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Guide · Quality control in construction

Slab casting checklist — what to check before the concrete pour.

A roof slab is poured in a day and carries your house for decades. Once the concrete is in, nobody can see the steel, the cover or the gaps in the shuttering. That is why the inspection before concreting is the single most important quality check on a house.

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Slab reinforcement laid out before concreting

Reinforcement

  • Steel brand and grade match the BOQ — with the invoice
  • Bar sizes and spacing as per the structural drawing
  • Laps, bends and extra bars at openings as shown on the drawing
  • Bars clean and tied firmly so they don't shift during the pour

Cover

  • Cover blocks placed under and beside the steel throughout — not just at the edges
  • Cover blocks of the size the drawing calls for, and strong enough not to crush
  • Top steel held at its height by chairs, so it isn't trodden down

Shuttering and services

  • Shuttering level, true and tight, with no gaps for slurry to leak
  • Props firm and evenly spaced, on solid ground
  • Electrical conduits and plumbing sleeves placed before the pour, not cut in later
  • Shuttering cleaned of debris and wetted before concrete arrives

During and after the pour

  • Concrete placed and compacted continuously, without long breaks
  • Cubes cast from the day's concrete for 7- and 28-day lab tests
  • Curing started on time and kept up for the period the specification requires
  • Props left in place until the engineer says they can come out
Questions

What owners ask us about slab casting checklist.

Why is slab inspection before concreting so important?

Because every mistake in steel, cover and shuttering is hidden for good once concrete is placed. It is the last moment those faults can be fixed cheaply.

Who should sign off a slab before the pour?

An engineer who checks it against the structural drawing. On our sites that is your engineer, on a pour card, with photographs sent to you before concrete arrives.

Can you inspect just my slab casting in Chennai?

Yes. Our stage-wise inspection plan covers every column and slab before the pour, along with the other critical stages.

Other ways we help
Daily site supervisionConstruction supervision for your house in Chennai — a site engineer on site every working day, checks before every pour, bills re-measured before you pay.Read moreStage-wise inspectionBuilding your house yourself in Chennai? A civil engineer inspects every critical stage — footing, columns, slabs, waterproofing — before it's covered.Read moreBOQ & bill checkingA line-item BOQ for your house before you sign, and every contractor bill re-measured on site before you pay. Independent civil engineers, Chennai.Read more
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