How to inspect your reinforcement bars before using them

Both rebar suppliers local and contractors should know and understand the process of inspecting rebar. Whether the inspection is done by a professional inspector or their own forces, it is important for contractors to ensure that rebar has been inspected before using it. The main goal of rebar inspection is to ensure that the building codes and contract documents are followed. These programs also ensure architectural aesthetic and structural safety compliance. 

Testing and inspection don’t add quality to the product. They only confirm whether the product meets the established quality criteria. During construction, quality is achieved mostly by the quality assurance program of the contractor, involving field supervisors and workers. 

The inspectors of the contractor are separate from the inspectors mandated by the local building department or the owner. The quality control inspection of the contractor helps assure that the finished construction meets the requirement of the owner. Inspections by the supplier and material producer assure that products meet the specifications of the material. 

It is, therefore, important for the inspectors to be familiar with the project contract documents and building codes requirements and have the necessary access to material standards, codes, references and industry reports and manuals. 

The inspection program should, therefore, be established at a pre-construction conference. The complexity or size of the project determines the scope of the inspection program. It is, therefore, important for this meeting to be attended by the superintendent of the general contractor and representatives outside the inspection agencies. Other important people who should attend this meeting include the ironworker foreman, the representative of the supplier, and others. During the meeting, a checklist of procedures and minimum inspection requirements for inspection acceptance must be established. 

Checklist 
When inspecting rebars, a checklist should be established at the meeting. The checklist should have the following things. 

Construction schedule 
This is supposed to come from the general contractor so that the inspector can follow the placing team and inspect the in-place rebar before the placing and finishing of concrete.
 
Independent testing lab reports 
It is important to have an independent report from the testing labs on samples taken at the rebar fabricator’s shop or the job site to offer verification of the mill test report of the producer. 

Other things on the checklist 
Other things that are required on the checklist include a certified mill test, a material shipment schedule, potential problems, tolerances and periodic meetings. 

Material inspection 
The in-place rebar inspection starts with the mill test report and can be supplemented by a report from an independent testing lab. It is important for reports to state the grade of steel, chemical composition, tensile properties, and spacing and deformations height. Compare these values with the values in the applicable ASTM standard. It is important to understand that examining the bar mill markings will identify the type of rebar, the producing mill and the grade of steel. 

Once the rebar comes from rebar suppliers local, it is important to measure the lengths, spacing, bearing on a wall, and embedment of the rebar.