Based on the requirements of current codes, twenty I-shaped shear walls were designed and tested under low frequency cyclic loading. The variaion parameters for each wall were shear-span ratios, longitudinal reinforment ratios of boundary element and axial compression ratios. Seismic behaviors, such as failure pattern, hysteretic characteristics, displacement ductility, were investigated. According to the test results, deformation limits of six performance states were determined in two ways based on the skeleton curve and testing phenomena. The effect of flanges on the deformation capacity was studied by comparing the deformation limits between twenty rectangular shear walls and I-shaped shear walls. The results show that the performance states divided based on the skeleton curve is reasonable because each performance state has definite damage phenomena. It is also proved that the deformation capacity of shear wall with flanges is better than that of rectangular shear walls.