Although concrete is currently the most popular building material, it is not ideal. A disadvantage of concrete is its relatively low tensile strength, and it is this factor that determines the durability of structures. To strengthen the structure of load-bearing walls, pillars, or bridges, steel reinforcement made of suitable grades of steel is used for this purpose. Reinforcing steel is one of the products offered by JFK Group.

Reinforcing rods and wires

Reinforcing steel is a category of building materials intended for strengthening the structure of concrete constructions and for bearing stresses that concrete cannot withstand. It is a diverse category, and materials classified within it have different physical characteristics.

Besides the properties and strength of individual species reinforcing steel The commercial forms of the products also differentiate them. The most commonly used include steel reinforcing bars, available in several variants designated by class. They are used for reinforcing concrete directly on the construction site or for creating precast elements such as lattice girders or meshes.

Reinforcement of steel reinforcing bars is complemented by reinforcing wires, hooks, and other elements, available in the same grades of steel. Using reinforcing bars The binding of hooks involves joining and tying individual reinforcement elements. This creates a compact whole, perfectly supporting the concrete structure of a pillar or load-bearing wall.

Get to know others as well Reinforcement for construction, which we produce.

Reinforcing steel classification

Although reinforcement steel forms one material category, within it, individual grades and classes of steel can be distinguished. In accordance with the markings required by the standard, all types of steel for this purpose are designated with the symbol B500. This means their yield strength is 500 MPa. In practice, three grades of B500 steel are used – SP, B, and A, differing mainly in ductility.

In addition to types, reinforcing steel is also divided into classes. There are five of them. Each of them includes material of different strength and purpose:

• A-0 – high-ductility plain bars, formable, used as auxiliary reinforcement elements. Due to the lowest mechanical strength among the types available in our offer, reinforcement steel of this class is generally used for structures made of slightly lower quality concrete. Its low hardness also allows it to be used when assembling stirrups for supporting load-bearing bars. We do not recommend its use under repeatedly variable loads.
• A-I – smooth bars with characteristics and application similar to A-0 bars, but differ from the above-described class of reinforcing steel in that the ends of the bundle are painted red on one side. If, however, they were supplied in a coil, a red band 2 cm wide will be visible. These types of smooth bars are used, among other things, for constructing structures in environments exposed to aggressive liquids or gases. They can also be used if the ground is unstable or if there is a risk of seismic shocks at the destination.
• A-II – ribbed bars, used as load-bearing reinforcement for strengthening elements subjected to high loads. They can be used in conditions of elevated temperature. Compared to the above-mentioned grades of reinforcing steel, singly ribbed bars have significantly higher strength, and after appropriate impregnation, they can also be used in environments where aggressive gases and liquids act on the structure. However, please note that the St50B grade is not suitable for repeatedly variable loads.
• A-III – ribbed bars used for main reinforcement. Thanks to the application of additional transverse ribbing, creating a so-called herringbone pattern, reinforcement steel of this class boasts a very good level of mechanical strength, making it – especially in the 34GS grade – widely used in structural elements. Due to its parameters, investors also willingly use it in buildings exposed to repeatedly varying loads and high temperatures.
• A-IIIN – high-strength bars used for assembling reinforcement in high-demand structures. This type of ribbed steel reinforcement, with a double-diagonal pattern, is currently most frequently used in reinforced concrete flexural members as longitudinal load-bearing reinforcement. The leading product in this category is the 20G2VY-b grade steel, with a yield strength of approximately 500 MPa. The B500SP grade is also included in this class, characterised by particularly high ductility and a unique rib pattern that aids identification.

Rebar classified into a specific category, it is characterised by a distinctive surface structure. Apart from the weakest, smooth rods of classes A-0 and A-1, the others have formed ribs – transverse, longitudinal, herringbone or a combination thereof.

Application of reinforcing steel

Application reinforcing steel It is very broad. Both reinforcing bars and ready-made mesh, concrete slabs, or other precast elements and reinforcing wire are used to strengthen all kinds of concrete structures. However, there are structural elements that – due to heavy loads – particularly require the use of reinforcing steel. These include: load-bearing walls, stairs, terraces and balconies, load-bearing columns and pillars, lintels, foundation strips, beams and many others.

Reinforcing mesh It also finds use in fixing plaster to external walls. By applying the mass to the metal structure, it adheres much better to the vertical surface. Reinforcing steel can also be used to strengthen septic tank and sewage treatment plant tanks, airport runways, and many other structures.

Reinforcing steel – a ubiquitous material in construction

Reinforced steel, when combined with concrete of the appropriate quality, makes it possible to achieve reinforced concrete, characterised not only by a very high load-bearing capacity, which is desirable for example in bridge construction, but also by excellent resistance to various external factors. These include, among others, high temperatures, the action of aggressive liquids and gases, and even seismic shocks. Individual types of reinforcing steel they differ significantly in their properties, so it is worth paying special attention to their appropriate selection, especially for particularly complex projects. This will help protect the building from excessive settlement, which can be associated with even very serious financial losses in the case of specialised industrial structures.

Price of reinforcing steel

Reinforcing steel is also in the assortment JFK Group. We offer it in the form of reinforcing bars, wires, and also, at the customer's request, we produce various pre-fabricated elements. The price of reinforcing steel is determined by its weight and class. The thicker the reinforcing bar, the greater its mass, and thus the price per linear metre. To obtain approximate information about the purchase cost, it is worth using a reinforcing steel calculator. This will allow you to calculate the mass of ordered bars of a specific diameter and class, and then calculate their price.