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One main factor in design of panels subjected to axial loading is their buckling behaviour. The design of stiffeners in a metal or composite plated structure is the key factor for safety and weight reduction. This work presents a parametric study on the optimal types and geometrical properties of stiffeners in plates under in-plane axial loads. The results show that flanged type (such as T or L) longitudinal stiffeners increase the normal critical stresses by at least 28% compared to non-flanged stiffener. It is also shown that the optimum geometric properties of stiffeners correspond to the point when the buckling shape of a plate changes from the overall to local mode. Also it is illustrated that for these optimal instances, there always is a linear relationship between the cross-sectional area ratio and the rigidity ratio of the stiffeners to the plates. Finally, Sample relationships for plates having different number of stiffeners are presented.