Bar bending schedule generator for beams, columns, slabs and footings
This bar bending schedule generator builds a complete BBS table from the member sizes you already have on the drawing. Add a beam, column, slab panel or isolated footing — or a single bar of any shape — and it lists every bar mark with its shape sketch, dimensions, bar size, number per member, total number, cutting length, total length, kg per metre and weight, then totals the steel by diameter.
Hooks follow the IS 2502 Table II allowances (9d, 11d, 13d or 17d depending on the bend radius), cutting lengths can be rounded up to the next 25 mm as IS 2502 asks, and the bend deductions are editable. The schedule prints as a clean landscape sheet, downloads as a vector PDF or PNG, and exports to CSV that opens straight in Excel — so you get the “bar bending schedule excel” sheet without building one yourself.
Everything runs in your browser and the schedule is saved on this device only. It is an estimating and checking aid: the structural drawings and a qualified engineer decide the reinforcement.
How to use the Bar Bending Schedule Generator
- Check the allowances at the top: hook allowance, stirrup hook, the 45°, 90° and 135° bend deductions, 25 mm rounding and the mass basis.
- Under Add a member, choose the type, give it a name such as B1 or C2 and the number of identical members.
- Fill in the sizes, cover, bar sizes, numbers or spacings, then press Add to schedule. Repeat for every member.
- Use the pencil to edit a member or the bin to remove it (Undo remove brings it back). The table and totals update at once.
- Enter the project name, choose the paper, then Print schedule, Download PDF or PNG, or Download CSV for Excel.
Bar Bending Schedule Generator features
Six bar shapes
Straight, straight with 180° hooks, L-bar, U-bar, cranked bar with two 45° cranks, and closed stirrups or ties with 135° hooks — each with a sketch in the table and on the PDF.
Member generators
Beam (top, bottom and stirrups), column (main bars with lap and ties), slab (main, cranked and distribution bars) and footing (bars both ways, optional upturned legs).
IS 2502 hook allowances
H = 9d, 11d, 13d, 17d for k = 2, 3, 4, 6, rounded to the nearest 5 mm and at least 75 mm, from Table II.
Printable BBS and CSV
A4, Letter, A5 or Legal, landscape or portrait; multi-page with repeated headings, summary by bar size and the allowances used.
Weights by diameter
Total length and kg for each bar size, plus wastage, from IS 1786 nominal masses or D² ÷ 162.
Bar bending schedule formula: cutting length of each shape
All dimensions are out-to-out in millimetres and d is the bar diameter. The cutting length is the sum of the dimensions, plus hooks, minus a deduction for each bend because the bar stretches round the pin.
| Shape | Cutting length | Example (16 mm unless noted) |
|---|---|---|
| S — straight | A | A 3,950 → 3,950 mm |
| H — 180° hook each end | A + 2H | 12 mm, A 3,000, H 110 → 3,220 mm |
| L — one 90° bend | A + B − 2d | A 3,800, B 300 → 4,068 mm |
| U — 90° leg each end | A + 2B − 2 × 2d | A 3,950, B 300 → 4,486 mm |
| C — cranked, two 45° cranks | A + 2 × 0.414h − 4 × 1d | 10 mm, A 2,960, h 75 → 2,982 mm |
| R — stirrup with 135° hooks | 2(a + b) + 2 × 10d − 3 × 2d − 2 × 3d | 8 mm, 180 × 400 → 1,224 mm |
Bar bending schedule as per IS code: what IS 2502 and SP 34 say
- Hook and bend allowances. IS 2502:1963 Table II takes the hook allowance H as 9d, 11d, 13d and 17d, and the bend allowance B as 5d, 5.5d, 6d and 7d, for internal bend radius factors k = 2, 3, 4 and 6, rounded to the nearest 5 mm and never less than 75 mm. Its Fig. 1 note gives k = 2 for mild steel, 3 for medium tensile and 4 for cold-worked bars to IS 1786, increased for bars over 25 mm.
- Cutting length. IS 2502 clause 5.1.1 (repeated in SP 34 clause 13.3.3.1) asks for cutting lengths “to the next greater whole 25 mm of the sum of the bending dimensions and allowance”.
- Links and stirrups. IS 2502 clause 3.3 keeps the straight end of binders, stirrups and links at least 8d. SP 34 clause 4.3.5 asks for a 135° bend continued at least 6d, a 90° bend 8d or a 180° bend 4d; the 10d stirrup hook used here is a common site figure that meets these.
Tips for an accurate BBS
- Laps: long slab and beam bars over 12 m need laps; add them as separate bar marks or through wastage. The rebar calculator splits long runs into stock lengths.
- Seismic detailing to IS 13920 needs closer stirrups near supports — add the end zone as its own bar mark with the closer spacing.
- Compare the total with the quick figure from the steel quantity calculator, and weigh a mixed list in the steel weight calculator.
Bar Bending Schedule Generator FAQ
What is a bar bending schedule?
A BBS is a table listing every reinforcement bar in a member: bar mark, shape, size, number, cutting length and weight. Fabricators cut and bend from it and quantity surveyors bill from it. This bar bending schedule generator builds one from member sizes.
What is the hook length in a bar bending schedule?
IS 2502 Table II takes a standard 180° hook as 9d for mild steel (k = 2) and 13d for cold-worked bars (k = 4), rounded to 5 mm and at least 75 mm. Many sites simply use 9d. Choose the value your drawings specify.
What are the bend deductions for 45°, 90° and 135°?
The usual site convention is 1d for 45°, 2d for 90° and 3d for 135° when dimensions are measured out-to-out. They are not tabulated in IS 2502, so the tool lets you change them.
Can I get the bar bending schedule in Excel?
Yes. Download CSV saves the full table with totals by bar size; Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets open it directly.
Can I download the bar bending schedule as a PDF?
Yes. Download PDF creates a vector A4 or Letter sheet with shape sketches, a summary by bar size and the allowances used. Print schedule sends only the sheet to the printer.