Guide to reinforcing steel

For many specifiers and users, reinforcing steel is a commodity product. The most significant attribute is often the price, rather than any particular performance characteristic. Reinforcing steels in the UK, and in many non-UK locations, are almost invariably ordered to British Standards, or an extremely close variant. Most designers will specify reinforcing steels using a bar or fabric schedule to BS 8666, with little knowledge about the product being ordered, how it is made, inspected, tested, or what characteristics it may have, and how these may influence fabrication, site operations and structural performance.

The CARES Guide to Reinforcing Steels was published in eleven parts, listed below, in 2011. It is intended to update this Guide in 2020.

Although CARES co-ordinated the presentation of this information in the interests of the industry the authors assume no responsibility for any errors in or misinterpretations of such data and/or information of any loss or damage arising from or related to their use. For the avoidance of doubt these documents should not be referenced in any project contract or specification.

Part 1-The product certification scheme for steel for the reinforcement of concrete