General guidance only — all construction work must be overseen by a supervising engineer This handbook is compiled from standards and laws with every source cited, andis being reviewed for certification by engineers Use it to know what to look at, what to ask and what evidence to request on site It is not an engineering determination and can't replace an engineer · Terms of use · Limitations of the handbook

Piles and foundations

Formwork for footings, stub columns and ground beams

Page code P05 · 77 inspection criteria · 8 illustrations

Concrete has no shape of its own — it takes whatever shape the formwork tells it to. Crooked formwork gives crooked concrete, leaking formwork gives honeycombed concrete, spreading formwork gives footings bigger than designed, and all of this is decided before the first concrete truck arrives. This page divides…

This page contains
The formwork sequence — four jobs done on different days
Formwork materials and condition
Formwork panel sizes — how wide to cut and how high
Props and braces — know the name of each piece and you can point out what's missing
Ground-beam soffit formwork — when the beam soffit is at ground level
Ground-beam soffit formwork — when the beam is raised off the ground
Concrete cover — and the shortcut that must never be taken
When to strike the formwork — there's a table for it
Permitted tolerances
Final inspection before pouring, and keeping evidence

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