This thesis presents the results of a study of the fully stressed design (FSD) of rigidly convected plane steel frames. The objective is to: (1) formulate the FSD algorithm consistent with the most recent AISC Manual of Steel Construction, (2) study the effect of some of the features of FSD on the final design, and (3) compare final designs with previously published results. Dependent section property functions are derived for the data points of available sections using a polynomial regression model with the section modulus as the independent design variable. Comparing the derived equations with two other published sets of equations demonstrates that the specific dependent functions used in an FSD solution significantly affect the structural weight of the final design. The most efficient sections are those that have the largest moment of inertia and smallest cross sectional area for a given section modulus. These functions are derived for the sections available. Finally, a procedure is suggested for automatic selection of a set of sections as the final step in the design.