This study aims to compare methods for the determination of concrete properties by means of the stress diagrams present in the Brazilian standard ABNT NBR 6118: 2014. The area under the stress diagram, the internal reactions, and the application point of the resulting reactions for the parabola-rectangle and rectangular block diagrams are present in order to compare them. Deductions and numerical examples were used, and different results were obtained for each formulation. This is due to non-consideration of the relationship between stress and strain in the simplified rectangular block. The rectangular block is applicable only for cases in which the concrete reaches the ultimate strain. These cases are those that concrete crushing determines the section failure in compression with steel yielding in tension (domain 3) or without steel yielding (domain 4).