Rebar detailing software that keeps marks, bar lists, revisions and mill certificates on one job record
Rebar detailing is the work of converting structural drawings into fabrication and placing information: bar marks, sizes, bend types, lengths and quantities, plus the drawings showing where each piece goes. Caltrans requires a certificate of compliance, a certified mill test report and a bar list for each shipment, sets minimum centre to centre spacing at 2.5 times the diameter of the larger bar, and requires uncoated laps of at least 45 bar diameters. Neurobird holds marks, revisions and certificates on one job record.
| Requirement | Status | Next due | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bar list, Pier 4 footing | current | in 42d | |
| Placing drawing, deck panel B | due soon | in 9d | |
| Revision 3, column cage | current | in 120d | |
| Shipment release, 18 tons | overdue | 3d late | |
| RFI, conflict with post tension duct | current | in 64d |
Tick a requirement to file evidence against it.
Neurobird Rebar Detailing in short
- Hold marks, sizes, bend types and quantities per job, with the drawing revision they came from
- Show which marks a design revision touches before fabrication rather than after delivery
- Keep certified mill test reports, certificates of compliance and bar lists against the shipment they travelled with
- 45 diameters Caltrans requires uncoated reinforcement lap splices of at least 45 times the bar diameter for number 8 size bars and smaller, and 60 times the diameter for number 9, 10 and 11 bars. Where two sizes lap, the smaller bar governs. Caltrans, Reinforced Concrete Construction Manual chapter 4
- 2.5 times Contract specification section 52-1.03D sets the standard minimum centre to centre spacing for parallel bars at 2.5 times the diameter of the larger bar, with clear distance requirements on top of that. Caltrans, Reinforced Concrete Construction Manual chapter 4
- Pricing runs 150 to 650 US dollars per month across 3 tiers. Early access is free.
What rebar detailers and fabricators actually deal with
Why it stays broken
Detailing sits between an engineer who specifies and a fabricator who cuts, and neither of them owns the mark. Many agencies now issue contract plans without bar lists, which moves the whole schedule onto the detailer without adding a review step. When a revision lands, the only thing linking it to the pieces already bent is somebody's memory of what was on drawing 12.
One revised dimension can invalidate 40 marks that are already fabricated, and nothing in the drawing set tells you which ones.
Additionally, once rebar is delivered to the site, check that the Contractor has reported the material quantity delivered on the Data Interchange for Materials Engineering (DIME) webpage for the project within 5 business days.
Neurobird Rebar Detailing Operations Platform
Make the mark the record. Sizes, bends, quantities, the drawing revision behind them and the shipment they left on stay joined, so a change lists its own consequences.
- 1Hold marks, sizes, bend types and quantities per job, with the drawing revision they came from
- 2Show which marks a design revision touches before fabrication rather than after delivery
- 3Keep certified mill test reports, certificates of compliance and bar lists against the shipment they travelled with
- 4Track lap lengths, cover and spacing requirements per element so a field question has one answer
What changes with Neurobird Rebar Detailing?
The same work, read left to right: how it runs today, and how it runs once the record is in one place.
| Today | With Neurobird Rebar Detailing |
|---|---|
| The contract plans call out size, spacing, cover and lap length but leave the bar marks and the placing drawings to you, so every error is yours | Hold marks, sizes, bend types and quantities per job, with the drawing revision they came from |
| A design revision changes one dimension and silently invalidates a dozen marks that were already fabricated or shipped | Show which marks a design revision touches before fabrication rather than after delivery |
| Certified mill test reports and bar lists have to travel with each shipment, and the file that proves it is a folder of scanned PDFs | Keep certified mill test reports, certificates of compliance and bar lists against the shipment they travelled with |
Who is this for?
Same drawings, three different seats.
You sell drawings and lists
Your exposure is a revision you missed. You need marks tied to the drawing revision that created them.
You cut what you draw
A late change is scrap and a delivery date. You need to see which marks are already bent before you accept the revision.
You install what arrives
Field questions are about lap, cover and spacing. You need the answer on the element, not in the specification binder.
What the numbers say about reinforcing steel detailing
Useful if you produce bar lists or inspect them. Each figure links back to the agency specification that set it.
Caltrans requires uncoated reinforcement lap splices of at least 45 times the bar diameter for number 8 size bars and smaller, and 60 times the diameter for number 9, 10 and 11 bars. Where two sizes lap, the smaller bar governs.
Caltrans, Reinforced Concrete Construction Manual chapter 4Contract specification section 52-1.03D sets the standard minimum centre to centre spacing for parallel bars at 2.5 times the diameter of the larger bar, with clear distance requirements on top of that.
Caltrans, Reinforced Concrete Construction Manual chapter 4Clear cover between the outermost bar and the adjacent concrete surface is typically 2 inches minimum, while cast in drilled hole concrete piles require at least 3 inches. Marine and freeze thaw projects may specify more.
Caltrans, Reinforced Concrete Construction Manual chapter 4Beyond the certificate of compliance and certified mill test report that travel with each shipment, contractors must report delivered material quantity on the Data Interchange for Materials Engineering page within 5 business days.
Caltrans, Reinforced Concrete Construction Manual chapter 4New York State DOT design advisory 03-001 covers contract plans prepared without reinforcing bar lists. Without them, reinforcement is called out with size, spacing, cover, embedment length and lap length only, and bar marks do not appear on the contract plans at all.
NYSDOT, structures design advisory 03-001How does Neurobird Rebar Detailing work?
Take in the drawings
Drawing set, revision and date recorded, so every mark created afterwards carries the revision it came from.
Build the bar list
Marks, sizes, bend types, lengths and quantities held per element, with lap, cover and spacing requirements attached to the element rather than remembered.
Track the change
A revision shows which marks it touches and whether those marks are drawn, fabricated or shipped, with certificates of compliance and mill test reports on the shipment record.
Rebar detailing software questions, answered
Key terms
- What is rebar detailing?
- Rebar detailing is the work of turning structural drawings into fabrication and placing information: bar marks, sizes, bend types, lengths, quantities and the drawings that show where each piece goes. On many jobs the engineer specifies reinforcement by size, spacing, cover and lap length only, and the detailer produces the bar list and placing drawings from that.
- What is a bar list?
- A bar list, also called a reinforcement list, is the bill of materials for delivered rebar. Caltrans describes it as listing the rebar sizes, lengths and quantities delivered, and requires the contractor to submit certificates of compliance, certified mill test reports and a bar list for each shipment.
How long does a lap splice have to be?
It depends on bar diameter, grade, coating and bundling. Caltrans requires uncoated reinforcement to lap at least 45 times the bar diameter for number 8 bars and smaller, and 60 times the diameter for number 9, 10 and 11 bars. When two sizes lap, the smaller bar governs.
Who is responsible if the placing drawings are wrong?
Usually the detailer, and often without a formal review to catch it. Caltrans notes that unless specified otherwise the contractor is not required to submit rebar shop drawings for authorisation, though a cursory review is good practice on complex details. New York State DOT issued design advisory 03-001 specifically to handle contract plans issued without reinforcing bar lists.
Does this replace our detailing CAD software?
No. The drawings stay in the software that draws them. What lives here is the job record: marks, revisions, bar lists, mill certificates and shipments, joined so a change is traceable to the pieces it affects.
Why we are building this
Rebar detailing is a job where a single wrong digit turns into tons of steel that cannot be used, and the industry runs it on drawing sets and email.
The agencies have made it harder by dropping bar lists from contract plans, which shifted the schedule onto the detailer without adding a review step to catch mistakes.
We would rather build this with people who produce bar lists for a living. Tell us how your revisions travel, and where we have got it wrong.
Where the requirement comes from
Public specifications on reinforcement, bar lists and shop drawing practice.
- Caltrans, Reinforced Concrete Construction Manual chapter 4 Bar lists and mill certificates per shipment, spacing at 2.5 bar diameters, 2 inch cover, and lap splice lengths of 45 and 60 diameters.
- NYSDOT, structures design advisory 03-001 What changes when contract plans are issued without reinforcing bar lists, and the detailing practices the agency expects instead.
- FDOT, standard bar bending details Standard hook and bend types with dimensions by bar size, the reference sheet a detailer works against.
- FHWA, epoxy coated reinforcing review guidelines What a federal review looks for in coated bar: prequalification, batch certification under AASHTO M284, handling and patching.
How much does Neurobird Rebar Detailing cost?
Priced per detailing office because that is where the marks are made. Jobs, marks and users are unlimited on every tier.
- Job and mark records
- Bar list versions
- Drawing revision log
- Document storage
- Email support
- Everything in Single office
- Revision impact by mark
- Shipment and certificate file
- Field question view
- Named contact
- Everything in Detailer
- Shop schedule export
- Multi office roll up
- CAD and ERP sync
- Onboarding included
Get free early access
If you produce bar lists, tell us what happens in your office when a revision lands mid fabrication.
Straight answer on where this is: In development. Early access gets the working preview, a say in what ships first, and early access pricing. It does not get you a login today.
Prefer email? Write to office@neurobird.com and a person will reply. No autoresponder.