Norms · DSTU-N B EN 1993-1-3:2012
DSTU-N B EN 1993-1-3:2012: designing C-profiles for PV mounting
Most ground frames for solar panels are built from cold-formed perforated 41×41 C-channel. The Ukrainian steel structures code does not apply to such a profile, so the check follows the Eurocode.
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Edition and status
DSTU-N B EN 1993-1-3:2012 is the identical adoption of EN 1993-1-3:2006, in force from 01.07.2013. Status as of 14.10.2026 per the norms register Solispec checked on 04.10.2026. We have not obtained the national annex.
The official text: UkrNDNC, the national standards body (the standard’s text is sold). Solispec does not host the norm texts. Look for the current edition at the official source.
Why not DBN V.2.6-198
Change 1 to DBN V.2.6-198:2014 added a sentence to section 1: the code does not cover thin-walled structures of cold-formed profiles. Clause 3.22 describes them by local and distortional buckling that occurs before the section reaches yield. An open lipped C-channel is exactly that. Closed tubes are not in this class and are checked to DBN V.2.6-198:2014.
What the check takes from the Eurocode
- Effective section: effective widths per EN 1993-1-5:2006 clause 4.4 together with EN 1993-1-3 clause 5.5.
- Buckling curves per EN 1993-1-1:2005 clause 6.3 (buckling reduction factor).
- Partial factors γM0 = γM1 = 1.0 and γM2 = 1.25 — the EN recommended values, as the national annex has not been checked.
Bolts in perforation slots
Table 8.4 of EN 1993-1-3 gives the bearing resistance of a bolt in a round hole. In a “solar” profile the M10 bolt goes through a factory slot without drilling. The standard has no formula for a slot, so the joint resistance is confirmed by the profile maker’s data or by testing under section 9. More on this under perforation and slots.
How Solispec applies it
The Solispec engine checks the C-channel frame members (base, legs, rafters, braces and rails) to DSTU-N B EN 1993-1-3:2012 with the effective section and the Eurocode buckling curves. A bolted joint in a slot is compared with Table 8.4 for a round hole: if the force exceeds even that, the joint fails; if not, the report asks for the profile maker’s confirmation.
Terms
- Thin-walled cold-formed C-profileA bent steel section with thin walls that buckles locally before yielding; it is designed to DSTU-N B EN 1993-1-3:2012.
- Profile perforation and bolts in slotsFactory slotted holes of a mounting C-profile; bolts go into the slots without drilling, and the maker confirms a slotted bolt’s resistance.
- Effective cross-sectionThe part of a thin-walled section that still carries compression after its walls buckle locally; computed per EN 1993-1-5 and EN 1993-1-3.
- Steel partial factors γM and γmFactors that divide the characteristic steel resistance: γ_M per Eurocode for C-profiles, γ_m per DBN V.2.6-198 for tubes.
- Buckling reduction factor φ (χ)A factor that reduces a compressed member’s resistance for flexural buckling: φ in DBN V.2.6-198, χ in Eurocode 3.
Other norms
- DBN V.2.6-198:2014 “Steel structures”: tubes in PV framesHow the Ukrainian steel structures code applies to closed tubes in a ground PV frame: Ry, γm, the buckling factor φ and the checks Solispec runs.
- DBN V.1.2-2:2006 “Loads and actions”: what matters for a solar plantThe clauses of the Ukrainian loads code a solar array needs: S₀, W₀, the factors, Changes 1 and 2, and a worked example for Kyiv.
Solispec’s calculation is preliminary: for a design it has to be checked by an engineer. The values and clauses follow the current editions of the norms on the date of the page.