Abstract: Finite element method is employed to study the bearing capacity of large-scale steel structures. Cross-shaped steel tubular nodes with reinforced plates and nodes without reinforced plates are taken as examples to carry out the study. The modeling process and modeling technique of the finite element method are provided and the bear capacities of the nodes under brace compression are calculated. Then the results obtained from finite element analysis and full-scale tests are compared. Results shew that the model of the brace can be removed in the finite element modeling process when the nodes are under brace compression. The results obtained from finite element analysis and full-scale tests for the tubular nodes with and without reinforced plates are quite close. Furthermore, the finite element method demonstrates its ability to obtain the decreasing part of load-displacement curve.