Helix Steel is proud to announce that three of its team members — Luke Pinkerton, Justin Idalaski, and TJ Lambert — were featured in the January 2026 issue of Concrete Engineering International.
Their article, titled “Advancements in concrete reinforcement: moving beyond hook-end fibers to twisted steel fiber,” highlights the continued evolution of fiber-reinforced concrete and introduces the performance advantages of 0.8 x 52mm twisted steel fiber (TSF) technology.
The publication outlines how twisted steel fiber reinforcement improves both pre-crack and post-crack concrete performance, including increased modulus of rupture (MOR), enhanced long-term tensile strength, and stable residual load capacity. The article also explores how TSF can contribute to more efficient concrete designs by enabling thinner slabs and reducing overall embodied carbon.
This feature reinforces Helix Steel’s ongoing commitment to innovation, performance-driven reinforcement solutions, and sustainable construction practices worldwide.
The full article appears in Concrete Engineering International, January 2026 edition.
Working with traditional reinforced concrete with rebar or wire mesh can be time-consuming. Although the up-front cost of using Helix® Micro Rebar® is similar to mesh or standard rebar, this alternative saves time and labor. Learn how much money contractors actually save using micro rebar with case studies and examples below.
The Indirect Costs of Traditional Rebar
When making concrete reinforcement cost comparisons, you may overlook some of the hidden expenses of traditional rebar.
Tying and placing the rebar is often the biggest bottleneck in your concrete project timeline. It can take days or even weeks before you can pour the concrete. This labor-intensive process also risks injuries, such as back strain from handling the materials. Safety and insurance costs can impact your bottom line.
You also have to factor in the price of cranes and transport for rebar. Additionally, rebar can take up a great deal of storage space until it’s ready for placement.
There are other inefficiencies, such as the scrap generated when cutting and bending rebar. You may think that because you’ve always used traditional rebar, it’s best for the job. Being open to alternatives like Helix Micro Rebar can improve productivity and reduce many of these extra expenses associated with traditional rebar.
How Helix Micro Rebar Saves Time
The key areas where Helix Micro Rebar saves money are time and labor. For every 10,000 square feet of rebar you replace with Helix Micro Rebar, you can save a full day of construction.
Consider the impact of the time saved alone. If you finish a project two weeks early, you open another two weeks for your crew to work more jobs. Micro Rebar labor savings maximize your profits in the busy season by increasing your capacity to take on more work.
When you use Helix Micro Rebar, you don’t need a massive rodbuster crew. Instead of having your team spend hours tying and placing rebar, they can focus on finishing the concrete. With a ready-mix truck driver and a smaller finishing crew, you may need fewer workers overall, reducing construction labor costs.
The current construction worker shortage is projected to reach nearly 350,000 in 2026. Labor savings from using Helix Micro Rebar go beyond cost reduction — you can overcome much of the challenge of finding reliable workers to finish your job on time.
Material and Installation Savings
In tilt-up wall applications, Helix Micro Rebar can eliminate 70% or more of traditional rebar cages. This capability removes the congestion of double-mat rebar, allowing for faster pours and better consolidation. Not only do you use less steel tonnage for your project, but you also gain the benefits of a more efficient and effective process.
As Helix Micro Rebar is pumped or poured directly where needed, you don’t have to rent cranes to lift heavy rebar cages. You’ll save on rental costs and logistics.
In some engineered designs, Helix Micro Rebar allows for thinner slabs. These slabs offer the same strength and performance as traditional rebar-reinforced slabs. The advantage here is reducing your concrete volume costs.
Why In-Place Cost Matters
Per pound, Helix Micro Rebar may look comparable to the price of traditional rebar, but you need to consider the in-place cost. The cost of steel rebar, plus the cost of tying, time, labor, and crane rentals, is higher than the installed cost of Helix Micro Rebar. The time and labor savings compound across large-scale projects.
The other consideration is the engineering cost of rebar versus Helix Micro Rebar. Traditional rebar requires expensive detailing. Helix Steel provides the engineering expertise and exact amount needed to complete a project. You don’t have to work with multiple parties for stamped drawings.
How Helix Micro Rebar Saves Money: Case Studies
Let’s explore a few examples of how Helix Micro Rebar has saved money for various concrete construction projects.
Zekelman Industries
Independent steel and tube manufacturer Zekelman Industries needed to renovate two buildings. The contractor chose Helix Micro Rebar. They saved 15% on construction time and replaced 120,000 pounds of steel rebar. Large-scale industrial projects like these see even more savings when using Helix Micro Rebar.
Whether it’s faster rebar installation or reduced material usage, replacing traditional rebar with Helix Micro Rebar significantly reduces the total project cost.
Hilton Garden Inn
When your client wants to minimize downtime, the efficiency of your work becomes even more important. The contractors working on the Hilton Garden Inn in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, saved hundreds of thousands of dollars by using Helix Micro Rebar. These savings were partly due to the construction speed — they saved 10 days of labor compared to the original design.
In this project, Helix Micro Rebar replaced all horizontal rebar reinforcement, reducing the time required for wall paneling. There was 66% less rebar used overall, too, which drove down material and labor costs.
Allied Properties
Helix Micro Rebar can deliver exceptional performance while saving costs. Allied Properties in Laredo, Texas, needed pavement covering more than 600,000 square feet. This pavement needs to withstand the daily traffic of 700 units a day, with cargo loads averaging 40,000-50,000 pounds each.
The contractor completed the project two months early using Helix Micro Rebar. The scale of the project would have made placing and tying rebar a significant constraint. Improving the concrete project timeline in this way drastically reduced labor costs.
The Ridge at Kettle Creek
A homebuilding project by Liberty Ridge Homes used Helix Micro Rebar in the wall footings, ICF walls, and slabs. The project’s priority was to build higher-quality, energy-efficient homes at a more affordable price.
With Helix Micro Rebar, the contractor accelerated the entire construction timeline and reduced costs. They were able to lock up a three-story, six-plex building in a month and a half, reducing construction time by 20%. The contractor also eliminated 330,000 pounds of rebar using Helix Micro Rebar.
How to Calculate Your Own Savings
Find out how much you can save by switching to Helix Micro Rebar. Some factors to consider in your calculation are:
- Crew hourly rate
- Daily overheads
- Crane rental cost
- Penalty clauses for delays
- Material costs
Use Helix’s dosage calculator to make sure your comparisons are accurate.
Partner With Helix Steel for Your Next Project
You can experience savings in three main areas by replacing traditional rebar with Helix Micro Rebar: time and labor, safety, and materials. In a tight labor market, finding more efficient processes not only reduces costs but also ensures you have the force to keep up with demand and complete projects.
More than 40,000 projects worldwide have used Helix Micro Rebar. To experience faster, stronger concrete in your next project, contact us today.
