AbstractDesign recommendations for steel plate shear wall (SPSW) systems have recently been introduced into seismic provisions for steel buildings. Response modification (R), overstrength (Ωo), and displacement amplification (Cd) factors for SPSW systems presented in design codes were based on professional experience and judgment. A numerical study has been undertaken to evaluate these factors for SPSW systems. Forty‐four unstiffened SPSW possessing different geometrical characteristics were designed based on the recommendations given in the AISC Seismic Provisions. Bay width, number of stories, story mass, and steel plate thickness were considered as the prime variables that influence the response. Twenty records were selected to include the variability in ground motion characteristics. In order to provide a detailed analysis of the post‐buckling response, three‐dimensional finite element analyses were conducted for the 44 structures subjected to the selected suite of earthquake records. For each structure and earthquake record, two analyses were conducted in which the first includes geometrical nonlinearities and the other includes both geometrical and material nonlinearities, resulting in a total of 1760 time history analyses. In this paper, the details of the design and analysis methodology are given. Based on the analysis results, response modification (R), overstrength (Ωo), and displacement amplification (Cd) factors for SPSW systems are evaluated. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.