Field & trade terms
Formwork
Also called: forms, shuttering
Formwork is the temporary structure — panels, framing, ties and shoring — that gives concrete its shape while it's a liquid and holds it there until it can carry itself. It has to be right in two ways: dimensionally, so the finished concrete lands where the drawings say, and structurally, so it doesn't bow, leak or blow out under the pressure of a full pour. Forms come off once the concrete has gained enough strength, which is why stripping time is tied to curing.
Why it matters
Formwork failure during a pour is one of the more dangerous events on a jobsite, and misplaced or out-of-plumb forms lock a dimensional error into concrete that's expensive to fix once it's hard. Everything embedded before the pour — rebar, sleeves, anchor bolts, embeds — is only right if the forms holding them are right.
What an inspector looks at
The pre-pour check is that forms are set to line and grade, plumb and braced, clean inside, tight enough not to leak paste, and that everything meant to be cast in is secured in the correct position before concrete goes in. Bracing, ties and shoring get real attention because that's what carries the load.
Because RTI closes items on a photo, the formed condition is documented before the pour — forms, bracing and everything embedded shown in frame, the last look at what's about to be permanently encased.
Standards it's verified against
Checklists that put formwork to work
Free, field-ready checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related terms
- Reinforcement (rebar)The steel bar and mesh cast into concrete to carry the tension the concrete can't, placed to a drawing before the pour buries it.
- Anchor boltA bolt cast into or drilled into concrete that ties structure — sill plates, columns, equipment — down to the foundation.
- Embed plateA steel plate with anchors cast flush into concrete so later steel, connections or supports have something to weld or bolt to.
- Curing (concrete)Keeping fresh concrete moist and at temperature long enough for it to gain the strength the mix was designed to reach.
- MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing)The mechanical, electrical and plumbing trades — the systems run through a building's structure that get inspected at rough-in and again at final.
- FirestoppingSealing openings where pipe, conduit or cable pass through a fire-rated wall or floor so the assembly's rating is restored.
Knowing the term is step one. Proving it is the job.
RTI holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and the photos are attached, then chains the record so it can be proven untouched later.