Calculate missing rebar development length, stress, or bond stress from any 3 values, including nominal diameter and design load stress, with units.

Development Length Calculator

Enter any 3 values to calculate the missing variable

Development Length Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the Development Length. 

DL = D*S / (4*BS)
  • Where DL is the Development Length ( )
  • D is the nominal diameter of the rebar 
  • S is the stress in bar at design load 
  • BS is the design bond stress 

To calculate a development length, multiply the nominal diameter of rebar by the stress in the bar at design load, then divide by 4 times the design bond stress.

How to Calculate Development Length?

The following two example problems outline the steps and information needed to calculate the Development Length.

Example Problem #1

  1. First, determine the nominal diameter of the rebar.
    • The nominal diameter of the rebar is calculated to be : 2.5.
  2. Next, determine the stress in bar at design load.
    • The stress in bar at design load is measured to be: 2000.
  3. Next, determine the design bond stress.
    • The design bond stress is found to be: 1500.
  4. Finally, calculate the Development Length using the formula above: 

DL = D*S / (4*BS)

The values provided above are inserted into the equation below and computed.

DL = 2.5*2000 / (4*1500) = .833


Example Problem #2

The variables required for this problem are provided below:

nominal diameter of the rebar = 3

stress in bar at design load = 1000

design bond stress = 5000

Test your knowledge using the equation and check your answer with the calculator.

DL = D*S / (4*BS) = ( )