Abstract : In recent decades, high strength concrete (HSC) has been widely used in concrete structures, especially in elements subject to severe compressive stress, such as centrally loaded columns. The present work aims to experimentally study the performance of (HSC) rectangular reinforced concrete (RC) columns with symmetrical and asymmetrical reinforcements under eccentric load, and compare them with similar cases of normal-strength concrete (NSC) columns. The main studied parameters are, compressive strength of concrete, distribution of longitudinal reinforcement and eccentricity of load. The effect of these parameters on the column ultimate load, mid-height displacement, and column cracking patterns are presented. All columns have the same longitudinal and transverse reinforcement ratios, as well as the same column section dimensions. According to the findings, increasing the concrete compressive strength resulted in significant gains in column load capacity with a reduction in the mid-height displacements at peak load. For column with high concrete strength and higher eccentricity, the failure load of the column, with asymmetrical reinforcement was appreciably raised compared with the case of symmetrical reinforcement. The increase in concrete strength caused the failure load of the column to grow more for columns with asymmetrical reinforcement and higher eccentricity.