This paper describes of an overview to the strength rules in the Australian AS4100 Steel Structures Code that was first issued in Limit States Format in 1990. It focuses on pertinent and characteristic issues, such as the means of analysis for second order effects in frames, and highlights how the tiered approach may lead to efficient design using advanced analysis techniques. It also considers design against buckling in some detail, and shows how advanced solutions may be readily incorporated into the design rules. Implicit in the formulations are the necessity for ductility of the steel, and the scope of the code is limited to steels that display this necessary ductility characteristic.