Free checklist
ShotcreteShotcrete rough-in inspection checklist
Shotcrete rough-in is the last time the work is fully visible. Once the cover inspection passes and the walls, ceilings and slabs close, every defect left behind becomes a demolition bill. This checklist walks the rough-in in the order the work goes in, with the photo each item needs before it gets buried. Work is commonly verified against ACI, the applicable building code. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
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.
Substrate and reinforcement
Substrate prepared and reinforcement placed to allow encasement
Substrate clean and sound, bars held off the face with clearance for the material to shoot behind and fully encase them, splices and laps in place.
Cover maintained over the reinforcement
Cover to the finished face confirmed at the bars and at chairs or standoffs, so the design cover isn't lost when the surface is cut to grade.
Bar spacing and laps leave a clear path for the stream
Bars not bundled or stacked tight, laps spaced or arranged as the approved drawings allow, so no shadow forms behind a bar where the stream can't reach.
Reinforcement tied rigid so it won't vibrate under the nozzle
Mat struck by hand stays still; loose bars re-tied and anchored to the substrate so they don't shake, slough the material or open voids behind them.
Substrate wetted to a damp surface with no standing water
Concrete, masonry or rock face wet down ahead of shooting and blown free of puddles, or earth face trimmed and moist, so the first layer isn't dried out.
Embeds and thickness controls
Embeds and blockouts set and protected
Anchors, sleeves and blockouts placed to layout and masked or protected so they aren't buried or fouled by rebound.
Ground wires or depth screeds set for thickness
Depth gauges, ground wires or screeds set across the surface so the crew can shoot and cut to the specified thickness.
Stopping points and joint tapers planned with the foreman
Where each shift will stop is agreed, with the edge shot to a taper rather than a square butt unless the approved drawings show a formed joint.
No photoAdjacent work masked against rebound and overspray
Finished walls, windows, equipment and the toe of the wall covered or masked so rebound and overspray don't bond to them.
Mix and nozzle qualification
Test panels shot and nozzle operators qualified
Preconstruction test panels shot in the same orientation and mix, cores or cut sections reviewed for density and encasement before production shooting.
Each nozzle operator on the crew named on the qualification record
Qualification record on file for every nozzle operator shooting today, matching the process (wet or dry) and orientation of this work.
No photoShotcrete mix submittal approved for the process in use
Approved mix design matches wet- or dry-mix process, aggregate size and any fibers or admixtures, on file before the first delivery.
No photoFirst batch ticket or bag label matches the approved mix
Ticket or bag label photographed and compared to the approved mix before the first load goes in the pump or gun.
Production test panels scheduled with the testing agency
Panel forms on site and the testing agency booked for production panels at the frequency the specifications set, with the special inspector present where the statement requires.
No photo
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Rebar tied tight to the substrate with no room for the nozzle to encase it, leaving voids behind the bar.
- No ground wires or depth screeds set, so thickness is shot by eye and comes up thin between the high spots.
- Nozzle crew never qualified on a test panel for this mix and orientation, so a poor gun technique goes straight onto the wall.
Verified against
Common questions
6 answers
- What does this shotcrete rough-in checklist cover?
- 14 items across 3 sections, covering substrate and reinforcement, embeds and thickness controls, mix and nozzle qualification. 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 GC's superintendent with the shotcrete foreman, releasing the wall or slope before the nozzle crew starts.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- After reinforcement and embeds are placed and screeds or ground wires are set, before the first pass covers any of it.
- Why do these items ask for a photo?
- 10 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 15 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 shotcrete rough-in inspection?
- Rebar tied tight to the substrate with no room for the nozzle to encase it, leaving voids behind the bar. No ground wires or depth screeds set, so thickness is shot by eye and comes up thin between the high spots. Nozzle crew never qualified on a test panel for this mix and orientation, so a poor gun technique goes straight onto the wall.
- 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
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 15 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.
See all 508 checklists · 6741 items and 5984 photo requirements in total.