The partially encased steel–concrete composite column is one of the new trends in the present construction industry by filling concrete in between the empty spaces of two flanges of rolled steel H-section for achieving constructability and economy. The present research focused on the partially encased composite column, by taking different flange width to flange thickness ratio (B/T), flange width to web thickness ratio (B/t) and using different types of transversal reinforcement under axial load. The steel flanges were not externally restrained in a partially encased composite column of the present research, so it might be deformed and concrete might be expanded laterally. Hence transversal links were tied to two flanges in different patterns (i.e. horizontal, X-shape and Z-shape). The analysis was performed by ABAQUS software on a series of thirteen columns in three groups. The result had been shown that the load-carrying capacity of the partially encased composite column had increased gradually as the ratio of the width of the flange to the thickness of the flange (B/T) and width of the flange to the thickness of the web (B/t) was increased. The various failure modes for each type of column section are discussed in brief. The pattern of the transverse link also had influenced by the axial peak load of the partially encased composite column. Of the three types of transversal reinforcement, the X-shape link had a higher peak load-carrying capacity than the horizontal and Z-shape links.