BSI publishes revision to BS 4449

The British Standards Institute (BSI) released a revision to BS 4449 on 31 March. The changes to the standard have been made in response to concerns about the addition of alloying elements to rebar and the amount of these elements added that may not have been previously reported.

During 2015, there were a number of media stories published that raised concerns about the addition of boron to rebar. In response, CARES published an interim measure in July 2015 requiring CARES-approved reinforcing steel manufacturers to report intentionally added micro-alloying or alloying elements that are not currently included in BS 4449:2005.

Following the revision to BS 4449, this standard now aligns with CARES requirements for the reporting of elements added to reinforcing steel. As far as CARES is aware, all CARES-approved companies under the Steel for the Reinforcement of Concrete (SRC) scheme are already working to the requirements of the revision to BS 4449. However, all CARES-approved manufacturers are required to purchase a copy of the new version of BS 4449.