Answer: This is a question that we are asked on a regular basis, and one that we do not have a clear answer for due to the variety of factors involved in making this calculation.

Anchor bolt pull out strength is the force required to pull a single bolt out of its foundation. In order to calculate this number properly, one must have data on factors other than the anchor bolt itself. Some of these include: strength of the concrete, embedment depth of the anchor bolt, etc.

We are able to provide the yield and tensile strengths of the anchor bolts that we provide, but we do not have the necessary data available to us, nor do we have the engineering expertise to calculate pull-out strength of a specific anchor bolt. We typically recommend that an engineer be consulted if you need to make this calculation.

Answer: Portland Bolt does not sell metric anchor sleeves but we do provide them all the time using a soft imperial conversion. We round down to the closest imperial size to make sure there is a snug fit on the bolt. If the fit is too snug, we recommend cutting a slit in the neck of the sleeve to allow for the slightly larger rod. We stock Contec Anchor Sleeves and Wilson Anchor Sleeves from ¹⁄₂” – 1″ diameter in ¹⁄₈” increments, 1¹⁄₄” – 2¹⁄₂” diameters in ¹⁄₄” increments, and 3″ anchor sleeves as well. Larger anchor sleeves are available upon request.

Answer: ASME B18.2.1 has a table that deals with the length tolerance for square, hex, heavy hex, and askew head bolts. It also has a section for lag screws as well as tighter tolerance cap screws. The tolerance varies greatly per diameter and length of the fastener. See the table below.

Non-Pointed Products Including Square, Hex, Heavy Hex, and Askew Head Bolts

Pointed Products Including Hex Cap Screws (Finished Hex Bolts) and Heavy Hex Screws

Lag Screw Length Tolerances

ASTM A325 and A490 heavy hex structural bolts have length tolerances that are specific to these bolts only. See our FAQ addressing the length tolerances for structural bolts.

The ASTM F1554 anchor bolt specification also has a section dealing with length tolerance. See the below excerpt…

10.4.1 The overall length of straight anchor bolts, or length to the inside of the hook, shall be the specified length +/- 1⁄2 in. (13 mm) for lengths 24 in. (600 mm) or less, and +/- 1 in. (25 mm) for longer bolts.
10.4.2 The length of hooks shall be the specified length, +/-10 % of the specified hook length, or +/- 1⁄2 in. (13 mm), whichever is greater.

Since the length of anchor bolts is often a noncritical dimension, the F1554 specification has a generous length tolerance. If the F1554 anchor bolt is to be a headed bolt with a forged head, it is Portland Bolt’s interpretation of the specification that the F1554 length tolerances apply to the headed anchor bolts as well as anchor rods and 90 degree bent anchor bolt.

All-thread rod or fully threaded studs are a gray area in terms of being specifically mentioned or dealt with by a specification in terms of length tolerance. The above chart and citations deal only with headed bolts and anchor bolts respectively and do not mention studs or all thread used for general applications. Many bolt specifications simply require the purchaser to state the length tolerances to the manufacturer. Making matters worse, all-thread rod is always chamfered on the ends to facilitate easy assembly of the nuts. Sometimes threaded studs are measured from end to end, while other times they are measured “first to first”, meaning from the beginning of the first thread on each end, not the overall length of the rod. Portland Bolt manufactures construction grade fasteners; if your product or application requires tight dimensional requirements please discuss those requirements with us.

Answer: Along with shear plates and round malleable washers, malleable beveled washers are made with ASTM A47 cast malleable iron. See the following excerpts from ASTM A47.

11.3 Castings that have been repaired by the welding shall be reannealed so that the microstructure will comply with Section 8. (Section 8 of ASTM A47 lays out specific requirements for the microstructure of the casting, as well as testing and inspection.)

X1.4 If malleable iron castings are welded, the microstructure of the iron is markedly affected, particularly in the heat-affected zone. Therefore, since this may adversely affect the properties of the casting, the welding of malleable iron castings should be done under strict metallurgical control, followed by appropriate post-weld heat treatment, to minimize the substantial reductions in ductility, impact resistance, and machinability that could result, particularly in the vicinity of the weldment. Nevertheless, it is generally considered inadvisable to join castings to similar castings or to other materials, by fusion welding out in the field, or in manufactured assemblies, without fully testing the entire completed part.

It would seem that ASTM A47 does appear to be weldable, due to these excerpts, but additional steps may need to be necessary to ensure the structural integrity of the casting after welding. If welding does take place, the casting would need to be reannealed to restore the original grain structure in order to comply with the specification. However, the specification also mentions that welding to castings is generally a bad idea and must be performed under strict supervision of an expert who is aware of the complex issues that may arise, not only with the initial welding but also with the eventual final use of the part. As with many complex questions that arise on projects and jobsites, an engineer needs to be consulted on any critical decisions involving structural integrity, especially concerning welding.

Since ASTM A47 is the specification that applies to malleable beveled washers, shear plates, and round malleable iron washers, this welding information applies to all three items. A similar product, ogee washers, however are manufactured to ASTM A48 (gray iron castings). A48 also has a similar section containing information about welding. See the below excerpt…

X1.5 If iron castings are welded (see 9.2), the microstructure of the iron is usually altered, particularly in the vicinity of the weldment. Therefore, the properties of the casting may be adversely affected by welding. Where practical, appropriate post weld heat treatment may reduce this effect of welding. (Section 9.2 refers to getting written permission from the purchaser before welding or plugging can occur for repairs.)

Although ogee washers are made to a different casting specification, ASTM A48, the same kind of welding precautions apply.

Answer: Portland Bolt inventories two different lines of anchor bolt sleeves, Wilson and Contec. There are many similarities between the two products, with two notable differences. The two main differences between these two types of anchor bolt sleeves are in sizing and coloring.

Wilson Anchor Sleeves

Contec Anchor Sleeves

Composition and Materials
Both brands are manufactured of high impact plastic. They are non-rusting, non-conductive and lightweight. Both are designed with a configuration that allows the grout and concrete to “lock” it in place, giving it greater pullout resistance than a regular grout pocket.

Technical Information
Both Wilson and Contec anchor bolt sleeves conform to the following technical specifications:

Differences – Sizing
Portland Bolt stocks Wilson anchor bolt sleeves in 12 standard sizes as shown on the chart below on the left. Each size is designed to be used with one particular diameter of anchor bolt.

Portland Bolt also stocks Contec anchor bolt sleeves in the 7 “stepped” sizes shown on the chart below on the right. Instead of a standard size sleeve for each anchor bolt diameter, Contec offers a “stepped” system allowing one shell to accommodate two or more anchor bolt diameters. To size the anchor bolt sleeve, simply cut at the appropriately marked diameter line. The Contec anchor bolt sleeves are also color coded by size for ease of identification.

Answer: The AISC Steel Construction Manual, 13th Edition has this to say about anchor rod nut installation.

“The majority of anchorage applications in buildings do not require special anchor rod nut installation procedures or pretension in the anchor rod. The anchor rod nuts should be “drawn down tight” as columns and bases are erected. This condition can be achieved by following the same practices as recommended for snug-tightened installation in steel-to-steel bolted joints in the RCSC Specification. That is, most anchor rod nuts can be installed using the full effort of an ironworker with an ordinary spud wrench.
When, in the judgment of the owner’s designated representative for design, the performance of the structure will be compromised by excessive elongation of the anchor rods under tensile loads, pretension may be required. Some examples of applications that may require pretension include structures that cantilever from concrete foundations, moment-resisting column bases with significant tensile forces in the anchor rods, or where load reversal might result in the progressive loosening of the nuts on the anchor rods.
When pretensioning of anchor rods is specified, care must be taken in the design of the column base and the embedment of the anchor rod. The shaft of the anchor rod must be free of bond to the encasing concrete so that the rod is free to elongate as it is pretensioned. Also, loss of pretension due to creep in the concrete must be taken into account. Although the design of pretensioned anchorage devices is beyond the scope of this manual, it should be noted that pretension should not be specified for anchorage devices that have not been properly designed and configured to be pretensioned.”

So, in a nutshell, what does this mean?
It means, that in normal circumstances, the normal effort of an ironworker with a regular spud wrench is sufficient to tighten the nuts on anchor bolts. In the event that special pretensioning is required, the design engineer should have carefully designed the anchor assembly specifically for that purpose and there should be detailed instructions so that the pretensioning is carried out properly.

Bolt Torque Charts

Answer: Portland Bolt cannot ship an order until it has been paid for in some fashion. If it is an order consisting solely of stock items, it cannot ship without being paid for first. In the case of custom manufactured parts, Portland Bolt cannot begin production without first receiving payment.

If your company is planning on ordering regularly from us and would like to establish a business relationship with Portland Bolt, you should consider filling out our credit application and applying to open an account with us. Once you have an open account, we will be able to accept and process orders with a standard Purchase Order (PO) from your company.

For international customers, we accept payment via bank to bank wire transfer. Depending on your location and bank hours, this form of payment may take as long as a day or two to be processed and received into our account. There is an additional $35.00 wire transfer fee.

For customers who may only need to place an order once or who only anticipate needing to order our products infrequently, the easiest form of payment is via credit card. We accept Visa and MasterCard (or any debit card with a Visa or MasterCard logo). We do not accept American Express or Discover.

Alternatively, you may mail us a check or utilize the wire transfer method already mentioned. Keep in mind that both of these methods will involve a delay that will vary anywhere from a few hours to several days, depending on the particulars of your situation.

Apply for credit here.
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Answer: This question comes up with some regularity at Portland Bolt and by necessity the answer is no. We are happy to provide sample certifications to you so that you may get a general idea of what your certifications will look like when you receive them with your order. However, beyond the sample certifications we cannot provide anything further until an order is placed and we actually start manufacturing the product. This is because until we physically take down the steel from our warehouse racks and start cutting into a particular bar or bundle of steel we have no way of knowing which individual heat lot we are going to be utilizing for a given order. Additionally, if the product requires heat treatment, galvanizing, or mechanical testing as part of the manufacturing process, we cannot generate those particular portions of the certification documents until that particular process has been completed.

This question was submitted by a Port Authority on the East Coast. Anchor bolts were supplied by another company claiming they met or exceeded the requirements of F1554 grade 36. As it turns out, they did not.

Hi Greg,

Sorry for being late to send you a clear copy of the Mill certification. Just to refresh your memory: The question is, ASTM F1554 Gr 36 against ASTM A307 also Grade 36. As you know, the contractor submitted ASTM A307 with the attached mill certification and stated that it meets or exceeds ASTM F1554.

First: What is ASTM F1554 … is this material ?? or just testing method ??
Second: Attached is a clearer copy for the Mill Certification.
Yield is 50,736 PSI
Tensile is 70,961 PSI
% elongation is 23.6 % to 25 % per 8 inches
What do you think ?? Are we missing any information in the mill certification for the F1554 –see attached – is the provided information in the mill certification can be passed as ASTM F1554?

Thank you for your help

Answer:

To address your first question…..

ASTM A36 is a steel grade, not a bolt specification. It covers the raw material (in this case steel round bar) that is used to manufacture the bolts. A307 and F1554 grade 36 are ASTM specifications covering bolts. Both A307 and F1554 grade 36 bolts are frequently manufactured using A36 steel. ASTM A307 is a specification that covers mild steel bolts. There are two grades within the ASTM specification. A307 grade A covers bolts for general applications, while A307 grade B covers heavy hex bolts and studs for cast iron flanges. There used to be an A307 grade C specification covering anchor bolts, but it was eliminated in 2007 and subsequently replaced by F1554 grade 36.

Both A307 grade C (when it existed) and F1554 grade 36 have chemical and mechanical (strength) requirements that must be met in order to certify the bolts to these specifications. As you can see in the table below, F1554 grade 36 requires additional testing (reduction of area) that A307 grade C did not require.

Mechanical Requirements

As for the bolts that were supplied……

One of the requirements of F1554 grade 36 is that the Reduction of Area of the steel must exceed 40%. For the anchor bolts in question, either this test was never performed or the data was never recorded on the test report. Most likely, the test was not performed since this is only a test of F1554 and not a test required of A307. Since this value is missing, there is no way to determine whether or not the bolts that were supplied (and are already in the foundation) have enough ductility (as determined by the Reduction of Area test) to meet the requirements of F1554 grade 36. There is a very good chance that the bolts would meet this requirement if they were tested, but they never were. Therefore, based on the test reports that accompanied the bolts that were supplied, these anchor bolts do not meet all of the requirements of F1554 grade 36. Tensile, yield, and elongation are all good, but the reduction of area requirement has not been met.

Many companies attempt to substitute A307 anchor bolts for F1554 grade 36 anchor bolts as has occurred in this case. The bottom line is that these anchor bolts that were supplied are missing data that is required to certify them to F1554 grade 36.

Answer: In most circumstances the answer is no. For Grade 5 the answer is never. Although, Grade 5 meets the minimum yield requirements of F1554gr55, the minimum tensile requirements exceed the maximum tensile requirements in all cases.

A449 is similar in regards to meeting the minimum yield strength of F1554gr55 across the board but is a little different in regards to tensile strengths due to there being different strength requirements for specific diameter ranges. Looking at the chart below, you can see that A449 runs into the same tensile problems as Grade 5 in diameters ¹⁄₄” – 1¹⁄₂”. In diameters 1⁵⁄₈”-3”, the minimum tensile strength for A449 drops down to 90 ksi leaving a small window to comply with F1554gr55 requirements. In addition to hitting the tensile perfectly, the elongation must also be well above its minimum of 14% and hit 21%.

Grade	Marking	Size, inches	Tensile, ksi	Yield, ksi min	Elong. % min	RA % min	Meets
Grade 5		1⁄4 – 1	120	92	14	14	NO
		11⁄8-11⁄2	105	81	35	35	NO
F1554 Grade 55		1⁄4 – 2	75 – 95	55	21	30	-
		21⁄4 – 21⁄2	75 – 95	55	21	22	-
		23⁄4 – 3	75 – 95	55	21	20	-
		31⁄4 – 4	75 – 95	55	21	18	-
A449		1⁄4 – 1	120	92	14	35	NO
		11⁄8 – 11⁄2	105	81	14	35	NO
		15⁄8 – 3	90*	58	14**	35	YES*

*Only if the tensile falls between 90-95ksi.
**Elongation must meet or exceed 21%.

If there is a supplemental weldabilty requirement (S-1) requested by the engineer; this is all null and void because both Grade 5 and A449 are heat treated to gain their strength properties. When heat is reapplied to a bolt that has been heat treated, it is probable that the physical properties (strength) of the bolt may be altered. See Welding High Strength Bolts for further information. Portland Bolt stocks from ¹⁄₂” through 3¹⁄₄” diameter F1554 grade 55 round bar that complies to the S-1 supplemental requirement for weldability.