American Concrete Institute
ACI concrete practice
ACI guidance covers the parts of concrete work that stop being inspectable the moment the truck arrives: reinforcement size and placement, cover, embed location, and the curing that determines whether the pour reaches strength.
Adoption varies by jurisdiction. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction enforces before you run a walk against it.
Run it with the Photo Gate
Concrete rough-in inspection checklist
14 items · 20 photos required
What it covers
- Reinforcement size, spacing, lap and support
- Concrete cover over steel
- Placement, consolidation and cold joints
- Curing and protection
What the evidence looks like
- Pre-pour photos are the whole record: bar, chairs, embeds and cover, walked in a repeatable order.
- Test cylinders photographed with their identification tag.
- Curing method photographed in place, dated, not described afterwards.
Checklists that verify work against ACI concrete practice
15 free checklists, each with the photo every item needs before it can be submitted.
Concrete Rough-inConcrete rough-in inspection checklistFormwork, reinforcement and embeds verified on the deck the morning of the pour14 items20 photosConcrete Pre-pourConcrete pre-pour inspection checklistThe hold-point walk before the pour buries reinforcement, embeds and vapor barrier14 items20 photosConcrete FinalConcrete final inspection checklistStripped concrete walked for surface defects, curing and joint work before turnover13 items18 photosConcrete repair and restoration Rough-inConcrete repair and restoration rough-in inspection checklistRemoval and surface preparation verified before the patch hides everything under it15 items14 photosConcrete repair and restoration FinalConcrete repair and restoration final inspection checklistRepair mortar consolidated, bonded, finished to match and cured, with no drummy areas on sounding13 items10 photosConcrete repair and restoration PunchConcrete repair and restoration punch checklistCloseout walk for edge cracking, drummy or debonded patches and color and finish blending9 items6 photos
Deep foundations Rough-inDeep foundations rough-in inspection checklistPile and shaft installation verified against the geotech criteria before concrete or backfill hides it15 items7 photosDeep foundations FinalDeep foundations final inspection checklistCutoffs, cap dowels and integrity or load-test coordination verified against as-built locations13 items8 photosDeep foundations PunchDeep foundations punch checklistOut-of-tolerance heads, damaged reinforcement and installation documentation closed out9 items7 photosPost-tensioned concrete Rough-inPost-tensioned concrete rough-in inspection checklistTendon profile, anchorage and cover verified before the slab or beam is poured15 items15 photosPost-tensioned concrete FinalPost-tensioned concrete final inspection checklistStressing elongations measured against the calculated range and recorded, with grouting on bonded systems15 items11 photosPost-tensioned concrete PunchPost-tensioned concrete punch checklistOut-of-range elongations, unpatched pockets and tendon damage resolved before closeout9 items3 photosShotcrete Rough-inShotcrete rough-in inspection checklistSubstrate, reinforcement cover, embeds and thickness controls verified before shooting buries them14 items15 photosShotcrete FinalShotcrete final inspection checklistIn-place thickness, rebound handling, finish, density and cure checked on the shot surface14 items13 photosShotcrete PunchShotcrete punch checklistDrummy and sand-pocket areas sounded and repaired, cold joints feathered, cure completed9 items2 photos
Common questions
5 answers
- What is ACI concrete practice?
- Concrete work: reinforcement placement, cover, placement and curing. It is published by the American Concrete Institute. ACI guidance covers the parts of concrete work that stop being inspectable the moment the truck arrives: reinforcement size and placement, cover, embed location, and the curing that determines whether the pour reaches strength.
- What does ACI concrete practice cover?
- Reinforcement size, spacing, lap and support; Concrete cover over steel; Placement, consolidation and cold joints; Curing and protection.
- What does a field inspection against ACI concrete practice look at?
- Pre-pour photos are the whole record: bar, chairs, embeds and cover, walked in a repeatable order. Test cylinders photographed with their identification tag. Curing method photographed in place, dated, not described afterwards.
- Which edition of ACI concrete practice applies to my project?
- Adoption varies by jurisdiction. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction enforces before you run a walk against it.
- Which checklists verify work against ACI concrete practice?
- 15 free checklists in the RTI library reference this family. Each is listed on this page with the photo evidence every item needs before it can be submitted.
Related standards
A standard is only met if the evidence exists
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.
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