Rebar tying pliers are a special type of pliers with which steel fixers twist tie wire around crossing reinforcing bars and pull it tight. In Dutch and German they are named after Joseph Monier — moniertang, Monierzange — the French gardener who stood at the origin of reinforced concrete; for a long time steel fixing was called “Monier work”.
The pliers have short, sturdy jaws and often a spiral or bent handle. The fixer loops the doubled wire around the intersection, grips the ends in the jaw and spins the pliers a few turns. The result is a tight tie that holds the bars in place.
What the tie is for
An important point: the tie is not a structural connection. Forces in reinforced concrete are transferred through bond between the bar and the concrete, not through the wire. The tie has one job — keeping the reinforcement cage in the right position and shape while the concrete is placed.
That is no small matter. If a bar shifts during the pour and ends up too close to the surface, the cover is too thin and the reinforcement will corrode in time.
Practical points
- Tie wire. Usually annealed black steel wire of roughly 1.0 to 1.4 mm. Annealed wire is soft enough to twist without snapping
- Not every intersection needs one. With mesh, tying every second or third intersection is often enough, provided the cage stays stable. Access routes and working platforms do need extra ties
- Do not over-twist. Twisting too far simply breaks the wire off. Two or three firm turns are plenty
- Bend the ends inwards. Wire ends sticking outwards break through the cover and cause rust spots on the concrete face — and they are a cut hazard
- Stainless where needed. For fair-faced concrete and severe exposure classes, stainless or coated tie wire is used precisely to avoid those rust spots
- Spacers are not optional. The pliers hold the cage together, but cover is set by plastic or concrete spacers
- Alternatives. Battery-powered rebar tiers make a tie in a fraction of a second; on large sites they save considerable time and spare the wrists
Related terms
- Tie wire
- Reinforcement
- Rebar
- Concrete cover
- Spacer
- Formwork
- Exposure class
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