For years, the Rebar market has been told that Fiberglass rebar is a great alternative to Steel rebar because it is twice as strong and smaller Fiberglass sizes cover the specs of larger Steel sizes. While this may be partly true, it is not the whole story.

 

For instance, when replacing a #4 steel rebar with a #3 Fiberglass rebar, it is true that the #3 has twice the tensile strength compared to a Grade 60 Steel rebar. However, tensile strength is not the only factor to consider when making the change.Another important factor to take into account is the flexibility of Fiberglass rebar compared to Steel rebar. The Flexibility, or Modulus of Elasticity, plays a crucial role in determining how to replace steel with Fiberglass.

 

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) provides guidelines in ACI 440.1-.22 to determine proper spacing for replacing a larger steel rebar size with a smaller Fiberglass rebar size. These guidelines take into consideration the Area of steel, the Tensile strength, the thickness of the concrete pour, and the Flexibility difference.

 

When applying these guidelines in a real-life scenario, it becomes evident that a #3 Fiberglass rebar stick does not cover the specs of a #4 steel rebar stick at the same spacing. To satisfy the equation, you must halve the spacing distance when replacing #4 steel with #3 Fiberglass. You must account for the spacing difference, or your pour will fail. In doing so, you’re essentially negating any material savings you thought you were gaining by choosing the cheaper #3 fiberglass option.

 

DEBAR Fiberglass Rebar is introducing a new product called the #4 LT. This product is designed to replace a steel #4 rebar with a slightly smaller diameter 7/16” fiberglass rebar stick at the same spacing. Extensive engineering and testing have ensured that the #4 LT meets the specifications for various flat work applications, including foundation walls.

 

One of the key advantages of the #4 LT is its significantly lower cost per stick compared to #4 steel rebar. This results in substantial material savings, as well as labor and equipment rental savings when choosing fiberglass rebar over steel.

 

Due to this new #4 LT fiberglass rebar option, many industry professionals are now considering using the DEBAR #4 LT bar as a direct replacement for #4 steel rebar.If you’re interested in learning more about how to utilize the #4 LT in your projects, or if you’d like to inquire about substituting a #4 DEBAR for #5 steel rebar in certain non-structural applications, don’t hesitate to contact us today!