Construction of house needs different materials and hence needs study. The general guide points have been discussed by us in Material Buying Guide In General. Here we discuss buying guide for steel.
One need to do adequate research when you plan to buy steel bars. The steel bars are important for the life of the structural system. They are known as rebars in short form. They are also known as reinforcing bar or reinforcement steel.
Steel bars and cement are the most important materials used in the building. The strength of building is directly related to the strength of steel bars. We already discussed the cement buying guide in our recent content.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Nearyz Resources.
There are two types of steel bars in the market.
Mild steel bars are plain in surface and are round sections of diameter from 6 to 50 mm. They can be manufactured in long length and can be cut quickly and bend easily without damage.
Mild steel bars are available in Fe410-S (Grade 60) or Fe410-O (Grade 40).
Medium tensile steel bars are available in Fe540 (Grade 75)
High strength deformed steel bars are provided with lugs, ribs or deformation on the surface of the bar to improve the bond with the concrete. They are also twisted to improve the bond with the concrete.
Cold twisted deformed bars (Ribbed or Tor Steel Bars) are recommended as best quality steel bars for construction work.
They are available in Grade Fe415, Fe415D, Fe500, Fe500D, Fe550, Fe550D, and Fe600.
Fe indicates the specified 0.2 percent proof stress or yield stress in Newton per square millimeter.
You will have to spend a lot of time towards reviewing types, brands and its grade while buying.
Steel bars are needed as reinforcement in RCC structure. Concrete is the materials that is very weak in tension but strong in compression. To compensate for this imbalance of concrete, we provide steel bars in concrete to increase its tensile strength.
You therefore have to select the right type and grade of steel bars depending on your requirement or as considered in structural design/structural drawing by the structural engineer.
First you have to decide why and where do you need steel? i.e. for foundation, slab, and beam, column or for water tank and where is your area located? I.e. near the sea shore is It in corrosion prone area? You may than need CRS steel.
You can check the quality of steel bars by following steps
Check the percentage of deviation (Rolling Margin) in weight of reinforcement steel.
Rolling margin is very important when you buy in tonnes, and you get paid in lengths.
Avoid using steel from those rolling mills which use “rerolled or scrap steel” as a row material. These are likely to have higher carbon content, which are prone to high corrosion.
b) Always ask for “chemical composition” test from the supplier. Apart from other material, the content of carbon is very important. It should not be more that 0.25 percent as it would accelerate corrosion and which will not only reduce the life of building but also will increase periodical repairing work.
Normally in advanced countries, people don’t buy steel, but they buy “Readymade cut bars” as per designed length and shape i.e. as per bar bending schedule.
They have to be simply placed in position. But here also you need to exercise many of the above points.
When you buy “Readymade Cut bars”, check the following
(i) Check the shape and length of each type of bar as per bar bending schedule.
(ii) Check nos and stack each bar separately.
(iii) Always check the hooks, its shape and length.
(iv) Check the quantity.
Check whether the steel bars you buy bears a national certification like ASTM A706, JIS G, BS, ASTM A615, JIS G and IS 432 (Mild Steel Bar), IS (High Strength Deformed Steel Bar) etc. The certification assures you about its quality as well as the reputation of the manufacturer.
When you buy steel bars, you should read all the technical specifications which are either described in the product literature or on the manufacturer’s website. We have to check whether the product specification represented by sales persons and the literature confirms or not. Try to understand and follow all the cautions of use and advice for use, etc. as per the written specifications in the literature. It is also necessary to read the terms and condition of warranty, guarantee, etc.
You may economise and save on each and every individual item, but you should not save on steel bars. They are the definite requirement of your house and directly related to safety and stability of your house.
It is advisable to provide steel bars as specified in drawing or as instructed by the structural consultant. Some people avoid consulting the structural consultant and providing the steel as per thumb rule to save the fees of the structural consultant. They forgot that every structure has carried different behaviour and one cannot use the same thumb rule for different structures. Do not get away by idiotic thumb rule of using this 2 to 3 kg of steel per Sq.ft. One thing we can tell you that thumb rules will raise your budget in future as they ultimately increase the cost of repairing work. They either excess your budget by over design or reduce the lifespan of the structure by under design.
You should also estimate the exact quantity of steel diameter wise. The wastage of steel bars will cost you high. You need to work out quantity in advance so you can bargain with the supplier or distributor.
You must search for the right supplier or distributor and their location. You should also find out whether it is directly available from the manufacturers or distributors or retailers etc. The price will definitely depend on from whom you buy the steel bars.
The cost of transportation, taxes and duties including the cost of loading and unloading at the site are the necessary point to remember as they also affect your budget while buying steel bars. Steel being heavy material, they form substantial weight and hence higher cost of the transportation.
Always use the popular brand of steel bars as they may have a certain quality. It is advisable to use the brand suggested by your structural consultant or use the government-approved brand or ISI brand.
The Price of steel bars vary between Rs 30 to Rs 60 per kg. Kamdhenu, Thermax, Tata Tiscon, Jindal, Essar, Vizag and Electro are the popular brands of steel bars in India who make different types of steel with different grade.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Reinforcing Steel Manufacturers.
Always try to learn how to test the materials on site as well as in laboratory in case of bulk buying.
Study the above factors of steel bars and then select the right material and the supplier.
It is advisable to place written order if you are buying the large quantity. It should include specifications of steel bars, rates including taxes, transportation, and loading-unloading charges, etc. It should also include quantity, time of delivery, warranty, guarantee, terms of payment including advance.
When you receive steel bars at the site, please check the make, quantity and quality. Also check ISI marks, brand and whether there are any damages to the steel bars.
Also check the weight of steel bar received on site by at approved weighbridge.
Use this formula for the actual weight of steel (site) = Total weight of truck with steel bars – The empty weight of truck (Weight without steel).
Do not stack directly on the ground as the ground moisture will rust it. Store the steel bars in godown and place wooden batten below them so they should not directly rest on ground.
If you are satisfied with the quality and quantity of the steel bars, then make payment as per the contract and obtain the receipt of payment. Preserve all the bills, product literature and the warrant/guarantee certificate, etc.
The steel bars are generally one-time purchase, and it has a long lasting service life when embedded in concrete. If we leave them in open environment, they get corroded fast. Hence try to use them as early as possible or store steel bars in warehouse.
You can buy steel bars in 8 mm (18 nos per bundle), 10 mm (12 nos per bundle), 12 mm (8 nos per bundle), and 16 mm (5 nos per bundle) sizes. They are commonly used for house construction. You can also buy steel bars with the bigger diameter of 20 mm (3 nos per bundle), 25 mm, 28 mm, and 32 mm, which are used for high-rise buildings only. They are generally packed in the bundle, and above 20 mm diameter, they are available in the single piece.
The standard length of steel bars is 12 meter, but you can select the length as per your requirement.
Nowadays Thermo Mechanically Treated (TMT) steel and Corrosion Resistance Steel (CRS) are also used in Reinforced Concrete Framed Structure construction. They have good elongation, bending strength, ductility and high tensile strength and high corrosion resistance.
Reinforcing steel, commonly called ‘Rebar’, is a type of qualified steel essential in the construction of big and small office and residential buildings. In fact, even your driveway concrete slab cannot be constructed without it. Let’s explore the various reo bar sizes and grades as well as how much it costs.
Even though concrete alone can be compressed, it’s still not strong enough to hold together the weight of a whole building and stand firm on its own. Therefore, reinforcing bars or ‘reo bars’ are bars made of steel reinforcing bar used to supply tensile strength to the concrete. They are long and thin steel bars having a ribbed, that is, a ‘ribs-like’ pattern.
When choosing the correct type of rebar, there are two factors that you must consider. The first and most important criteria should be the type of material used in the making of the rebar plus its quality. And secondly, its coating material. Apart from this, the size of your project and the grade of material that must be employed to provide the right level of strengthening and support is also a crucial requirement. After taking note of the above factors, there are various types of rebars that you can choose from. Some of these include the following:
‘Grade’ essentially refers to the exact extent of quality or standard that the reinforcing steel best bar must carry to deliver the right results. In order to evaluate it, you must have a basic understanding of how the yield strength differs from tensile strength.
While yield strength means the least stress that a material can bear before it begins to deform, tensile strength means the maximum stress it can handle before it gets permanently broken or damaged.
These are named on the basis of the minimum yield strength that they can handle. Likewise, the minimum yield strength of a grade 40 Reo bar is 40 KSI, that is, 40 Kilopounds Per Square Inch. At the same time, the lowest yield strength of a grade 80 Reo bar will be 80 KSI.
Note that apart from the Reo bar size, you must also have a good idea about its grade and the type of bar steel that it uses to choose the best for yourself.
Here is a list of Rebar sizes that you can purchase.
Among these, while the #3 size is the mildest and most cost-effective size option used for building concrete roads, driving areas, and patios, the #18 size is the largest and the strongest Reo bar size utilised for industrial areas and large buildings.
Reinforcing Reo bar prices are calculated using the linear foot size. It does not include installation costs and depends on some critical features of the material, such as: