Types of Formwork (Shuttering) for

Concrete Construction and its

Properties
Formwork (shuttering) in concrete construction is used as a mould for a structure in
which fresh concrete is poured only to harden subsequently. Types of concrete
formwork construction depends on formwork material and type of structural element.

Formworks can also be named based on the type of structural member

construction such as slab formwork for use in slab, beam formwork, column formwork
for use in beams and columns respectively etc.

A good formwork should satisfy the following

requirements:
1. It should be strong enough to withstand all types of dead and live loads.

2. It should be rigidly constructed and efficiently propped and braced both horizontally and
vertically, so as to retain its shape.

3. The joints in the formwork should be tight against leakage of cement grout.

4. Construction of formwork should permit removal of various parts in desired sequences without
damage to the concrete.

5. The material of the formwork should be cheap, easily available and should be suitable for reuse.

6. The formwork should be set accurately to the desired line and levels should have plane surface.

7. It should be as light as possible.

8. The material of the formwork should not warp or get distorted when exposed to the elements.

9. It should rest on firm base.

Formwork can be made out of timber, plywood, steel, precast concrete or fiberglass
used separately or in combination. Steel forms are used in situation where large
numbers of re-use of the same forms are necessary. For small works, timber formwork
proves useful. Fibre glass made of precast concrete and aluminium are used in cast-in-
situ construction such as slabs or members involving curved surfaces.
 Types of Formwork (Shuttering) for
Concrete Construction:
Timber Formwork:
Timber for formwork should satisfy the following requirement:

It should be

1. well seasoned

2. light in weight

3. easily workable with nails without splitting

4. free from loose knots

Timber used for shuttering for exposed concrete work should have smooth and even
surface on all faces which come in contact with concrete.

Plywood Formwork
Resin bonded plywood sheets are attached to timber frames to make up panels of required
sizes. The cost of plywood formwork compares favourably with that of timber shuttering
and it may even prove cheaper in certain cases in view of the following considerations:

1. It is possible to have smooth finish in which case on cost in surface finishing is there.

2. By use of large size panels it is possible to effect saving in the labour cost of fixing and
dismantling.

3. Number of reuses are more as compared with timber shuttering. For estimation purpose, number
of reuses can be taken as 20 to 25.

Steel Formwork
This consist of panels fabricated out of thin steel plates stiffened along the edges by small
steel angles. The panel units can be held together through the use of suitable clamps or
bolts and nuts. The panels can be fabricated in large number in any desired modular
shape or size. Steel forms are largely used in large projects or in situation where large
number reuses of the shuttering is possible. This type of shuttering is considered most
suitable for circular or curved structures.
 Steel forms compared with timber formwork:
1. Steel forms are stronger, durable and have longer life than timber formwork and their reuses are
more in number.

2. Steel forms can be installed and dismantled with greater ease and speed.

3. The quality of exposed concrete surface by using steel forms is good and such surfaces need no
further treatment.

4. Steel formwork does not absorb moisture from concrete.

5. Steel formwork does not shrink or warp.

Construction of Concrete formwork:

This normally involves the following operations:

1. Propping and centring

2. Shuttering

3. Provision of camber

4. Cleaning and surface treatment

Order and Method of Removing Formwork:

The sequence of orders and method of removal of formwork are as follows:

1. Shuttering forming the vertical faces of walls, beams and column sides should be removed first
as they bear no load but only retain the concrete.

2. Shuttering forming soffit of slabs should be removed next.

3. Shuttering forming soffit of beams, girders or other heavily loaded shuttering should be removed
in the end.
Rapid hardening cement, warm weather and light loading conditions allow early removal
of formwork. The formwork should under no circumstances be allowed to be removed
until all the concrete reaches strength of atleast twice the stresses to which the concrete
may be subjected at the time of removal of formwork. All formworks should be eased
gradually and carefully in order to prevent the load being suddenly transferred to
concrete.
Figure 1 to 6 shows formwork for different types of members in civil engineering
construction.

Figure 1(a): Details of timber formwork for RCC beam and slab floor
Figure 1(b): Details at section (A) shown in above figure

Figure 2(a): Elevation

Figure 2(b): Details of timber formwork for circular RCC column

 Figure 3(a): 150 3D View

Figure 3(b): Details of timber formwork for square or rectangular

RCC column
 Figure 4: Sectional plan showing details of timber formwork for an
octagonal column
Figure 5: Details of formwork for stair
 Figure 6: Timber formwork for RCC wall

Table: Period of Removal of Formwork

S. No. Description of structural member Time Period

1 Walls, columns and vertical sides of beams 1 to 2 days

2 Slabs (props left under) 3 days

3 Beam soffits (props left under) 7 days

 Removal of props to slabs

4 (a) For slabs spanning upto 4.5 m 7 days

(b) For slabs spanning over 4.5 m 14 days

Removal of props to beams and arches

5 (a) Spanning upto 6 m 14 days

(b) spanning over 6 m 21 days

Types of Formwork (Shuttering) Based on

Structural Member:
Formworks are used in construction of reinforced concrete foundations, columns, slabs,
walls etc., and these are named as follows:

o Footing Forms – Formworks for foundation

o Column Forms – Formwork for RCC Column construction

o Wall Forms – Formwork for RCC wall construction

o Floor Forms – Formwork for construction of RCC Slabs

Footing Forms – Formworks for Foundation

The first step for any concrete construction starts with the construction of foundation.
Foundation can be for columns or walls. So, based on type of structural member, the
shape and size of footing are designed. Thus formwork size and shape depends on the
type and dimension of the footing.
Components of Footing Forms:

Fig: Components of Footing Formwork – For Shallow Footing –

Continuous Footing Formwork

Column Forms – Formwork for Concrete Column

Construction
Reinforced concrete column forms are subjected to lateral pressure because of their small
cross section, large heights and relatively high rates of concrete placement. Thus It is
necessary to provide tight joints and strong tie support to the formwork.
 As the sizes of concrete column increases, the stiffness of the formwork must be
increased by either increasing thickness of sheathing or vertical stiffeners must be added
to prevent sheathing deflection.

Wall Forms – Formwork for RCC Wall Construction

Formwork for wall construction are subjected to relatively lower lateral pressure than
column forms due to their large cross-sectional area.

The components of wall forms are:

o Panel sheathing – It is used to shape the wall and retain the concrete until it sets.

o Studs – to support the sheathing or Wales by forming a framework to keep the forms aligned and
support the studs.

o Braces – It is used to prevent deflection of forms under lateral pressure and keep the formwork
erect.

o Ties and spreaders – These are used to hold the sides of the forms at the correct spacing.
 Fig: Components of a Wall Formwork

Floor Forms – Formwork for construction of RCC

Slabs
Formwork for reinforced concrete slabs depends on the type of slabs to be constructed.
The floor slabs can be structural slabs supported on a steel or concrete structural frame, or
slab-on-grade.

The design of formwork varies with the type of slab.

Structural Slab Formwork assembly is carried out as follows:

o Positioning of the girder or beam form at the bottom.

o Girder side forms overlaps the bottom form and rests on the shore heads and the sides of the
column form.

o Side forms is held in place by ledger strips nailed to the shore heads with double-headed nails.

o Larger girders should have the side forms vertically stiffened to prevent buckling.

o When constructing the girder and beam forms each part must be removed without disturbing the
remainder of the form; strike-off formwork will commence with the beam and girder sides,
followed later by the column forms, and finally by the beam and gird bottoms.
 Slab-on-Grade Forms are forms for concrete slabs placed on grade.
These slab formworks are usually quite simple as concrete is placed on
compacted earth or gravel leveled base. Thus no support is required for
concrete at the bottom.

Fig: Components of a Slab-on-Grade Slab Formwork

Slab-on-Grade Formwork assembly is carried out as follows:

o Plank, plywood, or steel forms are used for forming / supporting the open edges of concrete.

o These forms are held in place by supporting with wooden pegs.

o The reinforcement in slab (if specified in the structural drawing) should be placed on its proper
location according to the drawing on chairs, bolsters, and spacers made of either metal or
concrete.

Basic Components of a Building’s

Superstructure
The structural components of a building constructed above the
ground level constitute the superstructure. The basic components of a
building’s superstructure are columns, beams, slab and wall. These
components safely transfer the dead loads, live loads and other loads to the
substructure (foundation and plinth) which further distributes it to the
underlying earth.

Mentioned below are the basic components a building’s superstructure :

1. Roof

2. Parapet

3. Lintels

4. Slab

5. Beams

6. Columns

7. Walls

8. Floor

9. Stair
The functions and components of some of the important superstructure elements are
explained briefly in this article.
 1. Roof
Roof is the exterior and the uppermost part of any building structure. This structure is a
covering that is provided to protect the building from rain, snow, wind, sun and other
adverse effects.

A roof deck and roof cover form the two main parts of a roof structure. The structural
component that supports the roof cover is called a roof deck. This can be either
constructed flat or sloped in the form of truss, shell, dome or flat slab based on the type of
building the structure. The roof cover is laid over the roof deck. The roof cover can be
either tiles, slates, shingles, corrugated sheets, asbestos cement or thatch coverings.
2. Parapet
Parapet is a short wall barrier that is constructed at the edge of a terrace roof, balcony or
walkway as a means of protection. This can be constructed by means of steel, aluminum,
reinforced concrete or glass.

Parapet Walls – Types and Uses

A parapet wall is a low or dwarf wall built along the edge of the
roof, terrace, walkway, balcony etc. Parapet walls can be constructed using
different materials like reinforced cement concrete, steel, aluminium, glass
etc. Different types of parapet walls and their uses are discussed below.

Types of Parapet Walls

Classification Based on Appearance
Parapet walls are classified into following types based on appearance :

1. Plain Parapet Walls

2. Perforated Parapet Walls

3. Embattled Parapet Walls

4. Paneled Parapet Walls

1. Plain Parapet Walls

o The plain parapet wall is nothing but a vertical extension of the wall at the edge of the roof. It is
a general type of parapet which is specially provided for safety concern.

o Concrete coping is provided at top and corbel below it.

o Plain parapets are easy to construct and requires low maintenance.

o Plain parapet generally looks dull in appearance.

2. Perforated Parapet Walls

o The perforated parapet wall is also an extension of the wall like plain parapet but in this case, the
extended wall portion is perforated with different sized openings considering the aesthetic
appearance of the structure.

o Differently designed perforations such as circles, trefoils, flower shapes etc. are used.
 . Paneled Parapet Walls
o The Paneled parapet walls are similar to plain parapets but the difference is paneled parapets are
ornamented with series of panel designs on the outside of parapet wall.

o The panels may be oblong or square but no perforations are provided in this case.

o This type of parapets is more prevalent since it provides a beautiful appearance to the structure
and at the same time doesn’t cost much and provides ease in construction
 Embattled Parapet Walls
o The Embattled parapets were widely used in olden days especially for castles, forts etc.

o Alternative low and high portions and perforations are provided in the parapet. In ancient
periods, these perforations were generally used by arrow shooters to shoot arrows through it
while defending the castle.

o Because of their beautiful appearance and uniqueness, embattled parapets are being constructed
nowadays to enhance the aesthetic aspects of the structures.

Classification Based on Shape and Configuration

Parapet walls are also classified based on the shape and configuration as follows:

1. Sloped Parapet Wall

2. Stepped Parapet Wall

3. Flat Parapet Wall

4. Curved Parapet Wall

5. 1. Sloped Parapet Wall

6. Sloped parapet walls are provided for sloped roof structures such as industrial
structures, trussed structures etc.
2. Flat Parapet Wall
Flat parapet walls are recommended for flat roof structures.

4. Curved Parapet Wall

 Curved parapet walls also called as arched parapet walls are recommended for both flat
and inclined rooftops.

Miscellaneous Parapet types

o Several modern types of parapet walls are replacing the above-mentioned types because of their
dominance in all categories such as safety, appearance, economy etc.

o Some of the modern type parapets are fiber-glass parapets, parapet with steel railings, etc.

o Glass or steel railings can also be provided in the pierced portions of perforated parapet walls for
better appearance. Such types of parapets are called composite parapet walls.

Uses of Parapet Walls

Parapet walls constructed have various uses. Some of them are :

o To provide an aesthetic look to the structure.

o To provide safety for humans when they are on the rooftop and in case of bridges to prevent
vehicles from falling off bridge.

o To hide and prevent the equipment and machinery on the rooftop.

o To prevent the entrance of dust through the air on the rooftop.

o To prevent the falling of debris gathered on the rooftop.

o To prevent high wind loads coming on to the rooftop.

o Perforated parapets can be useful for defence measures in military areas.

 3. Lintels
A lintel is a type of beam structure constructed above all the wall openings to support the
load coming over it and transfer safely to the side walls. The width of the lintel is the
same as that of wall width and it ends into the masonry wall.

What is Lintel?
A lintel is a beam placed across the openings like doors, windows etc. in buildings to
support the load from the structure above. The width of lintel beam is equal to the width
of wall, and the ends of it is built into the wall. Lintels are classified based on their
material of construction.

Horizontal lintels are easy to construct as compared to arches.

Bearing of Lintel
The bearing provided should be the minimum of following 3 cases.

1. 10 cm

2. Height of beam

3. 1/10th to 1/12th of span of the lintel.

Types of Lintel used in Building
Construction
Lintels are classified based on the material of construction as

1. Timber Lintel
In olden days of construction, Timber lintels were mostly used. But now a days they are
replaced by several modern techniques, however in hilly areas these are using. The main
disadvantages with timber are more cost and less durable and vulnerable to fire.

If the length of opening is more, then it is provided by joining multiple number of

wooden pieces with the help of steel bolts which was shown in fig (a). In case of wider
walls, it is composed of two wooden pieces kept at a distance with the help of packing
pieces made of wood. Sometimes, these are strengthened by the provision of mild steel
plates at their top and bottom, called as flitched lintel.

2. Stone Lintel
These are the most common type, especially where stone is abundantly available. The
thickness of these are most important factor of its design. These are also provided over
the openings in brick walls. Stone lintel is provided in the form of either one single piece
or more than one piece.

The depth of this type is kept equal to 10 cm / meter of span, with a minimum value of 15
cm. They are used up to spans of 2 meters. In the structure is subjected to vibratory loads,
cracks are formed in the stone lintel because of its weak tensile nature.
3. Brick Lintel
These are used when the opening is less than 1m and lesser loads are acting. Its depth
varies from 10 cm to 20 cm, depending up on the span. Bricks with frogs are more
suitable than normal bricks because frogs when filled with mortar gives more shear
resistance of end joints which is known as joggled brick lintel.

4. Reinforced Brick Lintel

These are used when loads are heavy and span is greater than 1m. The depth of
reinforced brick lintel should be equal to 10 cm or 15 cm or multiple of 10 cm. the bricks
are so arranged that 2 to 3 cm wide space is left length wise between adjacent bricks for
the insertion of mild steel bars as reinforcement. 1:3 cement mortar is used to fill up the
gaps.

Vertical stirrups of 6 mm diameter are provided in every 3rd vertical joint. Main
reinforcement is provided at the bottom consists 8 to 10 mm diameter bars, which are
cranked up at the ends.
5. Steel Lintel
These are used when the superimposed loads are heavy and openings are large. These
consist of channel sections or rolled steel joists. We can use one single section or in
combinations depending up on the requirement.

6. Reinforced Cement Concrete Lintel

At present, the lintel made of reinforced concrete are widely used to span the openings
for doors, windows, etc. in a structure because of their strength, rigidity, fire resistance,
economy and ease in construction. These are suitable for all the loads and for any span.
The width is equal to width of wall and depth depends on length of span and magnitude
of loading.

4. Slabs
Slabs are horizontal structural elements that serve the purpose of floor, roofs or ceilings.
These are flat surfaces with top and bottom face parallel to each other.

Slabs are supported mainly by columns, beams, walls or the ground.

The depth of the slab is very small when compared to its depth.

Concrete Slab Types – Construction,

Cost, and Applications
A reinforced concrete slab is a crucial structural element and is used
to provide flat surfaces(floors and ceilings) in buildings. On the basis of
reinforcement provided, beam support, and the ratio of the spans, slabs are
generally classified into one-way slab and two-way slab. The former is
supported on two sides and the ratio of long to short span is greater than
two. However, the latter is supported on four sides and the ratio of long to
short span is smaller than two

Varying conditions and stipulations ask for the selection of

appropriate and cost-effective concrete slab, keeping in view, the type of
building, architectural layout, aesthetic features, and the span length.
Concrete slabs, therefore, are further classified into one-way joist slab, flat
slab, flat plate, waffle slab, hollow core slab, precast slab, slabs on grade,
hardy slab, and composite slab.

1. One-Way Slabs on Beams

Cast in situ method is used to construct one-way slabs on beams which involves fixing of
forms followed with the installation of reinforcements, and finally the pouring of fresh
concrete.

One-way slabs on beams are most suitable for spans of 3-6m, and a live load of 3 to
5KN/m2. They can also be used for larger spans with relatively higher cost and higher
slab deflection. Additional formwork for the beams is however needed
2. One-way joist slab (Ribbed slab)
It consists of a floor slab, usually 50 to 100mm thick, supported by reinforced concrete
ribs (or joists). The ribs are usually tapered and are uniformly spaced at distances that do
not exceed 750mm. The ribs are supported on girders that rest on columns.

A one-way joist concrete slab is suitable for spans of 6-9m

and live loads

3. Waffle Slab (Grid slab)

It is a type of reinforced concrete slab that contains square grids with deep sides. Waffle
slab construction process includes fixing forms, placement of pods on shuttering,
installation of reinforcement between pods, installation of steel mesh on top of pods, and
pouring of concrete.

Grid slabs are suitable for spans of 9-15m and live loads

. Flat Plates
Flat plates can be constructed as one-way or two-way slabs and it is directly supported by
columns or walls. It is easy to construct and requires simple formworks.

The advantages of adopting flat plates include low-cost formwork,

exposed flat ceilings, and faster construction. Flat plates have low shear
capacity and relatively low stiffness, which may cause noticeable
deflection.

5. Flat Slabs
This is typically a reinforced slab supported directly by columns or caps, without the use
of beams. This type of slab is generally easy to construct and requires little formwork.
The loads are directly transferred to the columns.

Flat slabs are most suitable for spans of 6 to 9m, and for live loads

6. Two-way Slabs on Beams

The construct of this type of slab is similar to that of one-way slab on beams, but it may
need more formworks since two-way slabs are supported on all sides. Slabs on beams are
suitable for spans between 6 and 9m, and live loads of 3-6KN/m2 . The beams increase
the stiffness of the slabs, producing relatively low deflection. Additional formwork for
the beams is needed.

5. Beams
A beam is a horizontal structural element with a specific depth and width running with a
span. It withstands vertical loads, bending moments and shear forces.

The loads coming on the beams are transferred to the beam endpoints where it is
supported. This is then transferred to the columns or the beam supporting structural
elements.

6. Columns
The column is a vertical structural element that carries compressive loads. This is one of
the critical structural element in any building structure whose failure can result in
progressive collapse.

The column transfers loads from the slab or the beam to the foundation below.

What is Slab, Beam, Column, and

Footing Construction?
Clearly, buildings are composed of various structure elements such
as slabs, beams, columns, and footings. Each of these structural members
play certain role in a structure.
 Slabs
Slab is an important structural element which is constructed to create flat and useful
surfaces such as floors, roofs, and ceilings. It is a horizontal structural component, with
top and bottom surfaces parallel or near so.

Commonly, slabs are supported by beams, columns (concrete or

steel), walls, or the ground. The depth of a concrete slab floor is very small
compared to its span.

Types of Loads on a Slab

Types of loads acting on a slab include:

1. Dead load of the slab

2. Live load

3. Floor finish load

4. Snow load in the case of roof slab

5. Earthquake loads

Load Transfer Mechanism in Slabs

The forces transfer from slab to beams occur either in one way or in two ways. The total
system completely counts on the geometrical dimensions of the slab.

Slabs may be supported by columns only, in this case two way action will prevail. If the
ratio Long side / short side < 2 it is considered as 2-way slab, and if Longer side to
shorter side greater than 2 then it is considered as 1-way slab.

The load transfer mechanism from floor slab to supporting elements for one way slab and
two way slab are shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Lastly, Fig. 4 illustrate the transfer of loads
from slabs to different types of supporting elements.

Fig. 2: Load distribution mechanism from one way slab to supporting member
 ig. 3: Load distribution mechanism from slab to beams or other supporting elements

Beams
beam is a horizontal structural element that withstand vertical loads, shear forces and
bending moments. The loads applied to the beam result in reaction forces at the support
points of the beam.

The total effect of all the forces acting on the beam is to produce shear forces
and bending moment within the beam, that in turn induce internal stresses, strains and
deflections of the beam

Fig. 5: Reinforced concrete beam

Types of Loads on Beams

1. Self-weight of the beam

2. Dead load includes point load for instance column constructed on beam, distributed load for
example setting slabs on a beam.

3. Live load
4. Torsional load

Load Transfer Mechanism in Beams

They transfer loads imposed along their length to their end points where the loads are
transferred to columns or any other supporting structural elements.

Fig. 6: Transfer loads from beams to column

Columns
Column is a vertical structural member that carry loads mainly in compression. It is
assumed to be the most crucial structural member of a building because the safety of a
building rest on the column strength.

This is because failure of column would cause progressive collapse in buildings whereas
such event would not occur when other members fail.

Columns transfer vertical loads from a ceiling, floor or roof slab or from a beam, to a
floor or foundation. They also carry bending moments about one or both of the cross-
section axes.
 Types of Loads on Columns
1. Self-weight of the column multiplies by number of floors

2. Self-weight of beams per running meter

3. Load of walls per running meter

4. Total Load of slab (Dead load + Live load + Self weight)

Loads Transfer Mechanism in column

Since the columns are supported by foundation; the load relocated from the all
components to the columns. Then, it will be transferred from the column through the
column necks adjacent to the footing in the form of axial force.

Moreover, Columns transfer lateral loads to foundations as well when such loads
imposed. Lastly, It will transfer moment and shear also to the footing.

Fig. 8: Load transfer mechanism from column to footing

Footings
Footings are structural elements that transmit load of entire superstructure to the
underlying soil below the structure. Footings are designed to transmit these loads to the
soil without exceeding its safe bearing capacity. Thus, prevent excessive settlement of the
structure to a tolerable limit, to minimize differential settlement, and to prevent sliding
and overturning.
 ig. 9: Reinforced concrete footing

Types of Loads on Footings

1. Dead load

1. Self-Weight of the elements

2. Superimposed loads such as finishes, partitions, block work, services.

2. Live load

3. Impact load

4. Snow load

5. Wind load

6. Earthquake force

7. Soil pressure

8. Rain loads

9. Fluid loads

Load Transfer Mechanism in Footing

Soil is the root support of the footing. All the forces that come in contact with the
footings will be transferred to the soil.

The soil shall bear these loads by the aspect known as bearing
capacity. The bearing capacity changes from one type of soil to another and
it is the key factor in estimating the size of footings.
ig. 10: Transfer of loads from structural elements to the ground through footing