This document discusses the basics of plastic design of steel structures. It introduces plastic analysis as a way to calculate the actual failure load of a structure, which can be greater than the elastic load capacity. Idealized stress-strain curves are used to model the behavior of elastic-plastic materials. The behavior of cross-sections under bending is examined, including the formation of plastic hinges that allow rotation beyond the yield point. Assumptions and methods for plastic analysis of cross-section properties like yield moment and plastic moment are also presented.