Abstract The aim of the work was numerical analyses of a steel-concrete composite column and a steel column. An internal column 3.60 m in length was considered. The column was on the second storey of a six-storey building designed for retail and services. The column was subjected to compression and uniaxial bending. The existing steel column was made from a welded H-profile. In the first stage of the work, the composite column was designed as an alternative to the existing steel column using the analytical method. A steel reinforced concrete column with a steel H-profile was selected. The second part of the work consisted in modelling the steel and composite columns. The geometries, loads and boundary conditions used in simulations of the columns were the same as in the analytical calculations. Numerical analysis was carried out using the ADINA System based on the finite element method. In the steel column, the stresses and displacements were considered. In the composite column, the stresses in the steel and concrete elements, the stresses distributions in the reinforcement bars and displacements of the whole column were evaluated.