Rebar Calculator

Bars each way, the spacing you actually get, laps, stock and weight.

Grid

Unit system

Code references and product data are quoted in the units their source uses.

= 240" (20')

= 144" (12')

= 12" (1')

= 3"

Live

Rebar · Result

Calculated

STOCK PIECES

34 stock pieces to buy

Lengthwise
13 bars · 12 bays
Widthwise
21 bars · 20 bays
Actual spacing
11 1/2" / 11 3/4"
Weight
454.24 lb

Stock length defaults to 20' — UNVERIFIED trade default, not a sourced figure

SUGGESTED DEFAULT

Lap defaults to 40 bar diameters as a suggestion; the design lap is an engineer's number

SUGGESTED DEFAULT
Code references & assumptions · 5

How this result is supported

Spacing is a maximum: bays are fitted whole across the clear span and then equalised, so no gap exceeds what you asked for. Bars are bays plus one.
SUGGESTED DEFAULTStock length defaults to 20' — UNVERIFIED trade default, not a sourced figure
PRIMARY-VERIFIED
SUGGESTED DEFAULTLap defaults to 40 bar diameters as a suggestion; the design lap is an engineer's number
PRIMARY-VERIFIED
ASSUMPTIONWaste applies to length for pricing; piece counts come from geometry and laps only
UNVERIFIED
ASSUMPTIONBar areas use the nominal two-decimal ASTM A615 convention
UNVERIFIED
ASSUMPTIONActual spacing is equalised across the run; no bar is placed at more than the specified spacing
CROSS-VERIFIED
What do these evidence labels mean?
PRIMARY-VERIFIED
directly supported by one authoritative primary source, quoted with section/page/figure
CROSS-VERIFIED
independently supported by two or more appropriate authoritative sources
DERIVED
mathematically derived from PRIMARY-VERIFIED values; the derivation is preserved in data and in code
INTERPRETED
a source exists but translating it into calculator behaviour required interpretation
CONVENTION
recognised trade practice, not a mandatory provision
ASSUMPTION
product/design assumption or useful default with no authoritative basis
UNVERIFIED
insufficient authoritative evidence
Full methodology →

Code references and product data are quoted in the units their source uses.

Reference checks are informational, not compliance determinations.

How rebar is calculated

Spacing is a maximum, not a target. The calculator fits whole bays across the clear span and then equalises them, so the spacing you get is at or below the spacing you asked for and no gap is oversized. The achieved figure is reported for each direction, because the two runs divide different spans and rarely land on the same number.

Bars are bays plus one: a grid at 12 in across a 10 ft clear span is ten bays and eleven bars, with a bar on each cover line. Counting bays and calling it the bar count is the classic off-by-one here, and it leaves an edge unreinforced.

Lap length and stock length are both shown and both editable. The lap is an engineer's decision — the calculator offers the common default and says so, and warns when a shorter lap is entered rather than silently accepting it.

bays = ceil(clear span ÷ spacing)

Whole bays across the span.

bars = bays + 1

One on each cover line, so both edges carry a bar.

actual spacing = clear span ÷ bays

Equalised, so no bar sits further apart than you asked for.

Questions

Why is the actual spacing different from what I entered?
Because a span rarely divides evenly. Asking for 12 in across a 10 ft 6 in clear span gives eleven bays at about 11.45 in — equalised down so every gap is within your maximum, rather than ten gaps at 12 in and one odd one at the end.
How long should the lap be?
That is the engineer's call. The common default is 40 times the bar diameter, which is what the calculator uses when you leave it blank, and it flags a lap shorter than 12 diameters as worth confirming. It reports the figure it used rather than hiding it inside the length.