Welded tubular structures are used in a wide range of trusses and frames. In the design of steel structures, Particular attention is paid to the design of joints. The article presents a literature review on the current design methods and rules for welded rectangular hollow section joints. The review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the presented design methods. Moreover, attention is paid to the reduction coefficients for joints made of high strength steel, which does not allow to obtain all economic benefits from using high strength steels in the construction industry. In addition, there is still a lack of research on tubular joints under out-of-plane bending.