Concrete Reinforcement

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Revision 8 · Sep 16, 2026 +978 −874

SynC Standards Team — Specifier (Platform Standards) ✓ OfficialDiscloses employment SynC (SynC Platform Team)

Content update

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−---

−title: Concrete Reinforcement

−category: Structural / Concrete

−toc_depth: 3

−description: >

− When to use: Furnishing, fabricating, and placing steel reinforcement — deformed bars, plain bars, welded wire reinforcement, and mechanical splicing systems — for cast-in-place structural concrete elements in commercial, institutional, industrial, and multi-family residential buildings. Covers material selection, bar grades and coatings, fabrication and bending, placement and support, concrete cover, splices, welding, tolerances, and field inspection.

−

− Not intended for: The concrete mix design, placing, or finishing operations themselves (see [[sync/cast-in-place-concrete]]); post-tensioning or prestressed concrete strand and hardware; structural steel framing, steel decking, or composite framing (see [[sync/structural-steel-framing]]); masonry joint reinforcement or masonry anchor ties (see [[sync/unit-masonry]]); reinforcement for precast or tilt-up concrete elements unless adopted by reference in the applicable precast specification; or fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bar reinforcement, which requires a separate performance specification.

−---

−

−# Scope {toc}

−

−## This specification covers the materials, fabrication, delivery, and installation of steel reinforcing bars and welded wire reinforcement for cast-in-place reinforced concrete construction. {note}

−

−## Reinforcing steel is not a commodity item installed by rote. {note}

−## Its structural function depends entirely on its grade, coating condition, precise placement, adequate cover, and properly developed splices. {note}

−## A bar placed one inch low in a slab, a lap splice too short by six bar diameters, or a tie displaced during concrete vibration can each compromise the structural integrity of the element. {note}

−

−## Reinforcing steel work under this specification includes: deformed reinforcing bars (straight, bent, and headed), plain bars used as spirals or column ties where permitted, welded wire reinforcement (WWR) in rolls and sheets, mechanical splicing systems (couplers and headed bar terminations), bar supports and chairs, and field welding of reinforcement where permitted by the Contract Documents. {note}

−

−## All reinforcement shall conform to ACI CODE-318-19(22), Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary.

−## Reinforcement shall be installed in strict accordance with the Contract Drawings, the Shop Drawings reviewed under this specification, and ACI SPEC-301-16, Specifications for Structural Concrete.

−## Where these documents conflict, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.

−## This specification shall be read in conjunction with [[sync/cast-in-place-concrete]] for requirements governing the concrete itself.

−

−# Referenced Standards {toc}

−

−## Materials, fabrication, and installation shall comply with the latest adopted edition of the following standards and codes.

−

−| Standard | Title |

−|----------|-------|

−| ACI CODE-318-19(22) | Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary |

−| ACI SPEC-301-16 | Specifications for Structural Concrete |

−| ACI 117-10 | Specification for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials |

−| ASTM A615/A615M | Standard Specification for Deformed and Plain Carbon-Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement |

−| ASTM A706/A706M | Standard Specification for Deformed and Plain Low-Alloy Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement |

−| ASTM A1035/A1035M | Standard Specification for Deformed and Plain, Low-Carbon, Chromium, Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement |

−| ASTM A775/A775M | Standard Specification for Epoxy-Coated Steel Reinforcing Bars |

−| ASTM A934/A934M | Standard Specification for Epoxy-Coated Prefabricated Steel Reinforcing Bars |

−| ASTM A767/A767M | Standard Specification for Zinc-Coated (Galvanized) Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement |

−| ASTM A1064/A1064M | Standard Specification for Carbon-Steel Wire and Welded Wire Reinforcement, Plain and Deformed, for Concrete |

−| AWS D1.4/D1.4M | Structural Welding Code — Reinforcing Steel |

−| ASTM A370 | Standard Test Methods and Definitions for Mechanical Testing of Steel Products |

−| CRSI MSP | CRSI Manual of Standard Practice (current edition) |

−| CRSI RB4.1 | Supports for Reinforcement Used in Concrete |

−| IBC | International Building Code (locally adopted edition) |

−

−## Materials, fabrication, and installation shall comply with the latest adopted edition of the referenced standards and codes.

−## Where a more recent edition of a referenced standard has been adopted by the Authority Having Jurisdiction since the date of these Contract Documents, the Contractor shall notify the Engineer of Record before proceeding.

−

−# Submittals {toc}

−

−## Shop Drawings and Bar Lists {toc}

−

−### Contractor shall submit shop drawings and bar lists for review by the Engineer of Record before any reinforcement is fabricated or delivered to the project site.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Shop Drawing and Bar List Submission Required Before Fabrication

−type: radio

−options:

− - "Yes — no reinforcement shall be fabricated or ordered until shop drawings are reviewed"

− - "No — proceed from Contract Drawings with Engineer approval"

−default: "Yes — no reinforcement shall be fabricated or ordered until shop drawings are reviewed"

−```

−

−### Shop drawings shall be prepared by a qualified detailer in accordance with the CRSI Manual of Standard Practice and shall show, for every concrete element, bar sizes, grades, coatings, lengths, bends, hook geometry, placement dimensions, bar spacing, concrete cover to each bar face, splice locations and lengths, mechanical coupler types and locations, lap zones, and bar support locations and types.

−### Bar lists shall be keyed to the shop drawing mark system and shall state, for each bar mark, bar designation, grade, coating, quantity, length, bending details with critical dimensions flagged, and unit and total weight.

−### Bar lists shall be complete enough that no additional information is required from the Contract Drawings during fabrication.

−

−## Mill Certifications {toc}

−

−### Certified mill test reports (CMTRs) shall be submitted for every heat of steel used on the project.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Mill Certifications Required

−type: radio

−options:

− - "Yes — CMTR for every heat incorporated into the work"

− - "Yes — CMTR for primary structural elements; standard certification for slabs-on-grade only"

−default: "Yes — CMTR for every heat incorporated into the work"

−```

−

−### CMTRs shall show heat number, bar designation and grade, carbon equivalent (CE) for bars designated for welding, yield strength, tensile strength, elongation, and bend test results.

−### CMTRs shall be submitted before the material they represent is incorporated into the work.

−### For ASTM A706 bars designated for field welding, the carbon equivalent shall not exceed the maximum specified in ASTM A706.

−### For ASTM A615 bars proposed for welding, chemical analysis shall be submitted and reviewed by the Engineer before welding commences, with weldability assessment governed by ACI 318-19 Section 26.6.2 and AWS D1.4.

−

−## Product Data for Mechanical Splicing Systems {toc}

−

−### Where mechanical splices (couplers, headed bars, or end-bearing splices) are used, Contractor shall submit product data for the splicing system.

−

−### Where mechanical splices (couplers, headed bars, or end-bearing splices) are used, Contractor shall submit product data including coupler designation, bar sizes and grades compatible, performance classification per ACI 318-19 Section 26.6.3 (Type 1 or Type 2), test reports confirming required performance, and manufacturer's installation and torque requirements.

−### Mechanical coupler data shall be submitted before installation of the first coupler.

−

−## Special Inspection Program {toc}

−

−### Where special inspection of reinforcement is required by the locally adopted IBC and the project's Statement of Special Inspections, the Contractor shall coordinate the inspection program with the Special Inspector.

−

−### Special inspection submittals shall be made in accordance with the Statement of Special Inspections, not this specification section alone.

−

−## Closeout Submittals {toc}

−

−### At project closeout, Contractor shall provide the following:

−- As-built markup drawings indicating all field changes to reinforcement placement, splices, and cover that deviated from the reviewed shop drawings and were accepted by the Engineer of Record

−

−```datasheet

−label: Required Closeout Submittals

−type: checkbox

−options:

− - As-built markup drawings of field changes to reinforcement placement, splices, and cover

−default:

− - "As-built markup drawings of field changes to reinforcement placement, splices, and cover"

−```

−

−### At project closeout, Contractor shall provide as-built markup drawings indicating all field changes to reinforcement placement, splices, and cover that deviated from the reviewed shop drawings and were accepted by the Engineer of Record.

−### Deviations not documented and accepted shall be treated as nonconformances.

−

−# Quality Assurance {toc}

−

−## Fabricator Qualifications {toc}

−

−### Reinforcing steel fabrication shall be performed by a fabricator regularly engaged in the production of reinforced concrete steel for structural construction.

−### The fabricator shall maintain current CRSI Chapter Certification or equivalent certification from an approved certification program.

−### The fabricator shall have in-house bending and cutting equipment capable of producing the required bar sizes without overstress or cracking at bend points.

−

−## Installer Qualifications {toc}

−

−### Reinforcement shall be placed by a contractor experienced in reinforced concrete construction and capable of maintaining the tolerances specified in ACI 117.

−### Workers who make field welds on reinforcing steel shall be qualified welding operators tested and certified in accordance with AWS D1.4 for the processes and positions used on this project.

−### Qualification records shall be available to the Special Inspector on request.

−

−## Special Inspection {toc}

−

−### Special inspection of reinforcing steel shall be performed in accordance with IBC Chapter 17, the locally adopted building code, and the project's Statement of Special Inspections.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Special Inspection Required for Reinforcement

−type: radio

−options:

− - "Yes — per IBC Chapter 17 and Statement of Special Inspections"

− - "No — not required for this project (Engineer of Record to confirm)"

−default: "Yes — per IBC Chapter 17 and Statement of Special Inspections"

−```

−

−### The type and frequency of special inspection shall be as indicated in the Statement of Special Inspections, which takes precedence over any conflicts with this specification.

−### Special inspection shall include, at minimum, verification of bar grade and size against shop drawings, inspection of bar placement, cover, spacing, and lap lengths prior to concrete placement, and observation of mechanical splice installation.

−

−## Code Compliance {toc}

−

−### All reinforcing steel work shall be designed, detailed, and placed in accordance with ACI CODE-318-19(22).

−### Where the Engineer of Record has specified a locally adopted edition of ACI 318 that differs from ACI 318-19, the requirements of the locally adopted edition shall govern for code compliance.

−

−# Reinforcing Bar Materials {toc}

−

−## Deformed Bar Types and Grades {toc}

−

−### ASTM A615 Carbon-Steel Bars {toc}

−

−#### ASTM A615 deformed bars are the most widely used reinforcing bars in the United States and are the default specification for most cast-in-place structural concrete work. {note}

−#### ASTM A615 is available in Grade 40, Grade 60, Grade 80, and Grade 100, with yield strengths of 40,000 psi, 60,000 psi, 80,000 psi, and 100,000 psi respectively. {note}

−

−#### Grade 60 is the predominant grade in current commercial construction and is the default for most elements unless the Contract Drawings specify otherwise.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Deformed Reinforcing Bar Grade — Primary Structural Elements

−type: select

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "Grade 60 (ASTM A615)"

− - "Grade 80 (ASTM A615)"

− - "Grade 60, weldable (ASTM A706)"

− - "Grade 80, weldable (ASTM A706)"

− - "Grade 100 (ASTM A1035 or ASTM A615)"

−default: "Grade 60 (ASTM A615)"

−```

−#### Where the Contract Drawings require Grade 80 or Grade 100 bars, those grades shall be furnished within the element and load-combination limits ACI 318-19 places on higher-strength grades.

−#### Field welding of ASTM A615 bars shall require chemical analysis of each heat before welding to establish a preheat requirement per AWS D1.4.

−#### Grade 80 and Grade 100 bars permit reduced cross-sectional steel area for a given force demand and are used where congestion is a concern or where high-performance concrete design is employed. {note}

−#### ASTM A615 bars have no controlled chemistry requirement and are therefore not routinely weldable. {note}

−

−### ASTM A706 Low-Alloy Weldable Bars {toc}

−

−#### ASTM A706 deformed bars are specified where field welding of reinforcement is anticipated, or where enhanced ductility and predictable yield-to-tensile ratios are required for seismic design. {note}

−#### ASTM A706 limits carbon equivalent and alloy chemistry so that bars are weldable in accordance with AWS D1.4 without chemical analysis of individual heats. {note}

−#### ASTM A706 is available in Grade 60 and Grade 80. {note}

−

−#### For seismic force-resisting systems in Seismic Design Categories D, E, and F, longitudinal bars in special moment frames and special structural walls shall be ASTM A706 per ACI 318-19 Chapter 18 unless the Engineer of Record has specifically approved ASTM A615 based on project-specific testing.

−#### Where the Contract Drawings designate seismic application requirements, ASTM A706 bars shall be used unless the Contract Drawings explicitly permit ASTM A615.

−

−```datasheet

−label: ASTM A706 Weldable Bars Required

−type: radio

−options:

− - "Yes — for all field-welded reinforcement and seismic force-resisting systems"

− - "Yes — for seismic force-resisting systems only"

− - "Yes — for field-welded bars only"

− - "No — ASTM A615 permitted throughout"

−default: "Yes — for all field-welded reinforcement and seismic force-resisting systems"

−```

−

−### ASTM A1035 High-Strength Bars {toc}

−

−#### ASTM A1035 deformed bars (Grade 100 and Grade 120) are low-carbon, chromium-alloy bars with significantly higher strength and corrosion resistance than ASTM A615. {note}

−#### They are used in congested sections, transfer elements, high-rise columns, and marine or aggressive exposure environments where their inherent corrosion resistance eliminates or reduces the need for coating. {note}

−#### ACI PRC-439.6-19 provides guidance on design using ASTM A1035 bars. {note}

−

−#### The use of ASTM A1035 bars shall be limited to applications specifically designated on the Contract Drawings.

−#### Grade 100 and Grade 120 bars shall be used only within the application limitations ACI 318-19 places on ductility-sensitive seismic elements.

−#### ASTM A1035 bars are not routinely weldable; their high strength and unique chemistry require special consideration under AWS D1.4. {note}

−

−## Bar Sizes {toc}

−

−### Reinforcing bars shall be furnished in standard ASTM bar designations from No. 3 through No. 18, as indicated on the Contract Drawings and shop drawings.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Maximum Bar Size Used on Project

−type: select

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "No. 8 and smaller"

− - "No. 9 through No. 11"

− - "No. 14 or No. 18 (requires mechanical splices — no lap splices)"

−default: deferred

−```

−### Bar designation numbers correspond to the nominal diameter in eighths of an inch: No. 3 = 3/8 in., No. 4 = 1/2 in., No. 5 = 5/8 in., and so on. {note}

−

−### Bar sizes larger than No. 11 (1-3/8 in. nominal diameter) shall observe lap splicing restrictions, and ACI 318-19 prohibits lap splices for No. 14 and No. 18 bars except for specific conditions.

−### Substitute bar sizes may be used only with written approval of the Engineer of Record and shall provide equivalent or greater cross-sectional area and equivalent or greater development capacity.

−

−## Coated Reinforcing Bars {toc}

−

−### Epoxy-Coated Bars {toc}

−

−#### Epoxy-coated reinforcing bars are specified for elements in direct contact with de-icing salts (parking garage decks, bridge abutments, exterior slabs), for submerged or splash-zone concrete, and for other high-chloride exposure environments. {note}

−#### The epoxy coating reduces chloride ion penetration to the bar surface and significantly extends time-to-corrosion in aggressive exposures. {note}

−

−#### Whether epoxy-coated reinforcement is required, and for which zones or elements, shall be specified based on the corrosion exposure of the concrete.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Epoxy-Coated Reinforcement Required

−type: radio

−options:

− - "Not required — uncoated bars throughout"

− - "Required — ASTM A775 (coated straight, bent after coating)"

− - "Required — ASTM A934 (bent first, coated after bending)"

− - "Required — zone and element designations per Contract Drawings"

−default: "Not required — uncoated bars throughout"

−```

−

−#### Epoxy-coated reinforcing bars shall conform to ASTM A775/A775M (bars coated in the straight condition and bent after coating) or ASTM A934/A934M (bars coated after bending), as required by the Contract Drawings.

−#### Where bars must be bent in the field, ASTM A775 bars shall be used.

−#### Where bars are to be bent at the fabrication shop before coating, ASTM A934 bars shall be used.

−#### Cover requirements for epoxy-coated bars are specified in ACI 318-19 Table 20.6.1 and in the Concrete Cover section of this specification; epoxy coating is not a substitute for adequate concrete cover. {note}

−#### Epoxy-coated bars shall be handled carefully throughout delivery, storage, bending, placing, and concrete placement to avoid coating damage.

−#### Bars shall not be dragged across surfaces or against each other.

−#### All coating damage occurring after fabrication — cuts, abrasions, and voids — shall be repaired with an approved patching compound compatible with the coating system before concrete is placed.

−#### Any unrepaired damage area exceeding the ASTM A775 or ASTM A934 allowable shall be cause for rejection.

−

−### Galvanized Bars {toc}

−

−#### Galvanized bars are used where long-term corrosion resistance is required and epoxy coating is not preferred — for example, where bars must remain visually inspectable throughout their life, or where the project owner prefers galvanizing for compatibility with other galvanized components.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Galvanized Reinforcement Required

−type: radio

−options:

− - "Not required"

− - "Required — ASTM A767 Class I coating"

− - "Required — ASTM A767 Class II coating"

− - "Required — zones and elements per Contract Drawings"

−default: "Not required"

−```

−

−#### Zinc-coated (galvanized) reinforcing bars shall conform to ASTM A767/A767M.

−#### Galvanized bars shall not be used in conjunction with aluminum embedments without an isolation barrier.

−#### Contact between zinc and aluminum in a wet concrete environment creates a galvanic couple that accelerates corrosion of the aluminum. {note}

−

−### Stainless Steel Bars {toc}

−

−#### Stainless steel reinforcing bars (ASTM A955/A955M) may be specified for extremely aggressive environments — marine immersion zones, structures exposed to severe chemical attack, and bridges in high-chloride regions — where neither epoxy coating nor galvanizing provides sufficient service life.

−#### Stainless steel bars are significantly more expensive than coated carbon-steel bars. {note}

−

−#### The use of stainless steel reinforcing bars shall be limited to elements and zones specifically designated on the Contract Drawings.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Stainless Steel Reinforcement Required

−type: radio

−options:

− - "Not required"

− - "Required — ASTM A955 Type 304 stainless"

− - "Required — ASTM A955 Type 316 stainless (highest chloride resistance)"

− - "Required — zones and elements per Contract Drawings"

−default: "Not required"

−```

−

−## Welded Wire Reinforcement {toc}

−

−### Welded wire reinforcement (WWR) is furnished as flat sheets or rolls. {note}

−### Sheets are preferred for formed slabs where the mat must be placed at a specific elevation without continuous reshaping; rolls are common for slabs-on-grade and for elements where continuous longitudinal feed is practical.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Welded Wire Reinforcement Form

−type: radio

−drawing_ref: "structural drawings"

−options:

− - "Flat sheets"

− - "Rolls"

− - "Not used on this project"

−default: "Flat sheets"

−```

−

−```datasheet

−label: Welded Wire Reinforcement Wire Type

−type: radio

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "Plain wire (W-series designation)"

− - "Deformed wire (D-series designation)"

−default: "Deformed wire (D-series designation)"

−```

−

−### Welded wire reinforcement (WWR) shall conform to ASTM A1064/A1064M, which consolidates plain and deformed wire and welded wire reinforcement into a single standard.

−### Where legacy Contract Documents reference the withdrawn ASTM A185 (plain) or ASTM A497 (deformed) specifications, the Contractor shall supply material meeting ASTM A1064, which is the current specification.

−### WWR spacing and wire sizes shall be as indicated on the Contract Drawings.

−

−## Identification and Marking {toc}

−

−### All deformed reinforcing bars shall be permanently marked with raised deformations and mill identification marks, in accordance with ASTM A615, A706, A1035, or the applicable specification, so that bar grade, producing mill, and bar size can be determined from visual inspection at the project site.

−### Bars that cannot be positively identified shall be rejected or tested to confirm grade before incorporation into the work.

−### Epoxy-coated bars shall retain legible identification marks through the coating; where marks are obscured, the bar ends shall be tagged or color-coded in accordance with the ASTM standard and the coater's identification system.

−

−# Fabrication {toc}

−

−## Reinforcing bars shall be fabricated in accordance with the reviewed shop drawings, the CRSI Manual of Standard Practice, and the applicable ASTM material specification.

−## Fabrication shall include all cutting to length, bending, assembly of reinforcement cages, and application of identification tags.

−

−## Bars shall be fabricated to the standard bending tolerances of the CRSI Manual of Standard Practice; dimensions flagged as "Critical" on the shop drawings shall be held to the tighter tolerances noted there.

−## Bars shall not be re-bent or straightened in a manner that damages the steel.

−## Cold-bending of bars in the field is permitted only for minor adjustments and shall not be done for No. 8 bars and larger without written approval of the Engineer of Record and compliance with ACI 318-19 Section 26.6.2.

−

−## Bending Requirements {toc}

−

−### The minimum inside bend diameters for standard hooks are: No. 3 through No. 8 bars — 6db (where db is the nominal bar diameter); No. 9, 10, and 11 bars — 8db; No. 14 and 18 bars — 10db. {note}

−

−### All bars shall be cold-bent.

−### Hot bending is not permitted unless approved in writing by the Engineer of Record and accompanied by heat treatment to restore properties.

−### Standard hooks shall be formed to the minimum inside bend diameters specified in ACI 318-19 Table 25.3.1 and detailed in the CRSI Manual of Standard Practice.

−### Stirrups and ties shall follow the reduced bend diameter requirements of ACI 318-19 Table 25.3.2.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Stirrup and Tie Minimum Bend Diameter Compliance

−type: radio

−drawing_ref: "structural drawings"

−options:

− - "Per ACI 318-19 Table 25.3.2 — confirmed by fabricator"

−default: "Per ACI 318-19 Table 25.3.2 — confirmed by fabricator"

−```

−### Bends of less than these minimum diameters crack the bar surface and damage the transverse deformations, reducing both tensile capacity and bond to concrete. {note}

−

−## Fabrication Tolerances {toc}

−

−### Standard fabrication tolerances, as given in the CRSI Manual of Standard Practice, apply to all bars unless the shop drawings designate specific dimensions as Critical. {note}

−

−### Fabrication tolerances shall be: cut length — ±1 in.; overall bent length of bar — ±1 in.; depth of stirrups, ties, and spirals — ±3/8 in.; location of bends — ±1 in.

−### Dimensions flagged as Critical shall be held to ±1/4 in.

−### Where bar positions are critical — for example, in precast elements, in elements with post-tensioning ducts, or in elements with closely spaced bars — the sum of fabrication and placement tolerances shall be evaluated to confirm that specified cover is achievable.

−### Fabrication tolerances accumulate with placement tolerances. {note}

−

−## Headed Deformed Bars {toc}

−

−### Where headed bars are specified for development, discontinuation at walls or discontinuous edges, or connections to precast elements, heads shall be forged or mechanically attached.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Headed Deformed Bars Required

−type: radio

−options:

− - "Not required"

− - "Required — ASTM A970 Class A (no head obstructions)"

− - "Required — ASTM A970 Class B (obstructions permitted)"

− - "Required — element designations per Contract Drawings"

−default: "Not required"

−```

−

−### Heads for headed bars shall be forged or mechanically attached and shall conform to ASTM A970/A970M.

−### The bearing area of the head shall be not less than four times the cross-sectional area of the bar, in accordance with ACI 318-19 Section 25.4.4, unless a larger ratio is required on the Contract Drawings.

−

−## Protection of Fabricated Steel {toc}

−

−### Fabricated reinforcing steel shall be stored above grade on supports that keep bars free of mud, debris, and standing water.

−### Bars coated with mud or other deleterious material shall be cleaned before placement.

−### Bars with heavy flaking rust, pitting, or mill scale that reduces the effective cross-section shall be rejected.

−### Epoxy-coated and galvanized bars shall be stored in a manner that prevents coating damage, and shall not be stockpiled in direct contact with each other without protective packaging.

−### Light surface rust on uncoated bars does not reduce bond to concrete and is not cause for rejection. {note}

−

−# Placement and Support {toc}

−

−## General Placement Requirements {toc}

−

−### Reinforcement shall be placed in accordance with the reviewed shop drawings and shall be secured in position before and during concrete placement.

−### No reinforcing bar shall be moved during concrete placement except under the direct observation and approval of the Engineer of Record.

−### Bars displaced during concrete placement shall be restored to correct position before the concrete takes initial set.

−### Bars shall be placed in the positions, at the spacings, and to the concrete cover shown on the Contract Drawings and shop drawings.

−### Placement shall not deviate from the specified position by more than the tolerances given in ACI 117-10 (see the Tolerances section of this specification).

−

−## Bar Spacing {toc}

−

−### Minimum clear spacing between parallel bars shall be maintained to permit concrete to pass between bars and thoroughly surround each bar.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Maximum Aggregate Size (for spacing compliance verification)

−type: select

−unit: in

−options:

− - "3/8 in."

− - "1/2 in."

− - "3/4 in."

− - "1 in."

− - "1-1/2 in."

−default: "3/4 in."

−```

−

−### Minimum clear spacing between parallel bars shall be not less than the bar diameter (db), 1.33 times the nominal maximum aggregate size, and 1 in. per ACI 318-19 Section 25.8.1, with the three requirements applied simultaneously and the controlling requirement governing.

−### Where bars are placed in two or more layers, bars in the upper layers shall be placed directly above those in the lower layer.

−### The minimum clear distance between layers shall be 1 in., per ACI 318-19 Section 25.8.1.

−

−## Bar Supports and Chairs {toc}

−

−### All reinforcing bars shall be supported by bar supports (chairs, bolsters, spacers, or ties) that hold the bars in position within the specified tolerances and resist displacement during concrete placement and consolidation.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Bar Support Type — Slab-on-Grade

−type: select

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "Precast concrete block supports"

− - "Plastic-tipped wire chairs"

− - "All-plastic chairs"

−default: "Precast concrete block supports"

−```

−

−```datasheet

−label: Bar Support Type — Elevated Slabs and Beams

−type: select

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "Plastic-tipped wire chairs (standard exposed faces)"

− - "All-plastic chairs (aggressive exposure or architecturally exposed)"

− - "Stainless steel wire supports (immersion or marine exposure)"

−default: "Plastic-tipped wire chairs (standard exposed faces)"

−```

−

−### Bar supports shall conform to CRSI RB4.1, Supports for Reinforcement Used in Concrete.

−### Bar support type shall be appropriate for the substrate and exposure.

−### For slabs-on-grade, precast supports (concrete block chairs) or plastic-tipped wire supports may be used where direct contact with soil is unavoidable; plain wire supports shall not rest directly on compactible soil or fill.

−### Plain wire supports resting on compactible soil or fill settle and allow bars to drop. {note}

−### For elevated slabs and beams, all-plastic, plastic-protected, or stainless-steel-tipped wire supports shall be used at exposed surfaces or where metallic contact at the concrete surface would be visible or objectionable.

−### For submerged or aggressive-exposure conditions, concrete or corrosion-resistant plastic supports shall be used; bare wire supports shall not be used in marine or de-icing salt exposure.

−### For No. 5 and smaller bars, support spacing shall not exceed 48 in.; for No. 6 and larger bars, support spacing shall not exceed 60 in., unless the fabricator calculates and demonstrates that sag at the support midpoint remains within tolerance at the specified support spacing.

−

−## Tying of Bars {toc}

−

−### Bars shall be tied at intersections at sufficient spacing to hold all bars in their correct positions during concrete placement.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Tie Wire Specification for Coated Bars

−type: radio

−options:

− - "Plastic-coated tie wire for epoxy-coated or galvanized bars"

− - "Stainless steel tie wire for all corrosion-sensitive elements"

− - "Standard annealed tie wire — uncoated bars only"

−default: "Plastic-coated tie wire for epoxy-coated or galvanized bars"

−```

−

−### All bar intersections at the perimeter of each mat or cage shall be tied.

−### Interior intersections shall be tied at every other intersection in a checkerboard pattern, or at closer spacing as directed by the Engineer of Record or Special Inspector when the mat configuration or the vibration conditions require closer tying.

−### Tie wire shall be annealed iron wire; for epoxy-coated or galvanized bars, plastic-coated or stainless steel tie wire shall be used to avoid contact corrosion and coating damage from cutting tie wire ends.

−### Tie wire ends shall be bent away from the concrete surface so that the wire tail does not end up within the concrete cover zone.

−### A protruding tie wire tail creates a direct corrosion path from the bar to the surface and is one of the most common causes of concrete surface staining and early reinforcement corrosion. {note}

−

−## Welded Wire Reinforcement Placement {toc}

−

−### WWR sheets shall be lapped at least one mesh spacing plus 2 in. in each direction, or as required by ACI 318-19 Chapter 25 for the specified spacing and wire grade, whichever is greater.

−### Where the Contract Drawings require a specific lap, that lap shall govern.

−### WWR rolls shall be unrolled, lapped, and weighted or tied to prevent spring-back before concrete is placed.

−### WWR shall not be placed flat and then raised during concrete placement, because pulling wire during placement does not reliably achieve the specified cover and placement position.

−

−# Concrete Cover {toc}

−

−## Cover Requirements {toc}

−

−### Concrete cover is the clear distance from the concrete surface to the outer face of the outermost reinforcing bar (including stirrups, ties, or spirals, which are the outermost bars in most beams and columns). {note}

−### Cover requirements are specified in ACI 318-19 Table 20.6.1 and reflect both structural requirements (bond development length depends on cover) and durability requirements (cover is the primary barrier preventing chloride, carbonation, and moisture from reaching the steel). {note}

−

−### The minimum concrete cover requirements below apply unless the Contract Drawings specify greater cover, and greater cover than the tabulated minimum shall always govern.

−### For concrete cast against and permanently exposed to earth (footings, grade beams, pile caps cast against soil), minimum cover shall be 3 in.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Concrete Cover — Cast Against and Permanently in Contact with Ground

−type: select

−unit: in

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "3 in. (ACI 318-19 minimum)"

− - "3-1/2 in."

− - "4 in."

−default: "3 in. (ACI 318-19 minimum)"

−```

−### For concrete exposed to earth or weather (garage decks, exterior slabs, surfaces in regular contact with moisture or freezing-and-thawing), minimum cover shall be 2 in. for No. 6 through No. 18 bars and 1-1/2 in. for No. 5 bars and smaller.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Concrete Cover — Exposed to Weather or Earth (No. 6 to No. 18 bars)

−type: select

−unit: in

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "2 in. (ACI 318-19 minimum)"

− - "2-1/2 in."

− - "3 in."

−default: "2 in. (ACI 318-19 minimum)"

−```

−

−```datasheet

−label: Concrete Cover — Exposed to Weather or Earth (No. 5 and smaller)

−type: select

−unit: in

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "1-1/2 in. (ACI 318-19 minimum)"

− - "2 in."

− - "2-1/2 in."

−default: "1-1/2 in. (ACI 318-19 minimum)"

−```

−### For concrete not exposed to weather or in contact with ground, primary reinforcement in beams, girders, and columns shall have 1-1/2 in. minimum cover.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Concrete Cover — Not Exposed to Weather, Beams and Columns (primary reinforcement)

−type: select

−unit: in

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "1-1/2 in. (ACI 318-19 minimum)"

− - "2 in."

−default: "1-1/2 in. (ACI 318-19 minimum)"

−```

−### For slabs, walls, and joists not exposed to weather or in contact with ground, minimum cover shall be 3/4 in. for No. 5 bars and smaller and 1-1/2 in. for No. 6 through No. 11 bars.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Concrete Cover — Slabs and Walls, No. 5 and Smaller

−type: select

−unit: in

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "3/4 in. (ACI 318-19 minimum)"

− - "1 in."

− - "1-1/2 in."

−default: "3/4 in. (ACI 318-19 minimum)"

−```

−### The Engineer of Record shall specify greater cover on the Contract Drawings for elements in high-chloride environments, for elements with large aggregates, for fire-resistance requirements beyond code minimum, or where any other condition warrants increased protection.

−

−## Cover for Coated Reinforcement {toc}

−

−### For epoxy-coated bars, the specified concrete cover shall not be reduced below the values for uncoated bars, per ACI 318-19.

−### Galvanized bars shall be placed to the same minimum cover requirements as uncoated bars.

−### Specifying cover less than the tabulated minimums for coated bars is not permitted.

−### The coating reduces the rate of corrosion once chloride reaches the bar, but does not reduce the required minimum cover, which serves the dual purposes of durability and bond development. {note}

−

−## Fire-Resistance Cover {toc}

−

−### Where the structural element must satisfy a fire-resistance rating under IBC Chapter 7 or under ACI 216.1, the required concrete cover for fire resistance shall be compared against the cover required for structural and durability purposes.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Fire-Resistance Cover Controls for This Element

−type: radio

−drawing_ref: "structural drawings"

−options:

− - "No — structural and durability cover govern"

− - "Yes — fire-resistance cover per IBC Chapter 7 or ACI 216.1 governs"

−default: deferred

−```

−

−### Where the structural element must satisfy a fire-resistance rating under IBC Chapter 7 or ACI 216.1, the required concrete cover for fire resistance shall be compared against the cover required for structural and durability purposes, and the greater value shall be used.

−### The Contract Drawings shall indicate fire-resistance requirements that govern cover.

−### For slabs, beams, columns, and walls in high-occupancy buildings, fire-resistance requirements frequently control cover. {note}

−

−# Splices and Couplers {toc}

−

−## Splices are necessary whenever bar lengths exceed available mill lengths (typically 60 ft), where construction joints require transition between elements, and where bar congestion or structural analysis requires staged termination of bars. {note}

−

−## Splices shall be designed and located by the Engineer of Record.

−## The Contractor shall not relocate or add splices without written approval from the Engineer of Record.

−## Every splice shall either develop the full tensile capacity of the bars being spliced (Type 2 performance, required in ductile seismic zones and frequently specified for critical structural elements) or develop at least 125 percent of the specified yield strength of the bars (Type 1 performance, the code minimum for most non-seismic applications).

−## The Contract Drawings shall designate which type of performance is required for each splice location.

−

−## Tension Lap Splices {toc}

−

−### Tension lap splice length shall be determined by the Engineer of Record in accordance with ACI 318-19 Sections 25.5.2 and 25.5.7, based on the development length (ld) for the bar in the given concrete strength and cover condition, and the class of splice.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Tension Lap Splice Class — Default Requirement

−type: radio

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "Class B (1.3 × ld) — conservative default, all conditions"

− - "Class A (1.0 × ld) where permitted by ACI 318-19 — per Contract Drawings"

−default: "Class B (1.3 × ld) — conservative default, all conditions"

−```

−

−```datasheet

−label: Tension Lap Splice Length

−type: select

−unit: in

−drawing_ref: "lap splice schedule"

−options:

− - "Calculated per ACI 318-19 — shown in lap splice schedule on drawings"

−default: deferred

−```

−

−### A Class A tension lap splice (1.0 × ld) is permitted when at most 50 percent of the bars within the lap splice length are spliced and the provided area of reinforcement is at least twice the required area.

−### A Class B tension lap splice (1.3 × ld) is required in all other cases, including where more than 50 percent of the bars are spliced at the same cross-section.

−### The default for this specification shall be Class B unless the Engineer of Record specifically designates Class A on the Contract Drawings.

−### Lap splices are not permitted for No. 14 and No. 18 bars; for these bar sizes, mechanical couplers or welded splices shall be used.

−### Lap splices in bars subjected to direct compression (columns, piers) shall follow compression lap splice requirements per ACI 318-19 Section 25.5.5.

−### Class B is more conservative, is independent of the staggering condition, and reduces the risk of errors when splice staggering is not strictly maintained in the field. {note}

−

−## Compression Lap Splices {toc}

−

−### For bars in pure compression (columns, pedestals, compression zone of beams), the compression lap splice length shall be not less than the larger of 0.0005 × fy × db (in.) and 12 in., per ACI 318-19 Section 25.5.5.1, where fy is the specified yield strength in psi and db is the nominal bar diameter in inches.

−### Where ties or spirals enclose compression splices, reduced compression splice lengths may be permitted per ACI 318-19 Table 25.5.5.2 when approved by the Engineer of Record.

−### For Grade 60 bars, 0.0005 × 60,000 × db gives 30db, with a 12 in. minimum. {note}

−

−## Mechanical Couplers {toc}

−

−### Where the Contract Drawings designate mechanical splices, couplers shall be installed in accordance with the reviewed product data and the manufacturer's installation instructions.

−### Coupler type and performance classification shall be as specified on the Contract Drawings.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Mechanical Coupler Performance Classification Required

−type: select

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "Type 1 only — 125% of fy (non-seismic applications)"

− - "Type 2 only — 125% of fy + full tensile strength (seismic applications)"

− - "Both — Type 1 standard elements, Type 2 seismic elements per Contract Drawings"

− - "Not used — lap splices and welded splices only"

−default: "Both — Type 1 standard elements, Type 2 seismic elements per Contract Drawings"

−```

−

−```datasheet

−label: Mechanical Coupler Installation Verification

−type: radio

−options:

− - "Contractor self-verification per manufacturer instructions"

− - "Special Inspector observation required at all couplers"

− - "Special Inspector observation required at seismic elements; self-verification elsewhere"

−default: "Special Inspector observation required at seismic elements; self-verification elsewhere"

−```

−

−### A Type 1 mechanical splice shall develop at least 125 percent of the specified yield strength of the bar in tension and compression.

−### A Type 2 mechanical splice shall develop at least 125 percent of the specified yield strength and shall also develop the specified tensile strength (ultimate capacity) of the bar.

−### Type 2 splices are required by ACI 318-19 for specific locations in special moment frames, special structural walls, and other seismic elements where the connection must remain effective after the bar yields.

−### The Contractor shall not substitute a different coupler type without written approval from the Engineer of Record.

−### The Type 1 versus Type 2 distinction reflects a structural design decision, not an installer preference. {note}

−

−## End-Bearing Compression Splices {toc}

−

−### End-bearing compression splices, in which bars are cut square and the ends bear in direct contact to transfer compression, are permitted for No. 10 bars and larger in pure compression applications where approved by the Engineer of Record. {note}

−

−### End-bearing compression splices are permitted for No. 10 bars and larger in pure compression applications where approved by the Engineer of Record.

−### Bars shall be cut so that end bearing surfaces are within 1.5 degrees of perpendicular to the bar axis.

−### An end-bearing splice shall be restrained against lateral displacement by ties or other means at each end of the splice.

−### End-bearing splices shall not be used in tension zones or where bars experience reversing stresses.

−

−# Welding of Reinforcement {toc}

−

−## General Policy {toc}

−

−### Field welding of reinforcing bars shall be minimized and shall be permitted only where specifically required by the Contract Drawings or approved in writing by the Engineer of Record.

−### Welding is not a substitute for proper lap splice length or mechanical coupler installation, and it introduces heat that can alter bar metallurgy and reduce ductility. {note}

−

−## Weldability Requirements {toc}

−

−### Only bars verified as weldable shall be field-welded.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Field Welding of Reinforcement

−type: radio

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "Not permitted — mechanical couplers or lap splices shall be used for all connections"

− - "Permitted — ASTM A706 bars only, per Contract Drawings"

− - "Permitted — ASTM A615 and A706, with chemical analysis and preheat per AWS D1.4"

−default: "Not permitted — mechanical couplers or lap splices shall be used for all connections"

−```

−

−### ASTM A706 bars are weldable by specification and may be welded without chemical analysis.

−### ASTM A615 bars shall require carbon equivalent testing of each heat before welding to determine preheat requirements per AWS D1.4.

−### ASTM A1035 bars shall not be welded unless the Engineer of Record, the fabricator, and the AWS D1.4 qualified welding engineer have all reviewed and approved a specific welding procedure specification (WPS).

−

−## Welding Procedure Specifications {toc}

−

−### All welding shall be performed in accordance with a Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) qualified in accordance with AWS D1.4/D1.4M.

−### The WPS shall address base metal grade and carbon equivalent range, filler metal classification, preheat and interpass temperature, joint geometry, welding process, and position.

−### Welding shall not begin until the WPS has been submitted to and reviewed by the Engineer of Record.

−### Preheat temperatures shall be maintained throughout the welding operation and not relaxed until the weld is complete and allowed to cool per the WPS.

−

−## Qualified Welders {toc}

−

−### Welding operators shall be certified to AWS D1.4 for the welding process and positions used.

−### Certification records shall be current (within three years) and available to the Special Inspector on request.

−### Tack welding of bars in position shall not be performed by uncertified workers.

−

−## Prohibited Welding {toc}

−

−### The following practices are prohibited without exception. {note}

−

−### Welding to any bar unless it is confirmed weldable per the requirements above is prohibited.

−### Welding of crossing bars (tack welding of tie intersections to act as permanent connections) is prohibited unless specifically designed as welded connections by the Engineer of Record.

−### Weld splices where lap splices or mechanical couplers are required on the Contract Drawings are prohibited.

−### Welding of any bar with visible cracks, seams, or surface defects is prohibited.

−

−# Tolerances {toc}

−

−## Reinforcement Placement Tolerances {toc}

−

−### Tolerances for placement of reinforcing steel shall be as specified in ACI 117-10.

−### The following apply to nonprestressed reinforcement. {note}

−

−### For effective depth (d) and clear cover to formed surfaces, the tolerance shall be ±3/8 in. where d ≤ 8 in., ±1/2 in. where d > 8 in. and ≤ 24 in., and ±1 in. where d > 24 in., applied to the position of the bar measured from the relevant reference face.

−### The reduction in concrete cover shall not exceed one-third of the specified concrete cover, and the reduction in cover to formed soffits shall not exceed 1/4 in., per ACI 117.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Cover Reduction Tolerance — Maximum Allowable

−type: radio

−drawing_ref: true

−options:

− - "Per ACI 117: not to exceed 1/3 specified cover, and no more than 1/4 in. for formed soffits"

−default: "Per ACI 117: not to exceed 1/3 specified cover, and no more than 1/4 in. for formed soffits"

−```

−### The longitudinal position of bends and bar ends shall be within ±2 in. except at discontinuous ends where the tolerance is ±1/2 in.

−### Spacing between bars shall be within ±1/4 in. for bars at 12 in. on center or less and ±1/2 in. for bars at more than 12 in. on center.

−### The placement target is the specified position; tolerances are a range that may not be deliberately approached. {note}

−### The ACI 318-19 tolerances on effective depth are design check tolerances reflecting the expected range in which a well-built element may differ from the design drawing, used in strength calculations, and are not instructions to place bars at the extreme tolerance limit. {note}

−

−## Splice and Development Length Tolerances {toc}

−

−### Lap splice lengths and development lengths shall meet the specified minimum; no negative tolerance is permitted for development length or lap splice length.

−### The Contractor shall ensure that bars are long enough, and that stagger is maintained, so that every bar develops its required capacity.

−### A lap splice that is 1/2 in. short of the specified length is a nonconformance requiring Engineering evaluation regardless of the ACI 117 position tolerances. {note}

−

−## Bar Size and Substitution {toc}

−

−### Bar size substitution shall not be made without written approval of the Engineer of Record.

−### Substituting a smaller number of larger bars for a larger number of smaller bars, or vice versa, changes the development length, bar spacing, concrete cover, and cracking behavior of the element, which are interdependent and require Engineering analysis before any substitution. {note}

−

−# Field Inspection {toc}

−

−## Pre-Placement Inspection {toc}

−

−### Before any concrete is placed, the Contractor shall perform a pre-placement inspection of all reinforcement in the element.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Pre-Placement Inspection Documentation Required

−type: radio

−options:

− - "Yes — Contractor checklist plus Special Inspector observation report"

− - "Yes — Special Inspector observation report only"

− - "Yes — Contractor checklist only (where no special inspection required)"

−default: "Yes — Contractor checklist plus Special Inspector observation report"

−```

−

−### Before any concrete is placed, the Contractor shall perform a pre-placement inspection of all reinforcement in the element and shall confirm that bar grades and sizes match the shop drawings; bars are clean, properly positioned, and secured; cover is correct at all locations; lap splices are at correct locations and of correct length; mechanical couplers are fully engaged per manufacturer requirements; bar supports are correctly placed and of the specified type; tie wire tails are bent inward; and there are no displaced, bent, or cut bars that deviate from the shop drawings.

−### The pre-placement inspection shall be documented on a checklist, and for elements subject to special inspection the Special Inspector's observation shall be recorded.

−### Concrete shall not be placed until the pre-placement inspection is complete and any deficiencies are corrected.

−

−## Special Inspector Responsibilities {toc}

−

−### The Special Inspector for reinforcing steel shall perform the following at minimum, in accordance with the Statement of Special Inspections.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Special Inspector — Reinforcement Inspection Frequency

−type: select

−options:

− - "Continuous during reinforcement placement and concrete pour"

− - "Periodic (verify placement prior to pour; available during pour)"

− - "Per Statement of Special Inspections"

−default: "Per Statement of Special Inspections"

−```

−

−### The Special Inspector shall verify that reinforcing bar grade and size match the Contract Documents and reviewed shop drawings, identifying bars by their deformation markings, and shall place no bar without positive identification of grade.

−### The Special Inspector shall measure concrete cover at representative locations — at top, bottom, and side faces of each element — record the measured values, and immediately notify the Engineer of Record where cover measurements indicate a potential violation of the ACI 117 tolerance.

−### The Special Inspector shall verify lap splice lengths by measuring each splice in the element between bar ends, not including the bend of a hook in the measurement.

−### The Special Inspector shall inspect mechanical couplers to confirm they are fully engaged — verifying that the inspection hole on threaded couplers shows the bar end, that lock pins or set screws are tightened to the manufacturer's specified torque, and that no cross-threading or partial engagement is visible.

−### The Special Inspector shall verify that WWR laps are correct and that the sheets or rolls are at the correct elevation and properly supported.

−### The Special Inspector shall observe welded splices and connections to confirm that welding is performed by a certified operator using a reviewed WPS and that visible weld quality meets AWS D1.4.

−

−## Cover Measurement {toc}

−

−### The Special Inspector shall measure concrete cover using a calibrated cover meter (pachometer) at representative points on the placed reinforcement.

−### Measurements shall be taken at top bars in slabs (measuring from slab top surface to top bar if accessible, or from bottom surface to bottom bar), at slab and beam sides for side cover, and at beam soffits for bottom cover.

−### Measurements shall be compared against the specified cover and the ACI 117 tolerance.

−### Any measurement below the minimum cover minus the allowable tolerance shall be reported immediately and corrected before concrete is placed.

−

−## Bar Placement Documentation {toc}

−

−### The Special Inspector shall record measured bar spacing at representative locations, measured center-to-center at not less than three locations per element.

−### The recorded spacings shall be compared against the specified spacing with the ACI 117 tolerance applied.

−### Excess bar spacing weakens sections and increases crack width; deficient bar spacing can produce congestion that prevents concrete from flowing between bars. {note}

−

−## Nonconformance Reporting {toc}

−

−### Any reinforcement that does not conform to the Contract Documents, the reviewed shop drawings, or the requirements of ACI 318-19 and ACI 117 shall be documented as a nonconformance.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Maximum Time to Receive Engineer Disposition on Nonconformance

−type: select

−options:

− - "24 hours"

− - "48 hours"

−default: "24 hours"

−```

−

−### Any reinforcement that does not conform to the Contract Documents, the reviewed shop drawings, or the requirements of ACI 318-19 and ACI 117 shall be documented as a nonconformance by the Special Inspector and reported to the Engineer of Record, the Contractor, and the Owner in writing before concrete is placed.

−### Concrete shall not be placed over a documented nonconformance until the Engineer of Record has reviewed it and issued a written disposition.

−### Dispositions shall be one of: reject and correct; accept as-is with justification (Engineering evaluation required); or accept with compensating action (added bars, reduced loads, or other mitigation).

−

−## Concrete Pour Monitoring {toc}

−

−### During concrete placement, the Contractor shall assign a qualified individual to monitor reinforcement for displacement.

−### Concrete vibrators shall not be used against reinforcing bars as a means of vibration; internal vibrators shall be inserted between bars and shall be operated in a manner that does not drag or dislodge bar mats.

−### If reinforcement is displaced during placement, work shall be stopped, the bar shall be restored to position, and the cause of displacement shall be corrected before placement resumes.

−

−# Delivery, Storage, and Handling {toc}

−

−## Delivery {toc}

−

−### Reinforcing steel shall be delivered to the project site in clearly labeled bundles identified by bar mark, size, grade, coating type, heat number, and quantity.

−### Bundles shall carry certification tags that match the CMTRs submitted under the Submittals section.

−### Bars shall not be accepted without traceable certification.

−

−## Storage on Site {toc}

−

−### Bars shall be stored above grade on timber or other supports that keep bars clear of mud, standing water, and road dirt.

−### Bars shall be stored in a manner that does not impose bending loads on fabricated shapes, and stirrups and small fabricated cages shall be supported to prevent permanent distortion.

−### Epoxy-coated bars shall be stored in their original packaging or under protective covering to prevent UV degradation of the coating.

−### Galvanized bars shall be stored so that bundled bars do not develop wet-storage staining (white rust), by allowing adequate air circulation between bars.

−

−## Handling {toc}

−

−### Bars shall be lifted and handled using nylon slings or other methods that do not score, nick, or damage the bar surface or coating.

−### Wire rope slings shall not be used directly on epoxy-coated or galvanized bars.

−### Bars shall not be dropped from height onto hard surfaces, because impact can crack epoxy coatings and cause bar deformation at bends.

−

−# Warranty {toc}

−

−## Installation Warranty {toc}

−

−### The Contractor shall warrant the reinforcement installation against defects in workmanship for the project warranty period.

−

−```datasheet

−label: Installation Warranty Period

−type: select

−options:

− - "1 year from substantial completion"

− - "2 years from substantial completion"

−default: "1 year from substantial completion"

−```

−

−### The Contractor shall warrant the reinforcement installation against defects in workmanship — including incorrect bar grades, inadequate cover, insufficient splice length, and improper coupler installation — for the project warranty period.

−### The warranty shall not limit the Engineer of Record's right to perform special inspection, to require corrective work for nonconforming conditions, or to require the Contractor to expose and remediate reinforcement that was placed in a noncompliant condition.

−

−## Material Warranties {toc}

−

−### Material warranties provided by the bar manufacturer or the coating applicator shall be passed through to the Owner.

−### For epoxy-coated bars, the coater's warranty against coating delamination (where provided) shall be documented and included in the closeout submittals.

+---

+title: Concrete Reinforcement

+category: Structural / Concrete

+description: >

+ When to use: Steel reinforcement for cast-in-place structural concrete: deformed and plain reinforcing bars, welded wire reinforcement, headed deformed bars, and the lap, mechanical, end-bearing, and welded splices that join them. Covers the bar standard and grade for each reinforcement class, the bars the seismic-force-resisting system requires, corrosion-protected reinforcement and the system that provides it, fabrication and bending, placement, spacing, and concrete cover, the splice policy for each splice type, welding of reinforcement under AWS D1.4, placement tolerances, the pre-placement inspection, special inspection of reinforcement, and the delivery, storage, and handling of coated and uncoated steel.

+ Not intended for: The concrete itself, its exposure classes, mixture, placement, and consolidation ([[sync/cast-in-place-concrete]]); bar supports, chairs, and embedded plates and anchor rods ([[sync/concrete-accessories]]); post-tensioning tendons, anchorages, and their hardware ([[sync/post-tensioned-concrete]]); reinforcement detailed and supplied by a precast or tilt-up producer ([[sync/precast-concrete]] and [[sync/tilt-up-concrete]]); masonry joint reinforcement and the bar reinforcement of masonry walls ([[sync/unit-masonry]]); the special inspection agency and the statement of special inspections ([[sync/special-inspections-and-testing]]); post-installed reinforcing bars set in adhesive ([[sync/post-installed-anchors]]); and fiber-reinforced polymer bars, which need a separate performance specification.

+---

+# Scope {toc}

+## This standard governs the steel that gives cast-in-place concrete its tensile strength: what bar or wire is furnished for each reinforcement class, how it is protected where the concrete around it will carry chlorides, how it is bent, placed, spaced, covered, spliced, and welded, and how the placed reinforcement is verified before the concrete that hides it is placed. {note}

+## The reinforcement in scope is deformed and plain reinforcing bars, welded wire reinforcement in formed members, headed deformed bars, and lap, mechanical, end-bearing, and welded splices, in cast-in-place structural concrete of every member type: footings, grade beams, pile caps, slabs, beams, columns, walls, and the bonded reinforcement of post-tensioned members. {note}

+## None of what this standard controls is visible in the finished structure. A bar one inch low in a slab, a lap six diameters short, a coupler engaged on half its threads, or a tie displaced by a vibrator each leaves a member weaker than its design assumes, and none of them can be found afterward without destructive investigation; the procedures and records this standard requires are therefore treated as structural requirements, not paperwork. {note}

+## The following are governed elsewhere and are outside this standard: {note}

+- the concrete mixture, its exposure classes, placement, consolidation, and curing, under [[sync/cast-in-place-concrete]]

+- bar supports, chairs, and bolsters, and the embedded plates and anchor rods cast with the reinforcement, under [[sync/concrete-accessories]]

+- post-tensioning strand, tendons, anchorages, and their stressing, under [[sync/post-tensioned-concrete]]

+- reinforcement detailed and supplied by a precast or tilt-up producer, under [[sync/precast-concrete]] and [[sync/tilt-up-concrete]]

+- masonry joint reinforcement and the bars grouted into masonry cells, under [[sync/unit-masonry]]

+- welded wire reinforcement in slabs-on-grade, whose form and placement are governed by [[sync/slab-on-grade]]

+- the special inspection agency, the statement of special inspections, and inspector qualifications, under [[sync/special-inspections-and-testing]]

+- reinforcing bars post-installed in adhesive, under [[sync/post-installed-anchors]]

+- joints, waterstops, and the dowels that cross construction joints, under [[sync/concrete-joints-and-waterstops]]

+- fiber-reinforced polymer bars and structural fibers

+## Reinforcement shall conform to ACI 318, shall be furnished and placed in accordance with ACI 301, and shall be within the tolerances of ACI 117.

+## Bar sizes, quantities, spacing, lengths, bend geometry, and the position of every bar shall be as indicated on [[drawing: the structural drawings and reinforcing schedules]].

+## This standard states project-wide policy in the datasheet; the structural drawings and reinforcing schedules carry the per-member design values, and where the two differ for a given member, the drawings govern that member. {note}

+## Where the contract documents, the adopted code, and a referenced standard impose conflicting requirements on the same subject, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.

+# Referenced Standards {toc}

+## Materials, fabrication, and installation shall comply with the latest adopted edition of each of the following unless a specific edition is cited.

+## Where referenced standards conflict, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.

+| Standard | Title |

+|----------|-------|

+| ACI 318 | Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete |

+| ACI 301 | Specifications for Concrete Construction |

+| ACI 117 | Specification for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials |

+| ACI/TMS 216.1 | Code Requirements for Determining Fire Resistance of Concrete and Masonry Construction Assemblies |

+| ASTM A615/A615M | Deformed and Plain Carbon-Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement |

+| ASTM A706/A706M | Deformed and Plain Low-Alloy Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement |

+| ASTM A996/A996M | Rail-Steel and Axle-Steel Deformed Bars for Concrete Reinforcement |

+| ASTM A1035/A1035M | Deformed and Plain, Low-Carbon, Chromium, Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement |

+| ASTM A955/A955M | Deformed and Plain Stainless Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement |

+| ASTM A775/A775M | Epoxy-Coated Steel Reinforcing Bars |

+| ASTM A934/A934M | Epoxy-Coated Prefabricated Steel Reinforcing Bars |

+| ASTM A767/A767M | Zinc-Coated (Galvanized) Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement |

+| ASTM A1094/A1094M | Continuous Hot-Dip Galvanized Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement |

+| ASTM A1055/A1055M | Zinc and Epoxy Dual-Coated Steel Reinforcing Bars |

+| ASTM A970/A970M | Headed Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement |

+| ASTM A780/A780M | Repair of Damaged and Uncoated Areas of Hot-Dip Galvanized Coatings |

+| ASTM A1064/A1064M | Carbon-Steel Wire and Welded Wire Reinforcement, Plain and Deformed, for Concrete |

+| ASTM A1022/A1022M | Deformed and Plain Stainless Steel Wire and Welded Wire for Concrete Reinforcement |

+| ASTM A884/A884M | Epoxy-Coated Steel Wire and Welded Wire Reinforcement |

+| ASTM A1060/A1060M | Zinc-Coated (Galvanized) Steel Welded Wire Reinforcement, Plain and Deformed, for Concrete |

+| AWS D1.4/D1.4M | Structural Welding Code — Steel Reinforcing Bars |

+| CRSI Manual of Standard Practice | Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, detailing, fabrication, and placing practice |

+| ICC-ES AC133 | Acceptance Criteria for Mechanical Splice Systems for Steel Reinforcing Bars |

+| IBC Chapter 17 | International Building Code, Special Inspections and Tests |

+| ASCE/SEI 7 | Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures |

+# Submittals {toc}

+## Action Submittals {toc}

+### The Contractor shall submit the following for review before the reinforcement they cover is fabricated:

+- reinforcement shop drawings prepared in accordance with the CRSI Manual of Standard Practice, showing for every member the bar size, standard and grade, coating, length, bend geometry, hook dimensions, spacing, cover to each face, lap splice location and length, mechanical splice location and type, headed bar location, and bar support type and location

+- bar lists keyed to the shop drawing mark system, giving for each mark the bar designation, standard and grade, coating, quantity, length, bending dimensions with critical dimensions identified, and weight

+- mill certification for each heat of reinforcing bar and each coil or lot of welded wire reinforcement, at the level this standard requires

+- product data for the corrosion-protected reinforcement system selected, with the coater's or galvanizer's certification that the coating conforms to its ASTM standard and the coating thickness, adhesion, and continuity test results for each lot

+- product data for the mechanical splice system, including the evaluation report under ICC-ES AC133 or the manufacturer's test reports establishing the performance type, the bar sizes and grades the system is qualified for, and the installation and inspection procedure

+- product data for headed deformed bars, with the head class under ASTM A970 and the attachment method

+- welding procedure specifications and welder qualification records under AWS D1.4, where welding of reinforcement is permitted

+- a placing sequence for members in which the reinforcement of two or more trades or two or more pours must be threaded together, where the Engineer of Record requests one

+```datasheet

+label: Action Submittal Package

+type: checkbox

+options:

+ - "Reinforcement shop drawings"

+ - "Bar lists"

+ - "Mill certification"

+ - "Corrosion-protected reinforcement product data and coating certification"

+ - "Mechanical splice system product data and evaluation report"

+ - "Headed bar product data"

+ - "Welding procedure specifications and welder qualifications"

+ - "Placing sequence for congested members"

+default:

+ - "Reinforcement shop drawings"

+ - "Bar lists"

+ - "Mill certification"

+```

+### Whether reinforcement may be fabricated before the shop drawing review is returned shall be as indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Shop Drawing Review Before Fabrication

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "Fabrication after the reviewed shop drawings are returned"

+ - "Fabrication at the Contractor's risk before the review is returned"

+default: "Fabrication after the reviewed shop drawings are returned"

+```

+### Fabricating from unreviewed shop drawings puts the cost of every detailing error on the fabricated steel rather than on the drawing; it is selected where the schedule leaves no room for the review cycle and the Contractor accepts that any bar the review changes is refabricated at the Contractor's expense. {note}

+### Where fabrication before review is selected, reinforcement fabricated before the review is returned shall be corrected or replaced at the Contractor's expense to conform to the reviewed shop drawings.

+### Review of the shop drawings confirms conformance with the design intent of the contract documents and does not relieve the Contractor of responsibility for dimensions, quantities, fit, and coordination with other trades. {note}

+### Mill certification for reinforcing bars shall be furnished at the level indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Mill Certification for Reinforcing Bars

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "Certified mill test report for every heat"

+ - "Manufacturer's certificate of conformance"

+default: "Certified mill test report for every heat"

+```

+### A certified mill test report gives the heat number, the yield and tensile strength, the elongation and bend test results, and the chemical analysis of the heat, so that a bar in the structure can be traced to the properties the design relies on and a bar to be welded can be checked for carbon equivalent; a certificate of conformance states only that the material meets its standard. {note}

+### Mill certification for welded wire reinforcement shall be furnished at the level indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Mill Certification for Welded Wire Reinforcement

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "Certified mill test report for every coil or lot"

+ - "Manufacturer's certificate of conformance"

+```

+### Mill certification shall be received before the material it represents is incorporated in the work, and the bundle tags on delivered reinforcement shall identify the heat, coil, or lot the certification covers.

+## Informational Submittals {toc}

+### The Contractor shall submit the following with or before the action submittals:

+- the fabricator's plant certification or qualification statement required by this standard

+- the epoxy coating applicator's plant certification or qualification statement, where epoxy-coated reinforcement is selected

+- the special inspection reports for reinforcement, transmitted as they are issued

+- the mechanical splice installation records and production sample test reports, transmitted as each member is completed

+```datasheet

+label: Informational Submittal Package

+type: checkbox

+options:

+ - "Fabricator certification or qualification statement"

+ - "Epoxy coating applicator certification or qualification statement"

+ - "Special inspection reports as issued"

+ - "Mechanical splice installation records and sample test reports"

+default:

+ - "Fabricator certification or qualification statement"

+ - "Special inspection reports as issued"

+```

+## Closeout Submittals {toc}

+### The Contractor shall submit the following before the concrete work is accepted:

+- a record of every deviation from the reviewed shop drawings in bar size, grade, coating, position, cover, or splice that the Engineer of Record accepted, with the written acceptance

+- the mechanical splice installation records for the project, organized by member

+- the coating repair records for corrosion-protected reinforcement, where the coating was repaired in the field

+- the nonconformance log for reinforcement, with the disposition of each entry

+```datasheet

+label: Closeout Submittal Package

+type: checkbox

+options:

+ - "Accepted deviation record"

+ - "Mechanical splice installation records"

+ - "Coating repair records"

+ - "Reinforcement nonconformance log"

+default:

+ - "Accepted deviation record"

+ - "Mechanical splice installation records"

+ - "Reinforcement nonconformance log"

+```

+### A deviation that was not accepted in writing before the concrete was placed shall be treated as a nonconformance, not as a field change.

+# Quality Assurance {toc}

+## Fabricator Qualification {toc}

+### Reinforcement shall be fabricated by a fabricator holding the certification indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Fabricator Plant Certification

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "Plant certified under the CRSI Reinforcing Bar Fabricator Plant Certification Program"

+ - "Fabricator's qualification statement listing comparable completed projects"

+```

+### Plant certification audits the fabricator's equipment, bending practice, tagging, and traceability against the CRSI Manual of Standard Practice, and its cost is carried in the fabricator's pricing; a qualification statement puts the same questions to the Engineer of Record to judge from the fabricator's record, which is the arrangement where certified plants are not within economic haul distance. {note}

+### Where the parties disagree whether a listed project is comparable, the Engineer of Record shall make the initial determination.

+### The fabricator shall have bending equipment capable of producing every bend on the shop drawings to the bend diameters this standard requires without heating the bar.

+## Coating Applicator Qualification {toc}

+### Where epoxy-coated reinforcement is selected, the coating shall be applied by an applicator holding the certification indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Epoxy Coating Applicator Certification

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "Plant certified under the CRSI Fusion-Bonded Epoxy Coating Applicator Plant Certification Program"

+ - "Applicator's qualification statement with the coating quality control records"

+```

+### Where galvanized reinforcement is selected, the galvanizer shall furnish the certification and test records ASTM A767 or ASTM A1094 requires for each lot.

+## Placing Crew Qualification {toc}

+### Reinforcement shall be placed by a crew whose foreman has placed reinforcement in members of the types in this scope and who can read the reviewed shop drawings and the reinforcing schedules.

+### Where welding of reinforcement is permitted, every welder shall be qualified under AWS D1.4 for the process, position, and bar size welded, and the qualification records shall be available to the special inspector at the site.

+## Special Inspection {toc}

+### Whether special inspection of reinforcement is required shall be as indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Special Inspection of Reinforcement

+type: radio

+derived: "Chapter 17 of [[parameter: adopted-building-code]] and the statement of special inspections prepared for the project"

+options:

+ - "Required"

+ - "Not required under the exceptions of the adopted building code"

+default: derived

+```

+### The adopted building code requires special inspection of concrete construction, including verification of reinforcement size, grade, placement, and cover before each placement, and exempts a short list of members such as isolated footings of small buildings and nonstructural slabs; which exemptions apply is settled in the statement of special inspections, not by the Contractor. {note}

+### Where special inspection is required, it shall be performed by the special inspection agency and the inspectors qualified under [[sync/special-inspections-and-testing]], and the inspection tasks and their frequency shall be those the statement of special inspections assigns to reinforcement.

+### Special inspection does not relieve the Contractor of the pre-placement inspection this standard requires, and concrete shall not be placed in a member until both have been completed.

+### Where the special inspector and the Contractor disagree whether a placed condition conforms, the Engineer of Record shall make the determination before the concrete is placed.

+# Reinforcing Bar Standards and Grades {toc}

+## Bar Grades Defined {toc}

+### The grade of a reinforcing bar is its specified yield strength in ksi, and it is the number the Engineer of Record used for every bar in the design; a bar of a lower grade than the design assumed is a strength deficiency, and a bar of a higher grade than the design assumed can change the failure mode of a member designed to yield before it crushes. {note}

+### ASTM A615 is the carbon-steel bar with no chemistry controlled for welding; ASTM A706 is the low-alloy bar with restricted chemistry, a capped actual yield strength, and a minimum tensile-to-yield ratio, which makes it weldable without heat analysis and predictable in the inelastic range the seismic provisions rely on; ASTM A1035 is the low-carbon chromium bar furnished in Grades 100 and 120 with a corrosion resistance between carbon steel and stainless; ASTM A996 is the rail-steel and axle-steel bar of limited bendability that ACI 318 restricts to specific uses. {note}

+### ACI 318 caps the yield strength that may be used in design for each use of reinforcement, and a bar grade permitted for one use is not by that fact permitted for another: Grade 100 may be used for confinement and for flexure in members outside the special seismic systems, but not as longitudinal reinforcement in a special moment frame. {note}

+## Longitudinal Reinforcement {toc}

+### Longitudinal deformed bars in members outside the seismic-force-resisting system shall be of the standard and grade indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Longitudinal Deformed Bar Standard and Grade

+type: select

+options:

+ - "ASTM A615 Grade 40"

+ - "ASTM A615 Grade 60"

+ - "ASTM A615 Grade 80"

+ - "ASTM A615 Grade 100"

+ - "ASTM A706 Grade 60"

+ - "ASTM A706 Grade 80"

+ - "ASTM A706 Grade 100"

+ - "ASTM A1035 Grade 100"

+ - "ASTM A1035 Grade 120"

+ - "ASTM A996 Grade 60"

+default: "ASTM A615 Grade 60"

+```

+### Grade 60 carbon-steel bar is the grade the structural design of most members assumes and the grade every fabricator stocks in every size; a higher grade reduces the bar area a given force needs and relieves congestion at the cost of longer development and lap lengths, wider service-load cracks, and the design limits ACI 318 places on the higher grades. {note}

+### Where the structural drawings state a different standard or grade for a member or a bar mark, that standard and grade shall govern for that member or mark.

+### Where ASTM A996 bars are selected, they shall be used only in the applications ACI 318 permits for rail-steel and axle-steel bars, and shall not be bent in the field.

+## Transverse Reinforcement {toc}

+### Stirrups, ties, hoops, and spirals in members outside the seismic-force-resisting system shall be of the standard and grade indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Transverse Reinforcement Standard and Grade

+type: select

+options:

+ - "ASTM A615 Grade 40"

+ - "ASTM A615 Grade 60"

+ - "ASTM A615 Grade 80"

+ - "ASTM A615 Grade 100"

+ - "ASTM A706 Grade 60"

+ - "ASTM A706 Grade 80"

+ - "ASTM A1035 Grade 100"

+ - "ASTM A1064 deformed wire"

+ - "ASTM A1064 plain wire"

+default: "ASTM A615 Grade 60"

+```

+### Transverse reinforcement is decided separately from longitudinal reinforcement because ACI 318 permits a higher yield strength for confinement than for shear, and because the small-diameter bars and wire used for ties are stocked in grades that the larger longitudinal sizes are not. {note}

+### Spirals shall be plain or deformed bars or wire of the grade the structural drawings state, and the yield strength used in the spiral design shall not exceed the limit ACI 318 sets for spiral reinforcement.

+## Reinforcement of the Seismic-Force-Resisting System {toc}

+### Deformed longitudinal bars resisting earthquake-induced flexural or axial force in special moment frames, special structural walls, and their foundations shall be of the standard and grade indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Bar Standard and Grade in the Seismic-Force-Resisting System

+type: select

+derived: "[[parameter: seismic-design-category]] and the seismic-force-resisting system the structure is designed as, under ACI 318 Section 20.2.2.5"

+options:

+ - "ASTM A706 Grade 60"

+ - "ASTM A706 Grade 80"

+ - "ASTM A615 Grade 60 meeting the supplementary requirements of ACI 318 Section 20.2.2.5"

+ - "Not applicable"

+default: derived

+```

+### ACI 318 restricts the bars of the special seismic systems to ASTM A706, or to ASTM A615 Grade 60 whose actual yield strength, tensile-to-yield ratio, and elongation are verified against the same limits, because a moment frame or shear wall detailed to form plastic hinges depends on the bar yielding where the design put the hinge and not fracturing before the concrete around it is confined; a structure designed as an ordinary or intermediate system in a lower seismic design category carries no such restriction and the field reads not applicable. {note}

+### Where ASTM A615 Grade 60 is selected for the seismic-force-resisting system, the certified mill test report for every heat shall demonstrate the actual yield strength, the tensile-to-yield ratio, and the elongation ACI 318 Section 20.2.2.5 requires, and a heat whose report does not shall not be used in that system.

+### The members that form the seismic-force-resisting system shall be as indicated on [[drawing: the structural general notes]].

+### Transverse reinforcement in the seismic-force-resisting system shall be of a grade ACI 318 Chapter 18 permits for the system, as indicated on [[drawing: the structural drawings]].

+## Bars To Be Welded {toc}

+### Bars that are to be welded shall be of the standard indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Bar Standard for Reinforcement To Be Welded

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "ASTM A706"

+ - "ASTM A615 with carbon equivalent from the heat analysis and preheat per AWS D1.4"

+default: "ASTM A706"

+```

+### ASTM A706 controls the carbon equivalent of every heat, so the bar is weldable under AWS D1.4 without further analysis; ASTM A615 controls no chemistry, so each heat to be welded must have its carbon equivalent established from the mill analysis and the preheat AWS D1.4 assigns to that carbon equivalent applied, which is the path a project takes where the welded bars are few and the A706 stock is not on hand. {note}

+### Where ASTM A615 is selected for bars to be welded, the carbon equivalent of every heat welded shall be established from the certified mill test report or from a chemical analysis of the heat before welding begins, and the welding procedure shall state the preheat for that carbon equivalent.

+### ASTM A1035 bars shall not be welded unless the Engineer of Record has approved in writing a welding procedure qualified for that material under AWS D1.4.

+## Bar Sizes and Identification {toc}

+### Bars shall be furnished in the standard designations No. 3 through No. 18, in the sizes indicated on [[drawing: the reinforcing schedules]].

+### A bar size is a per-member design value with no norm across projects, and the bar designation is the nominal diameter in eighths of an inch, so a No. 5 bar is 5/8 in. and a No. 11 bar is 1-3/8 in. {note}

+### Every deformed bar shall carry the rolled-in mill identification, bar size, steel type, and grade marks its ASTM standard requires, legible at the site.

+### A bar whose marks cannot be read shall not be placed until its size, standard, and grade have been established by the bundle tag and the mill certification, or by testing, at the Contractor's expense.

+### Bar substitution, whether of size, number, standard, or grade, shall not be made without the Engineer of Record's written approval.

+### Replacing bars with an equal area of a different size changes the development length, the spacing, the cover, and the crack width of the member all at once, so an equal-area substitution is not an equal substitution and is evaluated by the Engineer of Record, not by the detailer. {note}

+# Welded Wire Reinforcement {toc}

+## Welded wire reinforcement shall conform to ASTM A1064, with wire of the type indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Welded Wire Reinforcement Wire Type

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "Plain wire, W designation"

+ - "Deformed wire, D designation"

+```

+## Plain wire develops its anchorage through the welded intersections and needs two cross wires within the development length; deformed wire develops through its deformations and is developed and lapped under the deformed-wire rules of ACI 318, which is why the structural drawings designate the wire type where the reinforcement is counted in the strength of the member. Neither type is the norm across projects. {note}

+## Welded wire reinforcement in formed members shall be furnished in the form indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Welded Wire Reinforcement Form in Formed Members

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "Flat sheets"

+ - "Rolls"

+default: "Flat sheets"

+```

+## Reinforcement from a roll holds the curvature it was wound to, and in a formed slab or wall the spring-back lifts the mat off its supports and out of its cover; ACI 301 requires flat sheets for that reason, and rolls are selected only where the Contractor will flatten and secure them in a way the Engineer of Record accepts. The form of welded wire reinforcement in slabs-on-grade is governed by [[sync/slab-on-grade]]. {note}

+## Where rolls are selected, the reinforcement shall be flattened before placement and tied to its supports so that no part of the mat rises above its specified position during concrete placement.

+## Wire sizes, spacing, and sheet dimensions shall be as indicated on [[drawing: the structural drawings]].

+## Where a member reinforced with welded wire reinforcement is one that receives corrosion-protected reinforcement under this standard, the welded wire reinforcement shall be the coated or stainless product matching the selected system: ASTM A884 for epoxy-coated, ASTM A1060 for galvanized, and ASTM A1022 for stainless steel.

+## Welded wire reinforcement shall be lapped as ACI 318 requires for the wire type, with the outermost cross wires of the lapped sheets overlapped not less than the spacing of the cross wires plus 2 in. for plain wire, and not less than the deformed-wire lap length for deformed wire, unless the structural drawings show a longer lap.

+## Welded wire reinforcement shall be supported at its specified position on bar supports under [[sync/concrete-accessories]] before the concrete is placed, and shall not be laid on the form or subgrade and lifted during placement.

+## Lifting a mat by hook during placement leaves it wherever the hook released it, which is neither at its design position nor within cover, and the concrete conceals the result. {note}

+# Corrosion-Protected Reinforcement {toc}

+## Where Corrosion Protection Is Required {toc}

+### Reinforcement embedded in sound concrete is protected by the alkalinity of the cement paste, which holds a passive film on the steel; chlorides that reach the bar break down that film and start corrosion whose product occupies several times the volume of the steel it consumed, cracking and spalling the cover from within. Corrosion-protected reinforcement addresses the case where the cover and the concrete quality that [[sync/cast-in-place-concrete]] provides are not enough for the service life the design relies on. {note}

+### Whether corrosion-protected reinforcement is required, and in which members, shall be as indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Corrosion-Protected Reinforcement Required

+type: radio

+derived: "the corrosion-protection exposure class ACI 318 Table 19.3.1.1 assigns to each member, recorded in the cast-in-place concrete datasheet, and the service life the structural design relies on"

+options:

+ - "Not required, uncoated carbon-steel reinforcement throughout"

+ - "Required in members assigned exposure class C2"

+ - "Required in members assigned exposure classes C1 and C2"

+default: derived

+```

+### ACI 318 assigns exposure class C2 to concrete exposed to moisture and an external source of chlorides, which is the condition of a parking deck under deicing salt, a marine splash zone, and a member in contact with chloride-bearing soil or water; class C1 is moisture without an external chloride source. The code answers class C2 with a lower water-cementitious materials ratio, a chloride limit, and the cover of this standard, and leaves corrosion-protected reinforcement to the design where the service life justifies it, so the field follows the exposure class and the design rather than a preference. {note}

+### The members that receive corrosion-protected reinforcement shall be as indicated on [[drawing: the structural general notes]].

+### Where corrosion-protected reinforcement is required in a member, every bar, tie, stirrup, dowel, and welded wire sheet in that member shall be protected, including bars that project from it into an adjoining member, unless the structural general notes state otherwise.

+### An uncoated tie or dowel in a member of coated bars corrodes first and cracks the cover along its length, undoing the protection the coated bars were meant to give; a member is protected or it is not. {note}

+## Corrosion Protection System {toc}

+### Where corrosion-protected reinforcement is required, it shall be provided by the system indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Corrosion-Protected Reinforcement System

+type: select

+options:

+ - "Epoxy-coated bars, ASTM A775, coated straight and bent after coating"

+ - "Epoxy-coated prefabricated bars, ASTM A934, bent before coating"

+ - "Hot-dip galvanized bars, ASTM A767"

+ - "Continuously galvanized bars, ASTM A1094"

+ - "Zinc and epoxy dual-coated bars, ASTM A1055"

+ - "Stainless steel bars, ASTM A955"

+ - "Low-carbon chromium bars, ASTM A1035"

+ - "Not applicable"

+```

+### The systems differ in mechanism and in what they cost to keep intact: a fusion-bonded epoxy coating is a barrier that protects only where it is unbroken, so it depends on handling, on repair of every holiday, and on the coated tie wire and supports this standard requires; a zinc coating protects sacrificially and tolerates the abrasion of placing, but is consumed over time in a chloride environment and reacts with fresh concrete unless chromate-passivated; a stainless or chromium bar has no coating to damage and carries its resistance in the alloy, at a material cost that confines it to the members and the service lives that justify it. No system is the norm across projects, and regional practice differs. {note}

+### ASTM A775 bars are coated straight and bent afterward, so every bend cracks the coating slightly and is repaired; ASTM A934 bars are bent first and coated afterward, so the bends are intact but the bar cannot be bent again after coating. A project whose reinforcement is fabricated to final shape before coating selects the prefabricated system; one that needs field bending or straightening of projecting bars selects the straight-coated system. {note}

+### Where a coated bar system is selected, the bars shall not be bent in the field except as ASTM A775 permits, and an ASTM A934 bar shall not be bent after coating.

+### Where the hot-dip galvanized system is selected, the coating class shall be as indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Galvanized Bar Coating Class (ASTM A767)

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "Class I"

+ - "Class II"

+```

+### Class I carries the heavier zinc coating and the longer time to consumption in a chloride environment; Class II is the lighter coating that ASTM A767 permits and is selected where the exposure is moisture without a chloride source or where the coating thickness would interfere with the bar deformations on small sizes. Neither class is the norm across projects. {note}

+### Where a galvanized system is selected, the bars shall be chromate-passivated after galvanizing as ASTM A767 or ASTM A1094 requires, so that the zinc does not react with the fresh concrete and evolve hydrogen at the bar surface.

+### Where a galvanized system is selected, galvanized bars shall not be placed in contact with uncoated carbon-steel bars, aluminum embedments, or copper in the same member unless the two metals are isolated, because the galvanic couple consumes the zinc.

+### Where the stainless steel system is selected, the alloy shall be as indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Stainless Steel Bar Alloy (ASTM A955)

+type: select

+options:

+ - "UNS S30400, Type 304"

+ - "UNS S31600, Type 316"

+ - "UNS S31653, Type 316LN"

+ - "UNS S32304, duplex 2304"

+ - "UNS S32205, duplex 2205"

+ - "UNS S24100, XM-28"

+```

+### The alloys differ in chloride threshold and in cost: the Type 304 family resists carbonation and moderate chloride, the molybdenum-bearing Type 316 family and the duplex grades resist the chloride concentration of a marine or deicing environment, and the low-nickel XM-28 grade offers a threshold near Type 304 at a lower alloy cost. The alloy is chosen against the chloride exposure of the member and no alloy is the norm. {note}

+### Where the stainless steel system is selected, stainless bars shall not be tied to or placed in contact with uncoated carbon-steel bars in the same member.

+### Where the low-carbon chromium system is selected, ASTM A1035 bars shall be used within the yield strength ACI 318 permits for their use and shall not be welded.

+## Coating Repair and Protection {toc}

+### Coated bars shall be handled, stored, placed, and tied so that the coating is not damaged, and every damaged area of coating shall be repaired before the concrete is placed.

+### Epoxy coating damaged after coating shall be repaired with the patching material the coater supplies, compatible with the coating and applied as ASTM A775 or ASTM A934 requires, and the repaired area on any bar shall not exceed the limit that standard sets.

+### A bar whose coating damage exceeds the repair limit of its standard shall be rejected and replaced.

+### Galvanized coating damaged after galvanizing shall be repaired with a zinc-rich repair material as ASTM A780 provides, applied to the thickness the bar's coating class requires.

+### Cut ends of coated bars shall be coated with the repair material before placement.

+### The coating repair records shall identify each bar repaired, the extent of the repair, and the repair material.

+## Tie Wire for Corrosion-Protected Reinforcement {toc}

+### Corrosion-protected reinforcement shall be tied with the tie wire indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Tie Wire for Corrosion-Protected Reinforcement

+type: radio

+derived: "the corrosion-protected reinforcement system selected in this standard"

+options:

+ - "Plastic-coated carbon-steel tie wire"

+ - "Epoxy-coated tie wire"

+ - "Galvanized tie wire"

+ - "Stainless steel tie wire"

+default: derived

+```

+### Uncoated tie wire cuts an epoxy coating at every tie and corrodes ahead of a galvanized bar, and a carbon-steel wire on a stainless bar creates the couple the stainless was chosen to avoid, so the wire follows the system: a coated wire for coated bars, galvanized wire for galvanized bars, and stainless wire for stainless bars. {note}

+### Bar supports for corrosion-protected reinforcement shall be the coated or non-metallic class [[sync/concrete-accessories]] assigns to the exposure, and a plain wire support shall not carry a corrosion-protected bar.

+# Headed Deformed Bars {toc}

+## A headed deformed bar develops its force through bearing on a head attached to the bar end instead of through a hook, which lets the bar develop in a shorter length and relieves the congestion of hooked bars at a joint; it is used where the structural drawings show it and nowhere else. {note}

+## The members and locations in which headed deformed bars are used shall be as indicated on [[drawing: the structural drawings]].

+## Headed deformed bars shall conform to ASTM A970, including the Class HA head dimension requirements of its Annex A1, and the bars they are attached to shall be of the standard and grade this standard requires for their reinforcement class.

+## ACI 318 permits a headed bar to be counted for development only where its head is Class HA and its net bearing area is not less than four times the bar area; the class limits the obstructions and interruptions on the bar near the head, because a head smaller than that or a bar upset that reduces its section develops less than the code assumes. {note}

+## The method of attaching the head to the bar shall be as indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Headed Bar Head Attachment

+type: select

+options:

+ - "Forged head, integral with the bar"

+ - "Friction-welded head"

+ - "Threaded head on a threaded bar end"

+ - "Taper-threaded head"

+ - "Head attached by a mechanical coupling device"

+default: manufacturer

+```

+## Every attachment method ASTM A970 covers develops the specified tensile strength of the bar, so the method is a matter of the supplier's product line and of the access at the bar end, and no project decision is expected; a threaded head is selected where the head must be attached after the bar is placed. {note}

+## Headed bars shall be placed with the head in the position and orientation the structural drawings show, and a headed bar shall not be replaced by a hooked bar or by a longer straight bar without the Engineer of Record's written approval.

+# Fabrication {toc}

+## Cutting and Bending {toc}

+### Reinforcement shall be fabricated in accordance with the reviewed shop drawings and the CRSI Manual of Standard Practice.

+### Bars shall be bent cold, and a bar shall not be heated for bending or straightening unless the Engineer of Record approves the procedure in writing.

+### Heating a bar to bend it changes the metallurgy of a heat-treated or micro-alloyed bar and can lower the yield strength or the toughness in the bend, and the change is invisible afterward. {note}

+### Standard hooks shall be bent to inside diameters not less than those of ACI 318 Table 25.3.1 for the bar size, and stirrups, ties, and hoops shall be bent to inside diameters not less than those of ACI 318 Table 25.3.2.

+### A bend tighter than the minimum diameter cracks the outside of the bend and flattens the deformations on the inside, reducing both the tensile capacity of the bar and its bond to the concrete at exactly the point a hook is asked to anchor. {note}

+### Bars partially embedded in concrete shall not be field bent unless the structural drawings show the bend or the Engineer of Record approves it in writing, in accordance with ACI 318 Section 26.6.3.

+### Where field bending of a partially embedded bar is approved, it shall be done cold about a mandrel of not less than the minimum bend diameter for the bar size, and a bar that cracks at the bend shall be cut out and replaced.

+### A bar shall not be bent and re-straightened, and a bar that has been bent to the wrong dimension shall be replaced rather than re-bent, unless the Engineer of Record approves re-bending in writing for a specific bar.

+## Fabrication Tolerances {toc}

+### Bars shall be fabricated within the fabricating tolerances of the CRSI Manual of Standard Practice and ACI 117, and dimensions the shop drawings identify as critical shall be held to the tighter tolerance the shop drawings state for them.

+### Fabrication tolerance and placement tolerance accumulate, so a bar fabricated at the long end of its tolerance and placed at the outer end of its tolerance can lose its cover; the shop drawings identify as critical the dimensions where that accumulation would breach the cover or the clear spacing, and those are fabricated to the tighter limit. {note}

+### Where bars pass through congested members, through post-tensioning ducts, or between embedded items, the detailer shall check that the cover and clear spacing this standard requires are achievable with fabrication and placement tolerances combined, and shall identify the controlling dimensions as critical on the shop drawings.

+## Bundle Identification {toc}

+### Fabricated reinforcement shall be bundled by mark and tagged with the shop drawing mark, the bar size, the standard and grade, the coating, the heat number, the quantity, and the member the bundle serves.

+### A bundle whose tag is missing or illegible shall not be placed until the bars in it have been identified against the bar list and the mill certification.

+# Placement {toc}

+## Position and Securing {toc}

+### Reinforcement shall be placed in the position the reviewed shop drawings and the structural drawings show, supported on bar supports selected and spaced under [[sync/concrete-accessories]], and secured so that it does not move during concrete placement and consolidation.

+### Bars shall be tied at every intersection around the perimeter of each mat and cage, and at interior intersections at a spacing that holds every bar in position, not exceeding every other intersection in each direction.

+### Uncoated reinforcement shall be tied with annealed carbon-steel tie wire of not less than 16 gauge, and corrosion-protected reinforcement shall be tied with the wire this standard requires for it.

+### Tie wire ends shall be bent away from the nearest concrete surface so that no wire end lies within the specified cover.

+### A wire end left in the cover is a conductor from the bar to the surface, and it is the origin of the rust stain that appears on an exposed soffit within the first year. {note}

+### Where reinforcement of two members or two pours must be threaded together, the placing sequence shall be established before the first of them is placed, so that a bar placed early does not block a bar placed later from reaching its position.

+### Reinforcement shall be free of mud, oil, loose mill scale, loose rust, and any coating that would reduce bond at the time the concrete is placed.

+### Tight rust and mill scale that survive wire brushing are not cause for rejection, because they do not reduce bond, and a bar is rejected for rust only where the rust has reduced the deformations or the section below the dimensions its standard requires. {note}

+## Clear Spacing {toc}

+### The minimum clear spacing between parallel bars in a layer shall be not less than the greatest of the nominal bar diameter, 1 in., and four-thirds of the nominal maximum aggregate size selected for the mixture under [[sync/cast-in-place-concrete]], in accordance with ACI 318 Section 25.2.

+### Where bars are placed in two or more layers, the bars in the upper layers shall be placed directly above the bars in the layer below, with a clear distance between layers of not less than 1 in.

+### Clear spacing between longitudinal bars in columns and in the boundary elements of walls shall be not less than the greatest of 1.5 times the bar diameter, 1-1/2 in., and four-thirds of the nominal maximum aggregate size.

+### The spacing rule exists so that the concrete can pass between the bars and surround each one; a mat spaced to the bar diameter alone, with an aggregate larger than the gap, produces a honeycomb under the mat that no consolidation can fill. {note}

+### Bundled bars shall be limited to four bars in a bundle, shall be enclosed by ties or stirrups, and the individual bars of a bundle shall be cut off at points staggered not less than 40 bar diameters apart, unless the structural drawings show otherwise.

+## Concrete Cover {toc}

+### Concrete cover is the clear distance from the concrete surface to the nearest face of the outermost reinforcement, which in a beam or column is the tie or stirrup, not the longitudinal bar; it is the barrier that keeps chlorides, carbonation, and moisture from the steel and the length over which the bar's bond develops, and it is the dimension most often lost in the field. {note}

+### Concrete cover to reinforcement shall be as indicated on [[drawing: the structural general notes]], and not less than the minimum ACI 318 Table 20.5.1.3.1 requires for the casting condition, exposure, member, and bar size, which for cast-in-place nonprestressed members is:

+| Condition | Member and reinforcement | Minimum cover |

+|-----------|--------------------------|---------------|

+| Cast against and permanently in contact with ground | All members, all bars | 3 in. |

+| Exposed to weather or in contact with ground | No. 6 through No. 18 bars | 2 in. |

+| Exposed to weather or in contact with ground | No. 5 bars, W31 and D31 wire, and smaller | 1-1/2 in. |

+| Not exposed to weather or in contact with ground | Slabs, joists, and walls, No. 14 and No. 18 bars | 1-1/2 in. |

+| Not exposed to weather or in contact with ground | Slabs, joists, and walls, No. 11 bars and smaller | 3/4 in. |

+| Not exposed to weather or in contact with ground | Beams, columns, pedestals, and tension ties: primary reinforcement, stirrups, ties, spirals, and hoops | 1-1/2 in. |

+### Where the structural general notes state a greater cover for a member than the table minimum, the greater cover shall govern that member.

+### The design increases cover above the code minimum where the member is in a chloride environment, where the aggregate is large, where the member is to be exposed to fire longer than the code minimum cover rates it for, or where the surface will be ground or abraded in service, and the structural general notes carry that increase. {note}

+### Cover to corrosion-protected reinforcement shall be not less than the cover required for uncoated reinforcement in the same member, and a coating or a corrosion-resistant alloy shall not be used as grounds for reducing cover.

+### The coating slows corrosion once chlorides reach the bar; it does not slow the chlorides, and it does nothing for the bond development that the same cover provides. {note}

+### Where a member is required to have a fire-resistance rating, the cover to its reinforcement shall be not less than the cover the rating requires under ACI/TMS 216.1 or the listed assembly, as coordinated under [[sync/fire-rated-wall-and-floor-assemblies]], and the greater of the fire-resistance cover and the cover this standard requires shall govern.

+### Cover at the sides of a member cast against a form shall be measured to the form face, and cover at a surface to be finished by grinding, bush-hammering, or sandblasting shall be measured from the finished surface after the material is removed.

+## Bars at Openings, Embedments, and Conduits {toc}

+### Where a bar conflicts with an embedded item, a sleeve, an anchor rod, or a conduit, the bar shall not be cut or omitted, and the conflict shall be resolved by relocating the item where its standard permits, or by relocating the bar within its placement tolerance, or as the Engineer of Record directs in writing.

+### Where the Engineer of Record directs that a bar be terminated at an obstruction, the bar shall be replaced by the bars the Engineer of Record details around the obstruction, spliced under this standard.

+### Conduits, pipes, and sleeves embedded in a member shall be located outside the reinforcement cover and shall not displace a bar from its position, in accordance with ACI 318 Section 20.6.

+### Additional reinforcement at openings shall be as indicated on [[drawing: the structural drawings]].

+# Splices {toc}

+## Splice Locations and Types {toc}

+### A splice is where one bar hands its force to the next, and a lap splice does it through the concrete between the bars, a mechanical splice through a sleeve, and a welded splice through weld metal; each has a length or a device the design sized for the force at that section, and each is where a field error most often removes a bar's capacity without removing the bar. {note}

+### The location, type, and length of every splice shall be as indicated on [[drawing: the lap splice schedule and the structural drawings]].

+### Splices shall not be added, relocated, or changed in type without the Engineer of Record's written approval.

+### Splices are located by the Engineer of Record away from the sections of maximum stress and staggered so that not every bar is spliced at one section, and a splice moved in the field to suit a bar length is a splice at a section the design did not check. {note}

+### Where a bar is spliced in a location the schedule does not address, the Contractor shall request the splice type and length from the Engineer of Record before the bar is fabricated.

+## Tension Lap Splices {toc}

+### Tension lap splice lengths shall be those of the lap splice schedule, calculated by the Engineer of Record under ACI 318 Section 25.5.2 from the development length of the bar in the concrete strength, cover, spacing, and coating of the member and from the splice class.

+### Where the lap splice schedule does not state the splice class for a bar, the class shall be as indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Tension Lap Splice Class Where the Schedule Does Not State One

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "Class B"

+ - "Class A where ACI 318 permits it"

+default: "Class B"

+```

+### ACI 318 permits a Class A splice, at 1.0 times the development length, only where no more than half the bars are spliced within the lap length and the bar area provided is at least twice the area required; every other condition is Class B, at 1.3 times the development length. Class B as the fallback carries the longer lap wherever the schedule is silent, so a splice whose stagger the field did not maintain is still developed. {note}

+### Lap splices shall not be used for No. 14 and No. 18 bars, which shall be spliced mechanically or by welding as ACI 318 requires.

+### Lap splices of bundled bars shall be based on the lap length for the individual bars, increased as ACI 318 Section 25.6 requires for the number of bars in the bundle, and the bars in a bundle shall not be lap spliced at the same section.

+### Lap splices of bars in the seismic-force-resisting system shall be located only where ACI 318 Chapter 18 permits them and shall be enclosed by the transverse reinforcement Chapter 18 requires over the lap length, as indicated on [[drawing: the structural drawings]].

+### Bars in a lap splice shall be in contact and wired together, or, where the structural drawings show a non-contact lap, shall be spaced apart not more than the lesser of one-fifth of the lap length and 6 in.

+### Lap splices of welded wire reinforcement shall be as this standard requires under Welded Wire Reinforcement.

+## Compression Lap Splices {toc}

+### Compression lap splice lengths shall be those of the lap splice schedule, calculated under ACI 318 Section 25.5.5 for the bar grade and size, and not less than 12 in.

+### Where bars of different sizes are lap spliced in compression, the lap length shall be the greater of the compression lap length of the smaller bar and the compression development length of the larger bar.

+### A compression lap enclosed by ties or a spiral that meets ACI 318 Section 25.5.5.2 may be reduced only where the structural drawings show the reduced length.

+## End-Bearing Splices {toc}

+### End-bearing splices, in which square-cut bar ends bear on one another to transfer compression, shall be used only where the structural drawings show them, in bars carrying compression only, and in accordance with ACI 318 Section 25.5.6.

+### Bar ends for an end-bearing splice shall be cut within 1.5 degrees of square to the bar axis and shall be fitted within 3 degrees of full bearing after assembly.

+### An end-bearing splice shall be held in concentric contact by a device that conforms to the structural drawings, and shall be enclosed by closed ties, a spiral, or hoops.

+### An end-bearing splice carries no tension, so a member in which the bars can see tension under any load combination, including a column in a frame that resists lateral load, cannot use one; the design decides, and the field does not substitute an end-bearing splice for a lap or a coupler. {note}

+## Mechanical Splices {toc}

+### The mechanical splice system types permitted on the project shall be as indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Mechanical Splice System Types Permitted

+type: checkbox

+options:

+ - "Taper-threaded couplers"

+ - "Parallel-threaded couplers on upset or thread-rolled bar ends"

+ - "Swaged couplers, cold-extruded onto the bar"

+ - "Shear-screw couplers"

+ - "Grout-filled sleeve couplers"

+ - "Position couplers for bars that cannot be rotated"

+ - "Transition couplers between bar sizes"

+default:

+ - "Taper-threaded couplers"

+ - "Parallel-threaded couplers on upset or thread-rolled bar ends"

+ - "Swaged couplers, cold-extruded onto the bar"

+ - "Shear-screw couplers"

+ - "Grout-filled sleeve couplers"

+ - "Position couplers for bars that cannot be rotated"

+ - "Transition couplers between bar sizes"

+```

+### Each system type transfers force differently and needs different bar-end preparation and access: a threaded coupler needs the bar end threaded in the shop and the bar rotated at installation; a swaged coupler needs a hydraulic press at the joint; a shear-screw coupler needs only a wrench and accepts an unprepared bar end, at a larger outside diameter; a grout-filled sleeve needs no rotation and tolerates misalignment, at the cost of a grout that must be placed and verified. Every type is permitted unless a project restricts the list, which it does where a coupler's outside diameter would breach cover in a congested member or where the site cannot support a system's installation equipment. {note}

+### Every mechanical splice system shall have an evaluation report under ICC-ES AC133 or test reports the Engineer of Record accepts, establishing its performance type for the bar size and grade it is used on.

+### The performance type of mechanical splices in the seismic-force-resisting system shall be as indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Mechanical Splice Performance Type in the Seismic-Force-Resisting System

+type: radio

+derived: "[[parameter: seismic-design-category]] and the member's role in the seismic-force-resisting system, under ACI 318 Section 18.2.7"

+options:

+ - "Type 1"

+ - "Type 2"

+ - "Not applicable"

+default: derived

+```

+### ACI 318 defines a Type 1 splice as one that develops 1.25 times the specified yield strength of the bar, and a Type 2 splice as one that additionally develops the specified tensile strength of the bar; in the special seismic systems the code permits Type 1 splices only outside the regions where yielding is expected and Type 2 splices anywhere, so the type a given splice must be follows from the seismic design category and from where in the member the splice falls. {note}

+### The performance type of mechanical splices in members outside the seismic-force-resisting system shall be as indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Mechanical Splice Performance Type Outside the Seismic-Force-Resisting System

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "Type 1"

+ - "Type 2"

+default: "Type 1"

+```

+### Type 1 is the code minimum for a mechanical splice in any member, and it is what the design outside the seismic systems assumes; Type 2 is selected outside those systems where the design relies on a splice remaining effective after the bar yields, as at a transfer element or a member designed for progressive collapse resistance. {note}

+### Mechanical splices in the seismic-force-resisting system shall be located only where ACI 318 Chapter 18 permits the type used, as indicated on [[drawing: the structural drawings]].

+### Mechanical splices shall be installed by personnel trained by the splice manufacturer, in accordance with the manufacturer's installation procedure, using the tools, gauges, and torque the procedure specifies.

+### Every installed mechanical splice shall be verified by the installer against the manufacturer's inspection criteria, including full thread engagement shown at the witness mark or inspection hole, the swage length or the number of shear screws, and the grout fill where the system is grouted, and the verification shall be recorded by member and splice.

+### The special inspector shall observe the installation of mechanical splices to the extent indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Special Inspector Observation of Mechanical Splice Installation

+type: radio

+drawing_ref: "the statement of special inspections"

+options:

+ - "Every mechanical splice"

+ - "Mechanical splices in the seismic-force-resisting system"

+ - "A sample of splices at the frequency the statement of special inspections states"

+default: deferred

+```

+### The extent of special inspection is set in the statement of special inspections, which assigns continuous or periodic inspection to each task from the adopted building code; the field records the extent so that the Contractor schedules the inspector before the splices are covered. {note}

+### Production sample testing of mechanical splices shall be performed at the rate indicated in the datasheet, by cutting installed splices or by fabricating sample splices under the same procedure in the presence of the special inspector and testing them in tension to the performance type required.

+```datasheet

+label: Production Sample Testing of Mechanical Splices

+type: range

+unit: splices per 100 installed of each bar size

+options:

+ min: 0

+ max: 5

+ setpoints: [0, 1, 2, 3, 5]

+```

+### A rate of zero accepts the evaluation report and the installation records as the proof of performance, which is the usual basis where the system holds an evaluation report and the installers are manufacturer-trained; a sample rate is selected where the splice type is sensitive to installation, where the installer is new to the system, or where the owner's program requires physical proof, and no rate is the norm across projects. {note}

+### A sample splice that fails to reach its performance type shall be reported to the Engineer of Record on the day of the test, the splices it represents shall not be covered until the Engineer of Record has directed the corrective action, and the cost of the additional testing and any replacement shall be borne by the Contractor.

+### The outside diameter of a coupler shall be accounted for in the cover and clear spacing of the member, and a coupler that would reduce cover below the minimum this standard requires shall not be installed without the Engineer of Record's written approval.

+## Welded Splices {toc}

+### A welded splice shall develop not less than 1.25 times the specified yield strength of the bar in tension, in accordance with ACI 318 Section 25.5.7, and shall be made only where this standard permits welding of reinforcement.

+### Welded splices in the seismic-force-resisting system shall be located only where ACI 318 Section 18.2.8 permits them, as indicated on [[drawing: the structural drawings]].

+# Welding of Reinforcement {toc}

+## Welding Policy {toc}

+### Whether welding of reinforcement is permitted shall be as indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Field Welding of Reinforcement

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "Not permitted"

+ - "Permitted only at designated locations"

+```

+### Welding puts heat into a bar whose strength may depend on its cold work or its heat treatment, and a weld on a bar not qualified for it can leave a hard, brittle zone at the weld toe; where welding is permitted, it is confined to the locations the design designated and to bars this standard identifies as weldable, and where it is not, mechanical splices and lap splices do the work. Neither policy is the norm across projects. {note}

+### Where welding is permitted, welded splices and welded connections shall be made only at the locations indicated on [[drawing: the structural drawings]] or approved by the Engineer of Record in writing.

+### Where welding is not permitted, no bar shall be welded for any purpose, including attachment to embedded plates and to steel framing, and a bar found welded shall be cut out and replaced at the Contractor's expense.

+### Whether tack welding of crossing bars for assembly of reinforcement is permitted shall be as indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Tack Welding of Crossing Bars for Assembly

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "Not permitted"

+ - "Permitted under a qualified welding procedure"

+default: "Not permitted"

+```

+### A tack weld at a bar intersection is a small weld made fast with no preheat, and it notches the bar it is meant to hold; ACI 318 prohibits welding of crossing bars for assembly unless the Engineer of Record authorizes it, so the prohibition is the norm and the permission is selected where prefabricated cages must be handled as a unit and the bars are of a weldable standard. {note}

+### Where tack welding for assembly is permitted, it shall be made only on bars of the weldable standard this standard requires, under a welding procedure qualified for tack welds under AWS D1.4, and not on bars in the seismic-force-resisting system or within a splice or development length.

+## Welding Procedure and Workmanship {toc}

+### Welding of reinforcement shall be performed in accordance with AWS D1.4, under a welding procedure specification qualified for the bar standard, grade, size, carbon equivalent, joint type, process, and position.

+### The welding procedure specification shall state the preheat and interpass temperature for the carbon equivalent of the bar, and the preheat shall be maintained until the weld is complete.

+### Welds shall be made only by welders qualified under AWS D1.4 for the process, position, and bar size, and a weld made by an unqualified welder shall be cut out.

+### Welding of a coated bar shall be preceded by removal of the coating for the distance AWS D1.4 requires, and the coating shall be repaired after welding under this standard.

+### Welds on reinforcement shall be inspected visually by the special inspector to the acceptance criteria of AWS D1.4, and a weld that does not meet them shall be repaired or replaced at the Contractor's expense.

+### Welding of structural steel, embedded plates, and headed studs is governed by [[sync/welding-requirements]] under AWS D1.1; where a reinforcing bar is welded to an embedded plate, the bar side of the weld is governed by AWS D1.4 and this standard. {note}

+# Placement Tolerances {toc}

+## Reinforcement shall be placed within the tolerances of ACI 117 for cast-in-place concrete.

+## The tolerance on the effective depth and on the cover of a bar shall be ±3/8 in. where the effective depth is 8 in. or less, ±1/2 in. where the effective depth is more than 8 in. and not more than 24 in., and ±1 in. where the effective depth is more than 24 in., except that the cover shall not be reduced by more than one-third of the specified cover and the cover to a formed soffit shall not be reduced by more than 1/4 in.

+## The tolerance on the position of bends and bar ends, on bar spacing, and on the number of bars in a member shall be as ACI 117 assigns, and a bar spacing tolerance shall not reduce the number of bars below the number the structural drawings show.

+## The tolerances are the range a well-built member may occupy, not a target to be approached; the specified position is the placement target, and a crew that places every bar at the low end of its tolerance has built a member weaker than the design in every section. {note}

+## Whether a negative tolerance applies to lap splice lengths and embedment lengths shall be as indicated in the datasheet.

+```datasheet

+label: Negative Tolerance on Lap Splice and Embedment Length

+type: radio

+options:

+ - "ACI 117 negative tolerance applies"

+ - "No negative tolerance"

+```

+## ACI 117 permits a lap or embedment length to fall short of the scheduled length by a small fixed amount that reflects the placing accuracy of the trade; a project removes that allowance, making the scheduled length the minimum, where the schedule already states the development the design needs with no margin, and leaves it where the schedule carries a margin. Neither policy is the norm. {note}

+## Reinforcement found outside tolerance before the concrete is placed shall be corrected, and reinforcement found outside tolerance after the concrete is placed shall be reported to the Engineer of Record, who shall determine whether the member is acceptable, and the cost of the evaluation and of any correction shall be borne by the Contractor.

+# Field Inspection {toc}

+## Pre-Placement Inspection {toc}

+### Before concrete is placed in any member, the Contractor shall inspect the reinforcement of that member and shall confirm that the bar sizes, standards, grades, and coatings match the reviewed shop drawings; that the bars are in position, at the spacing and cover the drawings require, supported and tied; that lap splices are at the scheduled locations and of the scheduled length; that mechanical splices are installed and verified; that headed bars are in position; that the coating of corrosion-protected reinforcement has been repaired; that tie wire ends are bent into the member; and that the reinforcement is clean.

+### The pre-placement inspection shall be recorded on a checklist by member, signed by the Contractor's representative, and made available to the special inspector before the special inspection of that member.

+### Concrete shall not be placed in a member until the pre-placement inspection is complete, every deficiency it found has been corrected, and, where special inspection is required, the special inspector has inspected the member.

+### Where special inspection is required, the Contractor shall notify the special inspector not less than 24 hours before the reinforcement of a member is ready for inspection, unless the statement of special inspections states a different notice.

+## Special Inspection Tasks {toc}

+### The special inspector shall verify bar size, standard, and grade by the rolled-in marks against the reviewed shop drawings, shall measure cover and spacing at representative locations on each face of the member, shall measure the length of lap splices, shall verify mechanical splice installation to the extent this standard requires, shall verify that welding was performed under a qualified procedure by a qualified welder, and shall verify the coating condition of corrosion-protected reinforcement.

+### Cover shall be measured from the form face or the finished surface to the nearest reinforcement, and where cover cannot be measured directly it shall be established from the bar support height and the bar position.

+### Cover measured after the concrete is placed, by a covermeter or by coring, is a verification of the record and not a substitute for the inspection before placement; a member whose cover is found deficient after placement is evaluated by the Engineer of Record at the Contractor's expense. {note}

+### The special inspector shall report a nonconformance to the Contractor and the Engineer of Record on the day it is observed, and shall record it in the reinforcement nonconformance log.

+## Nonconformance Disposition {toc}

+### Reinforcement that does not conform to the contract documents, the reviewed shop drawings, ACI 318, or ACI 117 shall be recorded as a nonconformance, and concrete shall not be placed over it until the Engineer of Record has issued a written disposition.

+### The Engineer of Record shall issue the disposition of a reinforcement nonconformance within the period indicated in the datasheet after receiving the nonconformance report and the information needed to evaluate it.

+```datasheet

+label: Engineer of Record Disposition of a Reinforcement Nonconformance

+type: range

+unit: business days

+options:

+ min: 1

+ max: 5

+ setpoints: [1, 2, 3, 5]

+```

+### The disposition period is a contract term between the Owner and the design professional, and it is set against the size of the project and the availability of the Engineer of Record rather than by any norm; a shorter period keeps a pour from waiting on a minor deviation, and a longer one is realistic where the evaluation may need calculation. {note}

+### A disposition shall direct one of: correction to the reviewed shop drawings; acceptance as placed, with the Engineer of Record's evaluation; or acceptance with a compensating measure such as added bars, and the compensating measure shall be placed and inspected before the concrete is placed.

+### The cost of correcting a nonconformance, of any evaluation the Engineer of Record performs to accept one, and of any re-inspection shall be borne by the Contractor.

+## Reinforcement During Concrete Placement {toc}

+### During concrete placement, the Contractor shall assign a person to watch the reinforcement of the member being placed and to restore any bar displaced by the placing or consolidation operation before the concrete around it takes initial set.

+### Vibrators shall not be used against reinforcement to move concrete or to consolidate it, and a bar dislodged by a vibrator shall be restored before placement continues, in coordination with the consolidation requirements of [[sync/cast-in-place-concrete]].

+### Reinforcement shall not be walked on, loaded with equipment, or used as a support for placing equipment in a way that displaces it, and runways for placing equipment shall be supported independently of the reinforcement.

+### A bar displaced after the concrete has taken initial set cannot be restored, and its position is then a nonconformance evaluated under this standard. {note}

+# Delivery, Storage, and Handling {toc}

+## Reinforcement shall be delivered in tagged bundles and shall not be unloaded until the bundle tags have been checked against the delivery ticket and the mill certification.

+## Reinforcement shall be stored off the ground on supports that keep it clear of mud, standing water, and debris, and fabricated shapes shall be stored so that they are not distorted by their own weight or by the bundles above them.

+## Reinforcement of different standards and grades shall be stored so that a bar of one grade cannot be mistaken for a bar of another, and bundle tags shall remain on the bundle until the bars are placed.

+## Corrosion-protected reinforcement shall be delivered, unloaded, stored, and placed with padded or non-metallic slings and supports, shall not be dropped, dragged, or walked on, and shall be stored separately from uncoated reinforcement.

+## Epoxy-coated reinforcement stored outdoors for more than two months shall be covered with an opaque material that admits air, in accordance with ASTM A775, because ultraviolet light chalks and embrittles the coating.

+## Galvanized reinforcement shall be stored with air circulation between bars so that wet-storage stain does not form, and a bar whose zinc has been consumed by wet-storage stain below the thickness its coating class requires shall be rejected.

+## Stainless steel reinforcement shall be stored and handled apart from carbon-steel reinforcement and with tools that have not been used on carbon steel, so that carbon-steel particles are not embedded in its surface.

+## Mechanical splice couplers and headed bar heads shall be stored in their packaging, protected from moisture and dirt, with their threads capped until installation.

+# Warranty {toc}

+## The reinforcement is warranted under the warranty [[sync/cast-in-place-concrete]] establishes for the concrete it is embedded in, for the period and on the terms stated there. {note}

+## For the purpose of that warranty, a reinforcement defect includes a bar of a size, standard, grade, or coating other than the reviewed shop drawings require, reinforcement outside the placement tolerances of this standard where the Engineer of Record did not accept the deviation, a lap or embedment shorter than the scheduled length, a mechanical splice not installed to its manufacturer's procedure or not reaching its performance type, a weld not made under a qualified procedure, and a coating not repaired as this standard requires.

+## A reinforcement defect found within the warranty period shall be corrected by the Contractor at the Contractor's expense, including the investigation that locates it, the removal and replacement of the concrete that covers it, and the restoration of the finishes and adjoining work disturbed by the correction.

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