This study is aimed to examine the influence of the rotational stiffness of U-shaped ribs on the local buckling behaviors of laminated composite plates. Applying the orthotropic plates with eight layers of the layup [(0°)4]s and [(0°/90°)2]s, 3-dimensional finite element models for the U-rib stiffened plates were setup by using ABAQUS and then a series of eigenvalue analyses were conducted. There is a need to develope a simple design equation to establish the rotational stiffness effect, which could be easily quantified by comparing the theoretical critical stress equation for laminated composite plates with elastic restraints based on the Classical laminated plate theory. This study will contribute to the future study for evaluating the design strength and optimum design of U-rib stiffened plates.