The paper describes the mechanical behavior of short concrete-filled steel tube (CFT) columns with circular section. The efficiency of the steel tube in confining the concrete core depending on concrete strength and the steel tube thickness was examined. Fifteen columns were tested to failure under concentric axial loading. Furthermore, a mechanical model based on the interaction between the concrete core and the steel tube was developed. The model employs a volumetric strain history for the concrete, characterized by the level of applied confining stress. The situation of passive confinement is accounted for by an incremental procedure, which continuously updates the confining stress. The post-yield behavior of the columns is greatly influenced by the confinement level and is related to the efficiency of the steel tube in confining the concrete core. It is possible to classify the post-yield behavior into three categories: strain softening, perfectly plastic and strain hardening behavior. The softening behavior, which is due to a shear plane failure in the concrete core, was found for some of the CFT columns with high-strength concrete. Nevertheless, with a CFT column, it is possible to use high-strength concrete to obtain higher load resistance and still achieve a good ductile behavior.