A hat stiffener disclosed herein that includes a web portion having locally optimized slopes. The hat stiffener may include a web portion having a relatively small slope optimized to handle a sheer force. The hat stiffener may further include a web portion having a relatively large slope optimized to handle a pull-off or interface force. The hat stiffener may include a hat cap having variable widths along the length of the hat stiffener. The hat stiffener may further include a transitional web portion to transition from a web portion having a relatively large slope to a web portion having a relatively smaller slope. The concepts disclosed herein allow for the generation of a one-piece hat stiffener, which can be locally optimized to improve structural capability and efficiency for different loading applications.