Standards coverage
Which rebar shape codes ForgeWorks actually implements
Nine BS 8666 shape codes and eight ForgeWorks bar types for American practice, with the developed-length formula each one uses. If the shape you need is not on this list, it is not in the product — and the list below says so plainly rather than hiding behind the word “simplified”.
BS 8666 shape codes — 9 implemented
Every code below is selectable in the bar editor. “Developed length” is the cut length ForgeWorks schedules: the sum of the specified legs, less the bend deductions described further down.
| Code | Name | Dimensions | Bends | Developed length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
00 | Straight | A | 0 | A |
11 | L-bar | A, B | 1 | A + B less one 90° deduction |
21 | U-bar | A, B | 2 | A + 2B less two 90° deductions |
33 | Double crank | A, B, C | 2 | A + B + C less two 45° deductions |
41 | Cranked bar | A, B, C | 2 | A + B + C less two 45° deductions |
51 | Closed link | A, B, C | 4 | 2A + 2B + 2·max(C, 10d, 100) − 2.5r − 5d |
61 | U-link with hooks | A, B, C | 4 | A + 2B + 2·max(C, 10d, 100) less 2×90° and 2×135° deductions |
77 | Multi-bend | A, B, C, D | 3 | A + B + C + D less three 90° deductions |
99 | Special / polygon | Free legs + angles | Any | Sum of legs, less a deduction per specified angle |
99 is the escape hatch: enter any list of leg lengths and bend
angles and ForgeWorks develops the length from those. It covers shapes that have no dedicated code here,
at the cost of you entering the geometry yourself.
ForgeWorks bar types for American practice — 8 implemented
FW- prefix precisely so nobody reads
them as belonging to a standard — do not quote them to a detailer as if they did.
| Ref | Name | Dimensions | Bends | Developed length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
FW-T1 | Straight | A | 0 | A |
FW-T2 | 90° bent bar | A, B | 1 | A + B less one 90° deduction |
FW-T3 | U-bar | A, B | 2 | A + 2B less two 90° deductions |
FW-T4 | Closed tie, 90° hook | A, B | 5 | 2A + 2B + 12d less five deductions |
FW-T5 | Seismic tie, 135° hooks | A, B | 6 | 2A + 2B + 2·max(6d, 75) less six deductions |
FW-T6 | 180° hook | A | 1 | A + π(r + d/2) + max(4d, 65) |
FW-T7 | Offset / Z | A, B, C | 2 | A + B + C less two 45° deductions |
FW-T8 | Hairpin with hooks | A, B | 4 | A + 2B + 2·max(6d, 75) less four deductions |
Bend geometry: the rules behind every deduction
A bent bar is shorter than the sum of its legs, because the legs are measured to their intersection while the steel takes the inside of the curve. ForgeWorks deducts, per bend:
deduction = 2·(r + d/2)·tan(θ/2) − (r + d/2)·θrad
where d is the bar diameter, r the former radius and θ the
bend angle. Former radius is stepped by bar size:
| Bar diameter | Former radius r | Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 6 – 16 mm | 2d (12–32 mm) | 2d |
| 20 – 25 mm | 3.5d (70–87.5 mm) | 3.5d |
| 28 – 50 mm | 5d (140–250 mm) | 5d |
The 180° case
A 180° turn is a semicircle, not a corner, so the tangent formula above does not apply to it — at
exactly 180° tan(θ/2) is infinite. The FW-T6 hook instead adds the real arc
length π(r + d/2) plus the straight extension. Bend angles elsewhere are clamped below 180°
for the same reason.
Hook allowances
- 90° hook:
12d - 135° hook:
max(6d, 75 mm) - 180° hook:
max(4d, 65 mm) - Link hook leg (BS
51,61):max(C, 10d, 100 mm), so a hook shorter than the minimum is raised to it rather than scheduled as entered.
What is not implemented
This is the honest half of the page. None of the following are in ForgeWorks today, and a schedule
that needs them cannot be produced accurately without using code 99 and entering the
geometry by hand:
- Curved and radius bars. Every bend is treated as a sharp angle with a former deduction. Bars curved to a large radius — circular tanks, curved walls, ramps — are not modelled.
- Helices and spirals. Spiral links for circular columns and bored piles have no shape code here, and their developed length is not a sum of straight legs.
- Circular and ring links. Same reason.
- Tapered and variable-length bars. Bars that change length across a set — fan reinforcement, tapered slabs — must be entered as separate marks.
- Shapes with more than four straight legs, except through code
99. - IS 2502 (Indian practice) is not implemented at all. Indian users can work in BS-style codes, but the shape numbering and bend allowances will not match IS 2502.
Need a shape code that is not here?
Shape coverage is demand-led rather than guessed. If a code you use on real jobs is missing, say which one and what it is for, and it goes on the list — that is a far better basis for deciding what to build than us picking from a table.