Many reinforced concrete bridge columns in Malaysia are deteriorating due to environmental issues, an increase in the number and allowable weight of load-bearing vehicles, and the design of older structures. Columns are prone to corrosion due to hot temperatures and high humidity in Malaysia, causing water to penetrate through the porous concrete surface. Finite element analysis was used to study the behavior of rectangular RC columns confined with CFRP and evaluate the effectiveness of CFRP confinement as a retrofit measure on rectangular RC columns. This research presents the optimum layer of CFRP for column strengthening, which was chosen based on a higher value of strength gain of confined to unconfined columns. Finite element analyses have been conducted by using ABAQUS for various CFRP layers ranging from 0 to 4 layers. Based on the result of this research, the maximum strength and strain of a rectangular RC column is the column with 4 CFRP layers, while the minimum strength and strain is the column with 1 CFRP layer. These findings suggest that the presence of CFRP composites improves the gain of ultimate strength. However, after a certain number of layers, the strength obtained is constant. It is identified from this research that two layers of CFRP are the optimum layer for rectangular RC column strengthening. Thus, CFRP wrap was found to be an alternative and effective strengthening method for rectangular RC columns.