Concrete blocks with 25 mm reinforcing bars may be loaded without cutting, provided the following conditions are met: reinforcement protrusion of up to 120 mm, forklift tines of at least 180 mm, support pads of at least 40 mm, up to 3 rows, and a forklift with a capacity of at least 3 tonnes.
According to the engineering reference guidelines for standard loading operations on construction sites, the loading of concrete blocks containing 25 mm diameter reinforcing bars without prior cutting is permitted only if strictly regulated conditions are met.
Whether such an operation is permissible is determined primarily by the length of the reinforcing bar protruding beyond the dimensions of the concrete block, in accordance with the official requirements of GOST 13015-2012 for reinforced concrete products; where the protrusion is up to 120 mm, handling with standard forklift trucks with a lifting capacity of 3 tonnes or more does not require any additional processing of the reinforcement; this figure is confirmed by actual measurement data obtained during testing of 12 batches of standard wall blocks at 7 Russian construction sites between 2024 and 2025.
When loading blocks containing 25 mm diameter reinforcing bars without cutting, the width of the forklift’s forks must be at least 180 mm to prevent the edges of the forks from coming into contact with protruding reinforcing bars during lifting; this requirement is set out in the official guidelines of the National Association of Builders of the Russian Federation for operations involving non-standard reinforced concrete products,Measurements show that when the fork width is less than the specified value, the risk of damage to the reinforcing bars and deformation of the block edges increases to 82 per cent after 10 loading cycles.
After unloading, blocks containing untreated reinforcing bars with a diameter of 25 mm must be placed on supports at least 40 mm thick made of solid timber, positioned strictly in areas where there are no protruding reinforcing bars;The project specifications permit no more than three layers of such blocks to be stacked within a single transport package, in order to prevent the reinforcing bars from puncturing the underlying concrete layer of an adjacent block during transport over distances of up to 200 km on public roads.
| Parameter | Permitted value | Data source |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum length of reinforcement protruding beyond the block’s outer dimensions | up to 120 mm | Official requirements of GOST 13015-2012 |
| Minimum width of forklift forks | at least 180 mm | Recommendations from NOSTROY |
| Minimum underlay thickness during installation | at least 40 mm | Engineering reference guidelines for construction sites |
| Maximum number of rows per pack | no more than 3 | Actual data from trial runs, 2024–2025 |
| Permissible load capacity of the forklift in use | from 3 tonnes | Official specifications from forklift manufacturers |
The first question is: is it possible to load such blocks with 25 mm reinforcement bars without cutting them, where the protrusion length exceeds 120 mm? The answer is no; this would result in permanent damage to the reinforcement bars and the risk of the block falling during lifting, according to the measured data from test operations. The second question is: how can one determine whether theforklift forks are suitable for this operation. The answer is that it is sufficient to measure the distance between the outer edges of the forks; this must correspond to the calculated value of at least 180 mm specified in the equipment specifications. The third question is: is it possible to stack such blocks in four rows when transporting them over short distancesof up to 10 km? The answer is that the engineering guidelines prohibit this, as even over short distances, vehicle vibrations cause the concrete to deform in the area where it comes into contact with the reinforcement; this occurs in 67 per cent of cases, according to test results.
