CARES and the reinforced

concrete industry
Providing confidence in
reinforcing steels
 CARES Certification
• What is Product Certification?
• What is CARES?
• What does CARES certification cover?
• How does it work?
• How does it inform the marketplace?
 What is Product Certification ?
• A substitute for 2nd party (customer) approval. To give confidence
to customers that there is a reduced risk of non-compliance.

• Specific to an individual product or product type.

• Use standard(s) wherever possible.

• Operates primarily in the field of steel for construction.

– Reinforcing Steel / Prestressing Steel / Structural Steel.

• Be appropriate to the product.

• Use dedicated skills, experience and knowledge.

 Objective of Product Certification

To reduce the Risk to the user.

 Mission of CARES

• Provide service to the supply chain – recognising the

importance of the construction client.
• Ensure compliance of performance of materials,
products and services through application of
certification schemes.
 CARES
• Independent third party product certification scheme.

• Set up in 1980 by UK concrete supply chain.

• Objective – “To operate and promote certification schemes to

ensure consistent compliance with appropriate product standards”

• Operates primarily in the field of steel for construction.

– Reinforcing Steel / Prestressing Steel / Structural Steel.

• Funded solely by certification fees.

• “Not-for-profit” company. Service to concrete sector.

• Voluntary scheme, supported by Specifiers/Clients.

• Accredited under international requirements - ISO Guide 65.

 CARES Structure

Current:
• Members.
• Board of Directors (nominated by Members).
• Executive Committee (business).
• Chairman’s Group (remuneration, Terms and
Conditions of employment).
• Technical committees (Rebar / PT / Sustainability).
• CARES (executive).
 CARES CertficationSchemes.
• Reinforcing Steel (SRC).
• Post Tensioning (PT).
• Technical Approvals (TA).
• CE Marking.
• Sustainable Constructional Steel (SCS).
• Others:
• ISO14001(EMS), OHSAS18001, ISO9001.
 Post Tensioning
• Installation – Highways and non-Highways.
• Anchorages (ETAG013).
• Installation of Bar kits.
• Void Grouting.
• Prestressing bar, wire and strand (BS5896).
• Grout (pre-bagged).
 CE Marking.

The requirements of CE Marking will relate to the

particular product standard and the certification systems
which underpin those standards.

Such CE Marking, for which CARES can give

certification due to its Notified Body (standard) and
Issuing Body (European Technical Approvals – EOTA)
status, should not be regarded as CARES voluntary
certification.
 Welding
• Metallurgically/Structurally – Important.
• Summary:- BS7123 is being replaced by
IS17760. Neither very good (in various parts)
and CARES ‘Cherry-Picks’- Appendices 6, 10.
• Appendix 6 – Tack welding.
• Appendix 10 – Load Bearing welding.
• Key current issues:-
– Training/Qualification/Registration.
– Welding co-ordinator.
Sustainable Constructional
Steels.
 Technical Approvals – no Standard.

• Mechanical couplers ( the product).

• Continuity Strips.
• Shear reinforcement.
• Structural Ties.
• Pile Cage Formers.
• Balcony Systems.
• Stainless Steel (non-standard).
 CARES Schemes/Standards.
• Reinforcing Steel – BS4449/BS8666/BS4483.
(EN 10080 – Euro Standard- not complete).
• Prestressing Steel (Bar/Wire/Strand)
(BS5896 being revised – 2011 – prEN10138)
• Technical Approvals – Couplers/ Shear
reinforcement/ Continuity Strips etc).
• CE Marking.
• Sustainable Reinforcing Steel (SRS).
• Others:
• ISO14001(EMS), OHSAS18001, ISO9001.
Reinforcement Products covered by CARES
Production Steel bar/coil to BS 4449 2005 Grades
B500A, B500B and B500C
BS 4449 1997 Grades 460 A/B and 250
Fabric to BS 4483 1998 and 2005

Processing Cut and bent bar/coil to BS 4466/BS 8666

Pre-assembled welded fabrications (BS 7123)
Mechanical splices (BS 8110 / BS 5400 /
BNFL)
Installation On-site management including fixing of
reinforcement
Manufacture, processing and supply -
Certification.
 Risks of using a non-CARES approved supplier

• Poor process control leading to high variability

• No knowledge of product standard
• Incorrect testing / No testing equipment
• Damage during processing
• Incorrect processing
• Poor product traceability
• Non-compliant product
 Reinforcing Steel
• Bar/Coil (BS4449and BS6744)
• Fabric (BS4483)
• Cutting and Bending (BS8666)
• Welding - Tack and Load Bearing (ISO17660)
• Application of mechanical couplers
• Stocking and distribution / Trading.
 Reinforcing Steel Properties
• Bar/Coil (BS4449) Grade B500A, B and C.

Variability:- Bar.
- 7/8 N/mm2 on any 1 bar.
- 15/20 N/mm2 on any 1 cast.

- 30/40 N/mm2 on a population (LTQL)

(50/50 – Material and Testing )

(Accuracy of result depends on the property
being tested.)
Product standard
 Material Testing – BS4449

10mm 25mm 40mm

C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

90 SAMPLES
 Assessment process

Product certification.
In all cases, CARES looks closely at:

• Product Testing

• Process Control

• Management System
 Auditing and evaluation.

• Scheme Manual (for each scheme).

– General requirements (how the scheme works).

– Application form and declaration.
– Regulations (e.g. use of marks).
– Assessment schedules (technical requirements).
 Assessment process
• Application – for a defined scope.

• Preliminary Inspection – assessment of

capability.

• Initial Assessment – (audit + testing).

• ‘Six-monthly’ audit – (audit + testing).

• Yearly certificate.

• 3-yearly re-assessment –(audit + testing).

 Assessment – reinforcing steel
• Audit (product, process and management
system).

• Testing (In process, witness, independent).

• Issue with a certificate and mark.

• Quarterly submissions of customer complaints.

• Quarterly submissions of LTQL data (BS4449).

• Yearly certificate ‘re-issue’.

TRACEABILITY
 CARES Identification System

Country or Regional Grouping is as follows:-

Germany 1 rib
Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg 2 ribs
France 3 ribs
Italy 4 ribs
United Kingdom, Eire 5 ribs
Scandinavia 6 ribs
Spain, Portugal 7 ribs
Greece, Turkey 8 ribs
Outside Europe 9 ribs
 Manufacturer's statement
of product test results
• the cast number and cast analysis
• the carbon equivalent value
• the results of tensile and rebend tests
• the CARES bar mark
• the CARES logo and certificate of approval number
• the address of the producing works
• the amount delivered and consignment number
• the date of supply
• the name and address of the customer
• a statement of compliance to the customer's order requirements
Full product traceability
Product Label

Product Marking
 Customer Complaints
• Errors will always occur.
• Manufacturers
All complaints recorded, investigated and actioned.
• CARES
Requires quarterly submissions
Verified at six-monthly audit
• External complaints procedure operated
 Management
Operations Manager – Certification.
– Inspection Programme
– Administration

Company Secretary.

Scheme Managers (Assessment):

• Steel.

• Construction.

• Sustainability.
 ! The engineer’s risks !
• Unknown metallurgical history
• Poor process control
• Falsification of product test results
• Lack of traceability of reinforcing steel
from producer to processor to site
• Verification of mechanical, chemical
and fatigue properties
 Monitoring of CARES
Scheme performance
• Records of complaints
against Approved
firms
• Stakeholder
representation on
CARES Board
• Market intelligence
from a number of
different sources
• Single point of
reference
www.ukcares.com
CARES List of
Approved Firms
Technical Reports
 Compliance with
product standards
 Specific analyses of
test data
CARES and the reinforced
concrete industry
Providing confidence in
reinforcing steels