Subscription Questions

How much does MechaniCalc cost?

We offer two subscription types, both of which have monthly and annual payment options. Our prices are much lower than what you would typically pay for engineering software. One of our primary goals is to make premium engineering software affordable for individual engineers. See our pricing page for more details.

How does your billing work?

You pay for service at the start of the subscription period. After your payment, you will have full access to all calculators and other content on the MechaniCalc website for the duration of the period that you paid for.

If you signed up for a monthly or an annual subscription, your plan will be renewed automatically at the end of your period unless you have cancelled your subscription. If you signed up for a semester subscription, your account will expire at the end of the period.

How do you handle my credit card information?

We use a secure, PCI-certified third party, Stripe, to handle all credit card transactions. Your credit card information is never stored on the MechaniCalc website.

What is your cancellation policy?

There are absolutely no obligations -- you can cancel your subscription at any time. If you do cancel, your account will remain active until the end of your subscription period. You won't receive any further charges after cancelling your subscription.

Can I change my plan later on?

If you start out on a monthly plan, you can upgrade to an annual plan at any time.

General Questions

Who uses MechaniCalc?

MechaniCalc is primarily used by Mechanical Engineers and Structural Engineers, but it is also used by Civil Engineers, Aerospace Engineers, Manufacturing Engineers, Machinists, and Architects.

Why use MechaniCalc when I have my own homegrown Excel and Mathcad templates?

MechaniCalc is actually very well suited for use alongside your own homegrown Excel and Mathcad templates. Because of the speed with which you can run an analysis in MechaniCalc, you can check your numbers in MechaniCalc first before spending the time to update your templates. In addition to saving time, working this way also provides an excellent sanity check of your own calculations.

Is there a free version?

The calculators on this site can be used for free on a limited basis, but to obtain full use of the calculators you must sign up for an account.

What are the benefits of subscribing to MechaniCalc?

By subscribing to MechaniCalc, you will receive the following benefits:

Can I trust the results of MechaniCalc's calculators?

All of our calculators have been thoroughly validated using example cases. Some example validation cases have been fully documented and made available for your review on our website. Every calculator has a link to its validation cases in the upper right corner of the calculator page. You can also find links to the validation cases in the main calculator page.

In addition to the validation cases, the methods behind all of our calculators have been thoroughly documented so that you can see exactly what is happening under the hood. Every calculator links to the relevant documentation in the upper right corner of the calculator page. You can also find links to the documentation for the calculators in the main calculator page, and you can find a full listing of all of our reference material in the main reference page.

Do I need to install or update the software?

Not at all. One of the primary benefits of MechaniCalc is that it is completely online. This means that you can access the software from any computer with an internet connection without having to install anything. You also don't need to worry about updates, since the website will always be up to date with the latest and greatest version.

Which web browser do you recommend when using the calculators?

MechaniCalc is tested on all of the major browsers (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Safari). However, most of the testing is done using Google Chrome, so we recommend using Chrome if possible.

Where is my confirmation email?

After you sign up for an account, we will automatically send you a confirmation email to ensure that we are able to communicate with you via the email address tied to your account.

Sometimes this confirmation email does not make it to your inbox. The most common reason for this is that it has been filtered into your spam folder. In that case, you should whitelist emails from mechanicalc.com to make sure that you receive important communication from us.

If you need another confirmation email, click on this link here to have another confirmation email sent to your inbox.

Calculator Questions

Where can I find instructions on how to use the calculators?

Every calculator has a dropdown menu in the upper right corner with a list of relevant documentation (instructions, reference material, validation). You can also find links to all of the documentation for each of our calculators in the main calculator page.

Can I switch between Metric and US Standard units?

Yes, you can use any unit system that you prefer. All of our calculators have a "Display Units" section at the top of the results that will allow you to toggle between metric and US Standard units for the displayed results. There is also a "custom" option that gives you tighter control over exactly how the units are displayed.

As for inputs, the inputs are generally free-form where you are typing into a text box. So if there is a text box in which you are typing in a length, instead of typing "10 ft" for example, you could type "3.048 m".

Why did my materials and cross sections databases disappear?

You are able to create your own materials and cross sections databases in the materials database page and the cross sections database page, respectively.

At the moment, all materials and cross sections that you create are stored in your browser. If your browser cache is cleared then the materials and cross sections that you have stored will be erased.

If you would like to ensure that you always have a backup copy of your materials or cross sections database, you have the ability to download them to your computer (look in the "Actions" dropdown at the top of the database page). If you clear your cache or switch computers, you can upload your backup database.

In the (hopefully near) future we will start storing user materials and cross sections on our server to prevent them from being erased. In the case that your browser cache is cleared, we will send your stored materials to your browser and you can keep working without any interruption. Unfortunately this feature is not yet implemented.

Why aren't my materials showing up in the calculators?

There are 3 common reasons for your materials not showing up in the calculators:

1. You have multiple browser tabs open, with the materials database open in one tab and the calculator open in another. In this case you will need to refresh the calculator page in order for the new materials to be pulled in.
2. You have not specified a percent elongation for the material, but the calculator requires that property to be specified. Not all calculators require a percent elongation to be specified, but some do.
3. You have not specified the "structural" or "bolt" application check boxes properly when creating the material. If the material is intended to be used for bolts, then the "bolt" application check box must be checked. If the material is intended to be used for structural components, then the "structural" application check box must be checked.

Any Other Questions?

Please contact us if you have any other questions.