This study investigated the feasibility of using wood-plastic composites (WPCs) for load-bearing columns in low-density prefabricated houses. Co-extruded WPC hollow columns were evaluated through material property and axial compression tests. The effects of wall thickness

aspect ratio

and the thickness of embedded thin-walled steel tubes on the ultimate load-bearing capacity

deformability

and failure modes of WPC hollow columns were analyzed using ABAQUS software. The simulation results were highly consistent with the experimental test data

validating the effectiveness of the modeling approach. The experiment’s results showed that the primary failure mode of the columns was localized buckling and a significant elastoplastic behavior was observed in the later stages of compression. Finite element analysis indicated that an increase in wall thickness improved both the initial stiffness and the ultimate load-bearing capacity of the columns

with an 8 mm thickness improvement to be the most cost-effective in terms of cost

weight

and load-bearing capacity. As the aspect ratio increased

there was a gradual decrease in both the load-bearing capacity and stiffness of the columns

with a shift in failure mode from strength failure to buckling. Integrating a 3 mm thin-walled steel tube significantly enhances the load-bearing capacity and ductility of the hybrid columns

making the mechanical properties suitable for use as compressive load-bearing members in building structures.