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Abstract The objective of this article is to present an optimization problem formulation to reduce the total structural cost of prestressed doubly-symmetric and monosymmetric I-shaped steel simply supported beams with straight tendons. The optimization problem was implemented via MATLAB’s native Genetic Algorithm. The validation and evaluation processes adopted two examples from literature. The design method follows the Brazilian standard NBR 8800:2008 for the Ultimate and Serviceability Limit States. The best result was found for a monosymmetric case by up to 20.00% and 25.70%. Saving in material weight and installation of tendons, without exceeding the security limits, was also effective. Furthermore, the results presented an efficient alternative for structural engineering, providing a significant model for similar analyzes.