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Rebar inspection checklist

A rebar inspection checklist for the reinforcement inspection before concrete, filled in on a phone. Check each delivery against the bar schedule, with its mill certificate and bar tags (scan a tag to capture the mark, size and length). Then add each element as you walk it: a slab bay, beam, column, wall or footing, with its drawing and bar schedule. Check bar sizes, numbers, shapes, lap positions, spacers and chairs, ties, cleanliness, couplers, starter bars, openings, embedded items and bar caps. Enter spacing, lap, anchorage and cover readings with the value from the drawing and the tolerance from your specification, and the form says which are out. Record the hold point release and the actions. For the trade sign-off before the pour, use the concrete pour card.

For site engineers, steel fixing foremen, superintendents, clerks of works, owner's inspectors and structural engineers checking reinforcement at the hold point before concrete.

Written for any country. Choose US or metric units on page 1. The notes quote a US federal guide specification and OSHA where they help; your drawings, bar schedule and specification set every value.

  • Deliveries checked against the bar schedule, with mill certificates and a bar tag scan
  • Each element (slab, beam, column, wall, footing) with its drawing and bar schedule, and 16 checks from bar sizes to bar caps
  • Spacing, lap, anchorage, cover and starter readings compared with the drawn value and the tolerance you enter
  • Photos and GPS for each element and reading, and the hold point release as given
  • Actions with priority, owner and due date, and signatures
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What is checked in a rebar inspection?

A rebar inspection is useful when every reading sits next to the value on the drawing and the tolerance from the specification, every problem has a location and an owner, and the hold point release is recorded with who gave it. That is what lets the pour go ahead on time, and what shows later that the steel was right when it was covered up.

Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 27 October 2026 against Unified Facilities Guide Specifications, UFGS 03 30 00 Cast-in-Place Concrete (USACE, NAVFAC, AFCEC), OSHA 29 CFR 1926.701, Concrete and masonry construction, general requirements (eCFR), IRC section R109 types of inspections, as reproduced by Winnebago County, Illinois building department and BSI, BS 8666:2020 Scheduling, dimensioning, bending and cutting of steel reinforcement for concrete.

How to inspect rebar before a pour

Do it when the steel fixer says the element is ready, before the hold point and well before the concrete is ordered.

  1. Set up the inspection

    Enter the steel fixer, the engineer, the specification, the units you work in and the pour card the inspection goes with.

  2. Check the bars delivered

    For each load, compare the bundle tags with the bar schedule, scan a tag if you like, and record whether the mill certificate is in and matches. Check the bars are stored off the ground and clean.

  3. Walk each element

    Add the slab bay, beam, column, wall or footing with its drawing and bar schedule. Work through the checks and say what needs doing for anything not right.

  4. Take the readings

    Measure spacing, laps, anchorage, cover and starter projections where it matters. Type the drawn value and the tolerance from the specification; the form flags anything out and asks what needs doing.

  5. Record the hold point

    Note who released the hold point, the result and the reference, and attach their record.

  6. Actions and sign-off

    List each correction with a priority, owner and date, choose whether the element is ready for concrete, and sign with the steel fixer.

What makes a rebar inspection useful

Readings, one item each with where, the reading type, the specified value, the tolerances and the measured value

Transfer beam TB2, links C/2 to C/2.5: specified 150 mm, tolerance 10 mm below and above, measured 210 mm. Links slid along the cage and bunched towards C/2.5. Re-space to 150 mm centres and re-tie before the pour; steel fixer D. Moss, due 15 Oct.

Fictional example. Record the actual evidence and approved arrangements for your job.

A common recording mistake

Ticking 'spacing OK' for a whole slab without a single measured value or location, so nobody can show later what was checked or where.

What happens next

Send the report to the engineer with the actions, re-check the corrected areas, then sign the reinforcement line on the pour card.

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Every question in the rebar inspection template

A reinforcement inspection before concrete for any element: deliveries checked against the bar schedule with mill certificates and bar tags (label scan), then each slab, beam, column, wall or footing with bar sizes, numbers, shapes, lap positions, spacers and chairs, ties, cleanliness, couplers, starter bars, openings, embedded items, coating damage and bar caps, readings of spacing, laps, anchorage and cover against the drawing and the specified tolerance, the hold point release, actions and sign-off. 5 sections and 116 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.

Make it your own: every question is editable

This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.

Details you only enter once

Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.

  • Project: the project name
  • Site address: the site address, from the space or the project
  • Client or owner: the project's customer

Inspection details

Fill in before you walk the reinforcement.

  • ProjectShort answer

    Filled in from the project in SiteSurvey.

    Fills in from the project name
  • Site addressShort answer
    Fills in from the site address, from the space or the project
  • Client or ownerShort answer
    Fills in from the project's customer
  • Location (GPS)Short answer
  • Inspection date*Date
  • Inspected by*Short answer
  • Reinforcement contractor or steel fixerShort answer
  • Structural engineerShort answer
  • Specification inspected againstShort answer

    For example specification section 03 30 00, or the concrete and reinforcement specification.

  • Units used on this inspection*Choose one
    • US customary (inches, feet)
    • Metric (mm, m)
  • Type of inspection*Choose one
    • Contractor check before the hold point
    • Hold point inspection with the engineer
    • Building code or building control inspection
    • Re-inspection after corrections
    • Other
  • Pour card or permit to pourShort answer

    Reference of the pour card this inspection signs off, if any.

  • CheckThis is a site record of the reinforcement before concrete: what was seen, measured and photographed against the drawings, bar schedule and specification. It does not approve the reinforcement. Bar sizes, spacing, laps, anchorage, cover and tolerances come from those documents and are entered by the inspector; the form supplies none of its own.
  • GuidanceUS houses: under the International Residential Code as adopted locally (R109.1.1 in the 2003 text; numbering varies by edition), the foundation inspection is made once any required forms are up and any required reinforcing steel is in place, before concrete. Book it with your building department.
    Shown when “Units used on this inspection” is “US customary (inches, feet)”
  • Walk Cam: reinforcement walk-roundWalk Cam video with voice-to-text

    Optional. Film a guided walk-round on the SiteSurvey app.

  • Weather on siteAnswer

Bars delivered and certificates

  • GuidanceCheck each load against the bar schedule. On jobs that use UFGS 03 30 00, bars arrive bundled with machine-stamped metal tags showing bar size, length and mark, matching the placing drawings, and mill certificates are submitted for the bars. Bar schedules in the UK are usually prepared to BS 8666.
  • Bar type on this job*Choose one
    • Uncoated (black bar)
    • Epoxy coated
    • Galvanised
    • Stainless steel
    • Mixed
  • Deliveries checked
    Repeat for each delivery. Each one asks:
    • Delivery note*Short answer

      Delivery note or load number.

    • Delivered onDate
    • Bar marks or schedule sheets on this loadShort answer

      For example schedule 03-S-201 sheets 1 to 3, marks 01 to 24.

    • Scan a bar tagScan a label: bar mark, bar size, grade, length, number of bars, schedule reference

      Optional. Scan a bundle tag to capture the bar mark, size and length for comparing with the schedule.

    • Bundle tags match the bar schedule marks?*Yes or No
    • Which marks do not matchNotes
      Shown when “Bundle tags match the bar schedule marks?” is No
    • Mill or test certificate*Choose one
      • Received and matches the bars
      • Received, does not match the bars
      • Not received yet
    • Certificate referenceShort answer
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Photos of the tags and the certificatePhotos
  • Deliveries checkedWorked out by the form
  • Certificates missing or not matchingWorked out by the form
  • Loads with tags not matchingWorked out by the form
  • Bars stored off the ground, sorted by size and markChoose one

    UFGS 03 30 00 (1.5.1), where a job uses it, asks for racks raised above the ground with sizes kept separate.

    • Acceptable
    • Action needed
    • Not checked
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Stored bars protected from mud, oil and greaseChoose one
    • Acceptable
    • Action needed
    • Not checked
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Coated bars handled and stored so the coating is not damagedChoose one

    Padded slings and supports, not dragged or dropped.

    • Acceptable
    • Action needed
    • Not checked
    • Not applicable
  • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Storage items needing actionWorked out by the form
  • Not checkedWorked out by the form

Elements and readings

  • GuidanceAdd one element for each slab bay, beam, column, wall or footing. For spacing, laps, anchorage and cover, add a reading with the value from the drawing and the tolerance from the specification; the form says if the measured value is out. Enter 0 as the tolerance below for a minimum value such as a lap length.
  • CheckCoated bars: on jobs that use UFGS 03 30 00, coating damage is inspected and repaired before assembly and again after, the repair is left to cure before concrete, and excessive nicks and scrapes that expose steel are cause for rejection.
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Elements
    Repeat for each element. Each one asks:
    • Element*Short answer

      For example Level 2 transfer slab, bay C-D/3-5, or beam TB4.

    • Type*Choose one
      • Slab (suspended)
      • Slab on grade or raft
      • Transfer slab
      • Beam
      • Column
      • Wall
      • Footing, pile cap or ground beam
      • Stair or ramp
      • Other
    • Drawing and bar schedule*Short answer

      Drawing number and revision, schedule sheet.

    • Where is it?Short answer
    • Spacers and chairs usedChoose one
      • Concrete blocks
      • Plastic spacers
      • Steel chairs (plastic-tipped or coated)
      • Continuous chairs or bar supports
      • Cast-in tie-wired concrete blocks
      • Mixed
      • Other
    • Spacer or chair sizeShort answer

      As marked, for example 40 mm or 2 in.

    • Photos of the elementPhotos

      An overall view, then the details.

    • Bar sizes and grade markings as the bar scheduleChoose one

      Check the rolled markings on the bars against the schedule.

      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Number of bars, bar marks and layers as drawn (top, bottom, links or stirrups)Choose one
      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Bar shapes and bends as scheduled, no unscheduled bends or kinksChoose one

      UFGS 03 30 00 (3.5.9), where used, rejects bars with bends or kinks not on the drawings or approved shop drawings.

      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Lap and splice positions as drawnChoose one

      Where laps are allowed and staggered as the drawings show. Lap lengths go in the readings below.

      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Spacers and chairs of the specified type, at the specified spacing, with sand plates on groundChoose one
      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Bars tied at intersections, cage rigid enough not to move when walked on or during the pourChoose one
      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Tie wire ends turned away from the form faceChoose one
      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Bars clean: no mud, oil, grease, release agent or loose rust or scaleChoose one

      UFGS 03 30 00 (3.5 b), where used: no rust, scale, oil, grease, clay or anything that would reduce the bond; remove loose rust before placing.

      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • No bars with reduced section from rust or damage, no tack weldingChoose one
      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Couplers fitted as the manufacturer instructs, threads protected or pluggedChoose one
      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Starter bars and dowels in position, at the drawn projection and levelChoose one
      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Openings, penetrations and edges trimmed with the extra bars drawnChoose one
      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Embedded items (sleeves, ducts, conduits, anchor bolts, cast-in channels) fixed and supported, bars not displacedChoose one
      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Coated bars: coating damage repaired and the repair curedChoose one

      UFGS 03 30 00 (3.5.5.1), where used: excessive nicks and scrapes that expose steel are cause for rejection.

      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Formwork clean of tie wire, off-cuts and debrisChoose one
      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Protruding bars capped or guardedChoose one

      US: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.701(b) requires protruding reinforcing steel that someone could fall onto or into to be guarded to eliminate the impalement hazard.

      • Acceptable
      • Action needed
      • Not checked
      • Not applicable
    • What needs doing, or why not checkedNotes
      Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Readings
      Repeat for each reading. Each one asks:
      • Where*Short answer

        Bar mark, layer and position, for example B1 bottom, bay 3, 2 m from grid C.

      • Reading*Choose one
        • Bar spacing
        • Lap length
        • Anchorage or embedment length
        • Cover (bottom or soffit)
        • Cover (top)
        • Cover (side or face)
        • Starter bar projection
        • Other
      • What was measuredShort answer
        Shown when “Reading” is “Other”
      • Specified value*Number

        From the drawing or bar schedule. In the units chosen on page 1.

      • Tolerance allowed belowNumber

        From the specification. Enter 0 for a minimum value.

      • Tolerance allowed aboveNumber

        Leave blank if there is no upper limit, for example a lap length.

      • Measured*Number

        Tape or rule. A measure from a photo is an estimate only. In the units chosen on page 1.

      • Against the specified valueWorked out by the form
      • r_outWorked out by the form
      • Photo of the tape on the barsPhotos

        Hold the tape across the bars so the reading can be seen.

      • What needs doingNotes
        Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
    • Readings takenWorked out by the form
    • Readings out of the allowed rangeWorked out by the form
    • This element: items needing actionWorked out by the form
    • Not checkedWorked out by the form
  • Elements inspectedWorked out by the form
  • Readings takenWorked out by the form
  • Readings out of the allowed rangeWorked out by the form
  • Element items needing actionWorked out by the form
  • Not checkedWorked out by the form

Hold point

  • GuidanceRecord the hold point as it was released by the person with that authority on this job (engineer, owner's inspector or building control). The form records the decision; it does not make it.
  • Hold point released by*Choose one
    • Structural engineer
    • Owner's inspector or clerk of works
    • Building code or building control inspector
    • Contractor's quality manager
    • Not released yet
  • NameShort answer
    Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
  • Hold point result*Choose one
    • Released for concrete
    • Released once the listed actions are done and checked
    • Not released
  • Result given onDate
  • Inspection or release referenceShort answer

    For example the engineer's site instruction or the building department card.

  • Engineer's or inspector's record (PDF or photos)Photos

Result, actions and sign-off

  • Items needing actionWorked out by the form
  • ResultWorked out by the form
  • Actions
    Repeat for each action. Each one asks:
    • Action*Notes
    • PriorityChoose one
      • Urgent: safety
      • Before the pour
      • Before the next lift
      • For information
    • Who will do it*Short answer
    • Due byDate
    • Status*Choose one
      • Open
      • In progress
      • Done, checked
    • Photo when donePhotos
      Shown when “Status” is “Done, checked”
  • Actions still openWorked out by the form
  • Decision*Choose one
    • Ready for concrete
    • Ready once the listed actions are done and checked
    • Not ready: re-inspect
  • Next check or re-inspection dateDate
  • Summary for the clientNotes
  • Inspector nameShort answer
  • Inspector signature*Signature
  • Reinforcement contractor nameShort answer
  • Reinforcement contractor signatureSignature

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A completed rebar inspection report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.

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Rebar inspection FAQs

Is this the same as a concrete pour card?

No. This form is the detailed reinforcement inspection, element by element, with readings and photos. The concrete pour card is the sign-off by each trade before the pour, and the concrete pour checklist records the pour itself. Many jobs attach this inspection to the reinforcement line on the pour card.

What cover, spacing and lap lengths should I check against?

The values on your drawings, bar schedule and specification. The form gives none of its own, because they depend on the element, the bar size, the exposure and the design code used. For each reading you enter the drawn value and the tolerance the specification allows below and above it, and the form compares the measured value. Enter 0 as the tolerance below for a minimum, such as a lap length.

How clean does rebar need to be before concrete?

Your specification says. As an example, the US federal guide specification UFGS 03 30 00 says reinforcement must not have rust, scale, oil, grease, clay or other substances that would reduce the bond, that loose rust is removed before placing, and that rust is a basis of rejection only if it has reduced the bar's cross-section or weight per unit length. The form has a check for cleanliness and one for bars with reduced section.

Source: Unified Facilities Guide Specifications, UFGS 03 30 00 Cast-in-Place Concrete (USACE, NAVFAC, AFCEC).

Do protruding bars need caps?

In the US, OSHA 29 CFR 1926.701(b) requires all protruding reinforcing steel that employees could fall onto or into to be guarded to eliminate the hazard of impalement. Each element in the form has a check for bar caps or guarding, so uncapped starters become an action with an owner.

Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.701, Concrete and masonry construction, general requirements (eCFR).

Does the building inspector need to see the rebar?

It depends on where you are and what the job is. For US houses, the International Residential Code (section R109.1.1 in the 2003 text; numbering and local amendments vary) makes the foundation inspection once any required forms are up and any required reinforcing steel is in place, before concrete. On larger jobs the engineer or a special inspector usually has a hold point. The form records who released it, the result and the reference; it does not approve the steel itself.

Source: IRC section R109 types of inspections, as reproduced by Winnebago County, Illinois building department.

What is a bar schedule and why check deliveries against it?

The bar schedule lists every bar by mark, with its size, shape, length and number. In the UK, schedules are usually prepared to BS 8666, the British Standard for scheduling, dimensioning, bending and cutting reinforcement. Checking each load's tags against the schedule, and its mill or test certificate, catches wrong bars before they are fixed. On jobs that use UFGS 03 30 00, bars arrive tagged with size, length and mark matching the placing drawings, and mill certificates are submitted.

Sources: BSI, BS 8666:2020 Scheduling, dimensioning, bending and cutting of steel reinforcement for concrete and Unified Facilities Guide Specifications, UFGS 03 30 00 Cast-in-Place Concrete (USACE, NAVFAC, AFCEC).

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