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If you’re in the construction industry, you know about rebar – its good, its bad and its ugly. What you may not know is that there is an all-steel concrete reinforcement that takes much of the “bad” and “ugly” out of the mix.
It’s called Helix Micro Rebar, and as construction projects increase in complexity, cost and time, more industry professionals are relying on this tiny one-inch twisted reinforcement more than ever before.
In the spirit of transparency and friendly competition, here is a comparison outlining the facts and figures on traditional rebar and Helix Micro Rebar. Have a look and see the difference for yourself.
Helix Micro Rebar is an engineered solution that has been trusted for decades to reduce your timeline and costs. Ready to learn more? Let’s dig in.
| Comparison Item | Traditional Rebar | Helix Micro Rebar |
| What is it? | A steel bar that is used to improve concrete strength and structural integrity. | A twisted steel micro reinforcement that is mixed with concrete to create a composite concrete solution with strength. |
| Size | Diameter from ⅜ inch to 2.257 inches, with lengths up to 60 feet. #8 rebar can be almost three pounds per foot. | Twisted pieces of metal one inch in length and 0.02 inches in diameter. Arrives in 40-pound cardboard boxes. |
| Installment | Requires manual placement on chairs and tying. | Mixed directly into the concrete batch prior to concrete placement. |
| Team Support | Few rebar manufacturers have placement support. | Support before, during and after concrete placement. |
| Labor | Labor is required to store and move rebar, align chairs, place rebar and tie rebar. | Labor is required for minimal rebar placement in specific applications, but otherwise can be used elsewhere onsite. |
| Strength Performance | Provides strength in specific directions. | Offers strength through every area of the concrete. |
| Crack Control | Controls cracks along rebar lines. | Distributes crack control throughout the concrete. |
| Material Cost | Cost is lower but labor costs are high. | Cost may be slightly higher, but labor costs are lower. |
| Construction Time | Longer due to placement and tying. | Faster as Helix Micro Rebar is mixed into concrete at a batch plant. |
| Environmental Impact | More waste from cut-offs and overlaps. | Less waste due to uniform mixing. Helix Micro Rebar also reduces the amount of steel required in concrete. |
| Compatibility with Complex Shapes | Difficult to reinforce complex geometries. | Easily used for any shape due to pre-mixing with concrete. |
| Transportation & Storage | Requires significant space for transportation and storage. | Easier to transport due to compact packaging and lighter weights. Also, Helix Micro Rebar is only made in America. |
| Availability | Depends on the needs of the market, with delays of up to weeks. | Ready for delivery in as little as a few days. |
| Standards and Codes | Well-established in building codes. | Assurance in various applications through the following: Uniform Evaluation Services ICC-ES |
Rethink Reinforcement. Consider Helix Micro Rebar.
Our team is here to show you how we can make concrete better while saving time and money. Trust the product with decades of experience and a team of engineers and product managers backing it up every day across North America.
Move your projects forward with Helix Micro Rebar – contact us today!
Let’s say you will be constructing another great building to support the American economy. Whether the structure is a warehouse, manufacturing facility, retail store or restaurant, you want to be certain that the project will be completed on time so that you can start achieving a return on your investment as soon as possible.
Many project elements are out of your control, but with a little digging, you keen developers learn that rethinking the products your contractor uses will deliver time and monetary savings like never before.
A key product that developers across America are using to achieve this is Helix Micro Rebar. It’s a one-inch twisted piece of metal that is mixed with concrete to provide your project with more benefits than you ever thought possible.
Helix Micro Rebar is an engineered solution that has been trusted for decades to reduce your timeline and costs. Ready to learn more? Let’s dig in.
Eliminate up to 100% of Your Rebar Placement Costs
How long does it take to place rebar on a large concrete slab? Far too long! Factor in the enormous amount of time required for laborers to lug, cut, bend and place rebar. You also need to worry about the rebar chairs (plastic or metal rebar supports) and the back-breaking work needed to tie the rebar in place.
Now, think about removing up to 100% of this time, labor and material cost with Helix Micro Rebar. It’s significant and can mean the difference between handing off a building on time or not.
A Concrete Reinforcement That’s Faster to Install
Since Helix Micro Rebar is mixed directly with concrete prior to placement, concrete pours can be accelerated by 20%. With the faster installation time and reduction in placement costs, it’s estimated that for every 10,000 sq. ft. of concrete slab, one full day of construction is saved by replacing rebar with Helix Micro Rebar.
One day may not seem like a lot, but it can quickly add up when you’re building a large fulfillment center, manufacturing facility or warehouse. Even one week can be a game-changer when your timeline is already tight and external factors have a tendency to get in the way of a well-executed plan.
Streamlined Concrete Reinforcement Inspections
Through a simplified design process and installation, inspections are easier and quicker to complete than if you were to use rebar or wire mesh. Traditional inspections require in-depth inspection of horizontal placements, chair height and rebar spacing.
Helix Micro Rebar is mixed directly with your concrete so it is evenly distributed to reduce the need for complex pre-placement inspections. This results in a more straightforward inspection with a reduced risk of human error in installing concrete reinforcements.
Increased Productivity in Other Areas of Your Development
Finding great people to work on your project has never been as difficult as it is today. Instead of the best members of your crew working on installing rebar, they can instead be used in other areas of your project, helping to expedite work and helping to finish your development on time and on budget.
Your contractor’s crew can pivot to masonry work, framing, steel wall installation, insulation material application, landscaping and much more.
Safer Construction Sites
With less rebar, a smaller labor force and reduced tripped hazards, your contractor and his crew will have a safer work environment that may even reduce time off due to accidents.
As you can imagine, handling rusty rebar requires many safety precautions. Apart from standard construction site techniques and PPE, heavy rebar can be difficult to move safely across sites and may even require team lifting. Cutting and bending rebar can also result in injury when used improperly.
Choosing Helix Mciro Rebar means that your concrete reinforcement comes in easier-to-carry cardboard boxes, which can be poured directly into concrete. Read more about this safe process here.
Helix Micro Rebar Helps Develops Save Time and Money – Find Out How
It’s not every day that you stumble upon an innovative project that has been used for decades and is proven to save you time and money on every development.
Helix Micro Rebar has more than 20 years of experience in not only keeping concrete together but also in expediting construction schedules and saving money for developers. If you’re interested, don’t stop now. Reach out.
Rebar is used in some of the grandest structures in the world, and has a history of keeping roads mostly smooth, buildings mostly upright and tunnels mostly hole-free. But rebar is imperfect and is known for its high failure rate after years of even moderate use.
Concrete reinforcement innovation is not new, and many have failed at trying to perfect rebar, or by rethinking reinforcement with glass, plastic and even asbestos. Fortunately, there’s a better alternative to all of these.
Many developers are switching to Helix® Micro Rebar™ concrete reinforcement. Used in more than 20,000 structures around the world, Helix® Micro Rebar™ is a one-inch piece of twisted steel that is combined with thousands of others and mixed with cement to create a better reinforcement.
Helix® Micro Rebar™ reinforcement is one of the most important inventions of the 21st century. It has quickly become a superior replacement to rebar and mesh reinforcements in every benefit category: time savings, concrete durability, jobsite safety, post-construction performance, development marketability, higher load capacity and project profitability.
Here are some of the main benefits of Helix® Micro Rebar™ for developers and owners.
Helix Steel’s Concrete Reinforcement Reduces Time to Return on Investment
Upgrading your reinforcement with Helix® Micro Rebar™ reduces the amount of time laborers spend installing rebar, and is easier to pour, sometimes even removing the need for concrete pumps. It also simplifies the construction process, with footings needing only a simple two-step process: dig the hole and fill it with Helix® Micro Rebar™ reinforcement. No rebar at all. Contractors have reported as much as 60 days’ savings on a single project!
Saying ‘No’ to Concrete Cracks
Whether you’re building up, out, down or through, your structure’s concrete is susceptible to corrosion, earthquakes, storms and water penetration. Rebar corrodes over time, and is not so great at stopping cracks before they start. These deficiencies have been normalized and many developers assume they have no choice but to have to deal with ‘crack’ problems in their buildings.
This does not need to be the way. Helix® Micro Rebar™ reinforcement reduces many of the risks that you likely have encountered in your previous projects.
- There are no rebar placement errors;
- Concrete is three times more durable;
- Concrete slabs can be thinner with extended joint spacing;
- It has five times the tensile strength of rebar; and
- Concrete will have a reduction in failures.
This is all because Helix® Micro Rebar™ reinforcement’s twisted design keeps the concrete together, helping to stop cracks before they even start.
Helix® Micro Rebar™ Improves Marketability of Developments
If you are like most developers, you have done your research and fully understand the market potential to take on your project. You likely also understand there is massive competition for the project you’re about to undertake, especially when it comes to warehousing space and concrete slabs.
The current concrete slab market is commoditized, resulting in nothing to stand out from your competitors. With Helix® Micro Rebar™, the benefits associated with reduced cracking and fewer joints help to sell a space, as do some of the benefits outlined further in this article.
But the benefits don’t end with the sale. Helix® Micro Rebar™ slabs can act as building-code-compliant foundations capable of carrying more than twice the load of standard concrete. That means if years from now your tenant or new warehouse owner would like to build an office structure inside the building on the slab, they likely will not need to excavate the concrete and pour new foundations.
Helix Steel also provides complimentary easy-to-understand summaries of improved load capacities, with engineering support available for future reconfigurations.
Improving Concrete Performance and Reducing Tenant Complaints
It happens far too often – after spending millions of dollars on your new project, the problems creep in a couple of years afterward. Often it is your tenants or customers who notice issues first, and they become your headache after. Cracks start small, and there is often little long-term solution you can apply, resulting in water seepage, joint deterioration, failed jointless systems and expensive repairs.
Helix® Micro Rebar™ reinforcement design is performed with Helix Steel’s own team of professional engineers, and accurate dosages take into account joint performance and aims for a 100% crack-free product, unlike rebar and fibers which both must allow the concrete to first crack before they start to work. Helix® Micro Rebar™ integrates with concrete through the curing process instead of just bandaging it.
Rebar Lacks Credibility in the Construction Industry
Speak with your general contractors, suppliers and architects. They can make a long list of reasons why they would rather not work with rebar. Besides the tedious/dirty/unsafe process of installing the steel rods, there are also the high expenses and unreliability of the product for developers and their tenants.
In a market where it is difficult to differentiate, your concrete reinforcement line item is ripe for improvement. There are many ways that Helix® Micro Rebar™ can turn more tenants your way:
- When used at 8” thickness, Helix® Micro Rebar™ reinforcement has twice the capacity as a 6” plain concrete slab.
- Fewer laborers are needed onsite, less heavy equipment is needed and smaller storage spaces are required, resulting in safer jobsites.
- On average, Helix® Micro Rebar™reduces concrete reinforcement costs by 20–30% less
- Tightened construction schedules with no rebar installation and an increased pour rate mean that your tenants attain occupancy faster.
The Best Precast Concrete Reinforcement Alternative is Here
Who knew that such a small, twisted idea would prove to be a far better alternative to concrete reinforcement? Helix Steel did. And so did thousands of American developers and owners who trust its real-world results.
There is much more for developers to discover about Helix® Micro Rebar™, a better way to build with concrete. Contact Helix Steel and review information on our website about benefits for developers, and some of our concrete reinforcement project highlights.