What does this concrete final checklist cover?

13 items across 4 sections, covering surface condition, curing, joints and embeds, strength and strip records. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The concrete superintendent or QC lead, typically the GC's superintendent for the acceptance walk.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After forms are stripped and curing has started, before joints are cut and the slab is turned over to the next trade.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

11 of the 13 items call for photo evidence, 18 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails a concrete final inspection?

Honeycombing patched and painted over before it is photographed or measured. Curing method started late or abandoned once the crew moves to the next pour. Control joints cut later than the window for the mix, leaving random cracking that gets blamed on the joint layout.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Concrete

Concrete final inspection checklist

Concrete final inspection is where the punch list is either short or expensive. This checklist walks the finished work the way an owner or AHJ will see it: devices on, systems running, everything labeled. Each item gets the photo that closes it instead of reopening it. Work is commonly verified against ACI guidance. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Surface condition

Honeycombing, voids and cold joints documented before repair
Close-up photo with a tape measure or coin for scale at every defect found, before any patching begins.
Surface finish matches the specified flatness and texture
Straightedge or level check at a sample of bays, finish texture consistent across the pour.
Cracking mapped and measured
Crack width gauge at any visible crack, location sketched or photographed against a column line reference.
Formed faces dressed per the finish spec
Tie holes patched where a formed face stays exposed, fins and panel-joint offsets ground, slab edges left true where the finish calls for it.
Edges and corners free of spalls from stripping
Arrises, slab edges and column corners checked for chips or broken pieces left by pry bars, each one photographed before repair.

Curing

Curing method applied within the required window
Curing compound, blankets or wet cure visibly in place, start time logged against the pour time.
Curing maintained for the full duration, not removed early
Coverage still intact on a follow-up visit, no bare patches where compound wore through early.
New slab kept clear of loads and equipment during early cure
No pallets, lifts or stored material on the slab before the spec or engineer allows, protection boards down at any haul path.

Joints and embeds

Control and construction joints cut on schedule and at the planned layout
Saw cut depth and spacing matches the joint layout drawing, cuts made within the window for the mix design.
Anchor bolts and embed plates as-placed within tolerance
Measured location and elevation against the layout drawing, any bolt out of tolerance flagged before equipment is set on it.
Sleeves and blockouts still open and correctly sized after strip
No concrete intrusion into the opening, dimensions re-checked against the drawing after formwork removal.

Strength and strip records

Cylinder break results logged against the specified strength
Lab results for this pour on file and compared with the specified strength in the contract documents; results that miss the acceptance criteria reported to the engineer of record.
No photo
Strip and reshore dates match the engineer's requirements
Form strip and shore removal dates logged against the spec or the engineer's strength-based release, not the crew's schedule.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Honeycombing patched and painted over before it is photographed or measured.
Curing method started late or abandoned once the crew moves to the next pour.
Control joints cut later than the window for the mix, leaving random cracking that gets blamed on the joint layout.

Verified against

ACI concrete practice

Common questions

6 answers

What does this concrete final checklist cover?: 13 items across 4 sections, covering surface condition, curing, joints and embeds, strength and strip records. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The concrete superintendent or QC lead, typically the GC's superintendent for the acceptance walk.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After forms are stripped and curing has started, before joints are cut and the slab is turned over to the next trade.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 11 of the 13 items call for photo evidence, 18 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a concrete final inspection?: Honeycombing patched and painted over before it is photographed or measured. Curing method started late or abandoned once the crew moves to the next pour. Control joints cut later than the window for the mix, leaving random cracking that gets blamed on the joint layout.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Related checklists

Concrete Rough-inConcrete rough-in inspection checklistFormwork, reinforcement and embeds verified on the deck the morning of the pour14 items20 photos Concrete Pre-pourConcrete pre-pour inspection checklistThe hold-point walk before the pour buries reinforcement, embeds and vapor barrier14 items20 photos

Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 18 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.