar in this vendor image reads Ver. 1.00.
Features
Shear-friction options in the input
STRES CORBEL lets you pick the shear-friction coefficient for the surface condition and choose normalweight or lightweight concrete.
Steel optimizer for Asc
STRES CORBEL tries different bar diameters, bar counts across the width and layers, within the minimum clear spacing, to find the most economical primary reinforcement. Excluding a diameter in Settings steers it toward other layouts.
Practical stirrup rules
STRES CORBEL always places at least two rows of stirrups, keeps rows at 25 cm or closer, and adds stirrups per row on wide corbels: at least two at 80 cm. These rules can give you more steel than the calculation needs, on purpose, to spread cracks and keep them narrow.
Word note and layered DXF drawing
STRES CORBEL creates a Word report with equations and code references, and a scaled elevation and section with annotations. Formwork, reinforcement and text sit on separate layers, so you can restyle them in CAD.
A generated drawing: the corbel elevation and Section A, with bar marks and anchor bars.
Real-World Uses
- Designing a bracket that carries a precast beam on a column
- Sizing a crane-rail corbel from the factored shear and horizontal force
- Testing how a change in width or depth affects Asc during early design
- Adding a code-referenced note and detail to a small project file
Who It's For, and Who Should Skip It
STRES CORBEL suits freelance structural engineers and small offices who work to ACI 318 in metric units and detail corbels occasionally. Precast detailers who need a quick figure may also find it handy.
Skip it if you design to another code or in US customary units, or if a spreadsheet you already trust does the job. You'd be paying only for the drawing. A wider concrete design package makes more sense if corbels are a small part of a big model.
Usage Guide
- Fill in the demo form and install the program; remember that the demo restricts material values.
- Enter f'c, fy and the geometry, then press Update Geometry to refresh the sketch.
- Choose the shear-friction coefficient and concrete type.
- Enter the factored forces Vu and Nuc, and press Calculate.
- Press Report for the Word note, then pick units and scale and press DXF for the drawing.
Where it falls short
- The sample design note shown on the STRES CORBEL product page says ACI 318-08 and cites section 11.8, not ACI 318-19. The Settings menu has a design code option, so use the demo to confirm that your note cites the 2019 code.
- The license is bound to one computer and can't be moved to another machine. STRES issues a new key only after hardware damage.
- We found no independent reviews, so nobody outside the vendor vouches for the results. Hand-check your first few designs, and treat the output as your own engineering responsibility. The legal terms disclaim any liability.
Comparisons
STRES CORBEL vs AStrutTie
AStrutTie is a browser-based strut-and-tie tool for corbels, deep beams, pile caps and pier caps, with ACI 318, AASHTO LRFD, Eurocode 2 and KDS checks. It is much broader, and you build the model yourself. STRES CORBEL covers one member with fixed inputs, and adds a note and a drawing.
Editions and Pricing
| Product | Price | Purpose |
|---|
| CORBEL | $35 | Concrete corbels, ACI 318-19 metric |
| DEEP BEAM | $35 | One-span deep beams, ACI 318-19 metric |
| RCBEAM PRO | $100 | Beams, with 2D frame analysis |
| BUILD-PRO | $400 | The top of the STRES range |
FAQs
Is STRES CORBEL a subscription?
No, STRES CORBEL is a one-time purchase. The order page shows no renewal, and the license terms describe it as unlimited in time.
Can I install STRES CORBEL on two computers?
No, STRES CORBEL uses a key tied to one computer. Ask STRES for a new key if hardware damage forces a replacement.
Does STRES CORBEL work with lightweight concrete?
Yes, STRES CORBEL has a lightweight concrete option next to normalweight in its design parameters.
Does STRES CORBEL support US customary units?
No, STRES CORBEL is the metric version of the code and takes centimeters, kN and MPa.
What does the STRES CORBEL demo leave out?
The STRES CORBEL demo limits the concrete and steel characteristics you can enter.
System Requirements
- Windows PC
- Microsoft Word to open the design note
- AutoCAD or another program that reads DXF for the drawings
Conclusion
Worth $35 if you detail corbels now and then and want the note and drawing done for you. The reason to buy is the time saved on a routine member. The reason not to is that a good spreadsheet already does the sums, and no independent review backs this tool, so run the demo on a corbel you have already solved.
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