Designing for Constructibility:

Perspectives on Reinforcing
Calculating the
Length of Bent
Reinforcing Bars
Tight tolerances lead to some interesting observations

BY DICK BIRLEY

hen reinforcing bars are

fabricated with bends, the
straight bar is initially cut to a length
that is less than the sum of the
specified dimensions of the bent bar.
The difference between the detailed
length and the cut length is the bend
curvature deduction and may be
known in the trade by other names
such as gain, creep, and gyp. Generally,
fabricators and programmers obtain
the bend curvature deduction from
a bend deduction table, such as the
one shown in Table 1, that lists the
deductions for 45- and 90-degree
bends of common bar sizes.
Figure 1 shows a No. 8 (No. 25)
bar with a standard hook and sides
measuring 1 ft 4 in. and 4 ft (400 and
1220 mm). The detailed length of this
bar would be the sum of the two
sides, or 5 ft 4 in. (1620 mm). From
Table 1, the deduction for a 90-degree
bend on a No. 8 (No. 25) bar is 2-1/2 in.
(65 mm). Thus, in this case, the cut
length of the bar would be 5 ft 1-1/2 in.
(1555 mm).

The usual standard for measuring

the cut length of a bar is along the
actual centerline of the bar, which
corresponds to the neutral axis of the
bar cross section prior to bending.
The cut length of a bent bar is
shorter than the sum of the finished
dimensions for two reasons. The first
reason is obviousthe fillets created
at the bend points have an arc length
that is shorter than the sum of the
intersecting tangents. This component
of the bend deduction can be found
with a simple mathematical calculation.
The second reason isnt so obvious.
While the outer fibers of the bar are
free to elongate, the inner fibers of
the bar are restrained by friction
against the bending mandrelthe
neutral axis therefore shifts inward
toward the mandrel. This component
cannot be easily calculated. Fortunately,
however, the discrepancy resulting
from calculating lengths based on the
actual centerline is rarely a concern.
A few years ago, some interesting
surprises were found while detailing
Concrete international

/ MARCH 2006

Designing for Constructibility: Perspectives on Reinforcing

Fig. 1: Using the bend deduction value from Table 1 of 2-1/2 in.
(65 mm), the length of straight bar cut to form the bent bar
shown would be 5 ft 1-1/2 in. (1555 mm)

TABLE 1:
BEND DEDUCTION VALUES
45-degree bend,
in. (mm)

90-degree bend,
in. (mm)

No. 3 (No. 10)

1/4 (5)

1 (25)

No. 4 (No. 13)

1/4 (5)

1-1/4 (30)

No. 5 (No. 16)

1/4 (10)

1-1/2 (40)

No. 6 (No. 19)

1/2 (10)

1-3/4 (50)

No. 7 (No. 22)

1/2 (15)

2-1/4 (55)

No. 8 (No. 25)

1/2 (15)

2-1/2 (65)

No. 9 (No. 29)

3/4 (20)

3-1/2 (90)

No. 10 (No. 32)

3/4 (20)

3-3/4 (100)

No. 11 (No. 36)

1 (25)

4-1/4 (110)

No. 14 (No. 43)

1-1/4 (30)

6 (150)

No. 18 (No. 57)

1-1/2 (40)

8 (200)

Bar size

the reinforcing for a large precast segmental bridge.

There were more than 200 different bar shapes, of which
most were multi-sided, closed stirrups with varying
angles. The client insisted that the cut length of the bars
had to be within a tolerance of 10 mm (3/8 in.), regardless
of the number of bends on the bar or the angles. Obviously,
this could not be accomplished by using a chart. The ability
to calculate the precise bend deduction for each bend at
any angle on each bar size had to be introduced into the
detailing software.

MARCH 2006

/ Concrete international

=
db =
r =
rm =
ro =
=
re =
a =
T =
d =

bend angle
bar diameter
radius to actual centerline of bar
radius of mandrel
radius to outside of bar = rm + db
friction factor 1 < < 0
radius to effective centerline of bar = (db /2) + rm
arc along effective centerline of bar = re( - )
tangent to radius at outside of bar = ro /(tan /2)
bend curvature deduction = 2T - a
= 2ro /(tan /2) - re( - )

Fig. 2: Calculation of bend deduction values including friction factor

To meet this challenge, the calculations had to

include a term that would allow the effective centerline
of the bend to shift inward from the actual centerline.
One way to include this effect in the arc length calculations
is to use an effective centerline located a distance (db/2)
from the inside of the bend, where is a variable labeled
the friction factor. With zero friction, = 1 and the
effective centerline is located at the actual centerline.
With zero slip, = 0 and the effective centerline is located
at the inside face of the bend.
For a given bar size and mandrel, a calibration for the
value can be made by carefully measuring the lengths of
straight bars, bending them to the same angle, measuring
and summing the dimensions of the two resulting sides,
deducting the original straight length from this sum to
find the total bend curvature deduction, and solving the
equations defined in Fig. 2.
Many factors, including bar size, steel grade, angle of
the rib to the mandrel, the mandrel material, the amount
of wear on the mandrel, the bending speed, and the bar

Designing for Constructibility: Perspectives on Reinforcing

temperature (the shop operated
through winter and summer), were
found to affect the value of . There
were four bending machines in the
shop, and each one was assigned
a value for for each bar size.
Bending speed was set at a constant
prescribed rate for each bender, and
the whole process was rechecked
every couple of weeks. The 10 mm
(3/8 in.) tolerance could be successfully met, provided the client could
successfully control the various
factors affecting .
Surprisingly, the value of was
usually about 0.2 to 0.25 and rarely
approached 0.3. If the bending speed
was increased, would drop to as
low as 0.1. There was a small amount
of Grade 75 (520 MPa) bar on the
project for which had to be set to
zero. This seemed to indicate that
friction with the mandrel was so high
(due to the force required to bend
the bar) that there was no slip along
the inner curve and that all of the
elongation was along the outside
curve of the bar.

Acknowledgments
Thanks to M. Lount, FACI, for contributing the calculations for the bend curvature
deduction and identifying the friction factor.
Selected for reader interest by the editors.

ACI member Dick Birley has more than 40 years of experience in

the reinforcing steel industry, including working as an ironworker
and owning a fabrication and placing company. He is currently the
owner of Condor Rebar Consultants, Inc., a detailing company
located in Vancouver, BC, that is involved in projects worldwide.
He is a member of ACI Committees 315, Details of Concrete
Reinforcement, and 439, Steel Reinforcement.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Considering the values for , it

became apparent that, when a bar
was bent, there was much more
elongation along the outside of the
bend than anticipated. If the mandrel
was new and very smooth, there
seemed to be less friction with the
mandrel, which increased the value
of . Increasing the bending speed
seemed to increase friction against
the mandrel, which decreased the
value of . In the case of Grade 75
(520 MPa) bars with an of 0, the
difference between elongations along
the outside and inside of the bend
was extreme.
As an aside, the client found the
task of monitoring the factors
affecting the bending so onerous
that the requirement for the 10 mm
(3/8 in.) cutting tolerance was
quietly dropped, and the shop
gradually returned to normal
fabricating practices.

1/3 ISLAND

CIRCLE READER CARD #0

Concrete international

/ MARCH 2006