Accoding to seismic design code of buildings, non-linear time history analysis is required for seismic assessment of mid-to-high-rise buildings. The analysis must accurately reflect structural members’ non-linear behaviors such as yielding strength, failure mechanism and hysteretic behavior. Columns as the major structural members in the lateral load-resisting systems. Hence, the hysteresis behavior prediction of columns is extremely importance in seismic design. In this study, a hysteretic model of columns and its model parameters’ formulas had been proposed based on the Pivot Hysteretic Model. A database of column specimens subject to cyclic loading has been collected from literature for the model optimization. The model optimization method was executed base on energy dissipation. Simulated annealing algorithm was used to calibrate the response with experimental results and to identify model parameters. Simultaneously, the relationship between the structural characteristics and model parameters was resolved by regression analysis, hypothesis testing and simulated annealing algorithm. The analytical results based on proposed model formulas can accurately reflect hysteretic behavior of columns such as unloading behavior and pinching effect in different failure mode.