In this study, the global buckling behavior of a cold-formed circular steel column was discussed with a focus on the effects of its mechanical properties and initial imperfections on the behavior. As the first step, the stress–strain curves of the column under tensile and compressive loads as well as its residual stresses were investigated. Subsequently, a finite element analysis was conducted to clarify if the analysis properly simulated the stub column behavior. The analysis results obtained using measured compressive stress–strain curves and residual stresses agreed well with experimental results. Finally, another finite element analysis was performed on the long column buckling to examine the effects of its mechanical properties and initial imperfections. It was shown that the global buckling strength was affected not only by imperfections such as residual stress and out-of-straightness but also by the anisotropic mechanical properties of the material
