Bar Bending Schedule Generator: Build Your BBS Row by Row with Automatic Weights

Preparing a Bar Bending Schedule by hand means working out bend deductions, hook lengths and unit weight separately for every single bar mark, then adding it all up at the end. This tool does that math for you as you go. Pick a shape, enter the dimensions from your drawing and it instantly shows the cutting length and weight for that bar mark. Add as many bar marks as your structure needs (beams, columns, slabs, footings) and the tool keeps a running schedule with a grand total in kg and tonnes, ready to export as CSV for your site file.

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How to Use

The tool works one bar mark at a time. You fill in the form, click “Add to Schedule,” and that row gets added to your growing schedule below. Here is what each field does.

Step 1: Describe the bar mark

• Select the Element this bar belongs to. Beam, Column, Slab, and Footing are all listed, mainly to help you label and group rows in your schedule.
• Select the Bar Diameter (mm). Common sizes from 8mm to 32mm are listed. This number directly decides the unit weight and every bend deduction for this bar.
• Select the Shape. Four shapes are available: Straight, L-Bend (90°), U-Bend (2 x 90°) and Stirrup / Tie. As soon as you pick a shape, a small diagram appears showing exactly which dimension is A, B, or C for that shape, so there’s no confusion about what to measure.

Step 2: Enter the dimensions
This part changes depending on the shape you picked in Step 1.

• For a Straight bar, just enter Length A (mm), the full length of the bar.
• For an L-Bend, enter Length A (mm) and Leg B (mm), the two straight portions on either side of the single 90° bend.
• For a U-Bend, enter Length A, Leg B and Leg C since a U-bend has two 90° bends and three straight portions.
• For a Stirrup / Tie, enter Length A and Leg B as the two sides of the rectangular stirrup, then choose the Hook Angle: 135° (the standard seismic hook, common in beam and column stirrups), 90°, or 180°. This choice changes how much hook length gets added and how much gets deducted for the hook bends.

Step 3: Tell the tool how many bars to count

• Choose the Count Mode. If you already know how many bars you need, select “Direct number of bars” and type it into No. of Bars.
• If you’re placing stirrups along a beam or column and want the tool to work out the count itself, select “From member length ÷ spacing” instead. Two new fields appear: Member Length (mm), the total length along which stirrups are spread, and Spacing c/c (mm), the centre-to-centre distance between stirrups. The tool then calculates the number of stirrups needed using floor(Length ÷ Spacing) + 1, which is the standard site convention for stirrup counting.

Step 4: Add it and repeat

• Click Add to Schedule. Your bar mark appears as a new row with its cutting length, unit weight and total weight already calculated.
• Repeat Steps 1 to 4 for every different bar mark in your structure. Every row you add updates the Grand Total Steel figure shown at the top of the schedule.
• Once your schedule is complete, use Download CSV to save it as a spreadsheet file, Print / PDF for a hard copy or Copy to paste it elsewhere.

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Key Features

• Four bar shapes in one tool: Straight, L-Bend, U-Bend and Stirrup/Tie, each with its own labeled diagram
• Automatic bend deduction for every shape, based on standard IS 2502 practice (1d for 45°, 2d for 90°, 3d for 135°)
• Hook allowance built into the stirrup calculation, with a choice of 90°, 135°, or 180° hooks
• Stirrup spacing mode that works out the number of bars from member length and centre-to-centre spacing automatically
• Unit weight calculated using the standard d²/162 kg/m formula for every bar diameter
• A running, multi-row schedule that keeps growing as you add bar marks, with a live grand total
• Grand total shown in both kilograms and tonnes
• CSV export, plus Print/PDF and Copy options, for taking your schedule straight to site or into a spreadsheet

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Formula / Logic Used

Unit Weight

$$Unit\ Weight = \frac{d^2}{162} \ kg/m$$

Where d is the bar diameter in mm. This is the standard formula used across Indian construction practice for steel weight per metre.

Cutting Length by Shape

Straight bar: $CL = A$

L-Bend: $CL = A + B – 2d$ (one 90° bend deducted)

U-Bend: $CL = A + B + C – 4d$ (two 90° bends deducted)

Stirrup / Tie: $CL = 2(A+B) + 2 \times Hook\ Allowance \times d - 3 \times 2d - Hook\ Bend\ Deduction$

Here, the perimeter 2(A+B) is added to twice the hook allowance (8d for a 90° hook, 10d for 135°, or 9d for 180°, as entered by you), then three 90° corner bends are deducted at 2d each and the hook bend itself is deducted separately depending on the hook angle you chose.

Number of Stirrups (Spacing Mode)

$$Number\ of\ Bars = \left\lfloor \frac{Member\ Length}{Spacing} \right\rfloor + 1$$

Total Weight per Bar Mark

$$Total\ Weight = Number\ of\ Bars \times \frac{Cutting\ Length\ (mm)}{1000} \times Unit\ Weight$$

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Who Should Use This Tool

Site engineers and quantity surveyors preparing a Bar Bending Schedule for steel procurement or fabrication yard instructions. Also useful for diploma and B.Tech Civil Engineering students learning bend deduction, hook allowance and cutting length concepts for their structural detailing coursework.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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