Sandwich wall elements are often used in industrial buildings together with a steel framing including wide flange columns. It is not clear to what extent the elements are able to restrain column buckling in the weak direction. There is a substantial increase in capacity to gain even with a moderate restraint. To determine the minimum rigidity and strength of the restraint to counteract buckling is the basis for this study. Full scale tests have been carried out at Lulea University of Technology in an ongoing project. A total of 10 columns subjected to normal force and constant moment were studied. The test setup consisted of two columns with wall elements fixed to them. The elements were sandwich wall elements with steel sheet cladding and a mineral wool core. Separate tests were performed to determine the elements torsional-and lateral restraining capacity exclusively. Computer simulations of the tests were done for further evaluation. This FEM model will be used to simulate a series of restrained beam-columns in order to establish the requirements to counteract buckling in the weak direction.