Fiber concrete or steel in concrete

tradesman said:

Hello guys, I am having my shop built this week, the size is 24' by 40' by 14 '. The floor spec is 6" thick with fiber and psi mix, my question is should I be using some sort of steel reinforcement also or is just the fiber as good. I will be install a Automotive lift and will be bring vehicle in and out a lot, any help would be appreciated.

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There are a number of threads that get into the technicalities of this, but:

- You are fine as-is. Your lift instructions don't tell you that you need rebar. They also don't tell you that you need fibers. The engineers who work for the lift manufacturer know something. (So you don't need to sweat too much or worry about analyzing too much. BTW - There are some members here who have done a great job with their slabs. There are also some members who have made some very poor choices with good intentions. Concrete is a heterogeneous material and does not behave like wood or steel.)

- As pointed out below, fiber and rebar - in the type of slab we are talking about here in a garage - are just for different types of crack width control. This time of year in PA, you don't need to worry about the type that fiber goes after. At 6" of depth, you are making a heavy investment in concrete and the slab will be very strong. So, you really don't "need" the rebar, either - if you do your control joints properly. (And you have a properly prepared base.)

So, rebar would just be a shrinkage crack insurance policy for you OR it would allow you to space your control joints further apart. If your concrete finisher has a rebar "formula" for a 4" slab, you would need to beef up the quantity of steel by 50% of you go to 6", etc. (The need is proportional to the thickness.) There are also engineering formulas for this if you want to get exotic on the spacing of the joints.


In the end, your time is most worthwhile to be spent on figuring out what your control joint cut plan is going to be. You'll want to work this out with your finisher. ALL slabs crack. (Generally, even when rebar is used.) The trick is to get the cracking to happen in your control joints.

So, you will want these control joints spaced properly away from your posts. (Your lift instructions will give you parameters for how far you need the posts to be away from joints or cracks.) This is the most important thing!

There are a number of threads that get into the technicalities of this, but:- You are fine as-is. Your lift instructions don't tell you that you need rebar. They also don't tell you that you need fibers. The engineers who work for the lift manufacturer know something. (So you don't need to sweat too much or worry about analyzing too much. BTW - There are some members here who have done a great job with their slabs. There are also some members who have made some very poor choices with good intentions. Concrete is a heterogeneous material and does not behave like wood or steel.)- As pointed out below, fiber and rebar - in the type of slab we are talking about here in a garage - are just for different types of crack width control. This time of year in PA, you don't need to worry about the type that fiber goes after. At 6" of depth, you are making a heavy investment in concrete and the slab will be very strong. So, you really don't "need" the rebar, either - if you do your control joints properly. (And you have a properly prepared base.)So, rebar would just be a shrinkage crack insurance policy for you OR it would allow you to space your control joints further apart. If your concrete finisher has a rebar "formula" for a 4" slab, you would need to beef up the quantity of steel by 50% of you go to 6", etc. (The need is proportional to the thickness.) There are also engineering formulas for this if you want to get exotic on the spacing of the joints.In the end, your time is most worthwhile to be spent on figuring out what your control joint cut plan is going to be. You'll want to work this out with your finisher.(Generally, even when rebar is used.) The trick is to get the cracking to happen in your control joints.So, you will want these control joints spaced properly away from your posts. (Your lift instructions will give you parameters for how far you need the posts to be away from joints or cracks.) This is the most important thing!

Looking to do a small pour to replace a driveway apron to a commercial establishment. 8&#; thick apron and associated sidewalk.

I am contemplating the use of a commercial grade fiber additive tot he concrete instead of wire mesh.

Any feedback, pros or cons?

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