For a quote, call us now on 0207 856 0141 or send us your bending schedule below — rebar cut and bent for retaining walls, delivered across the South East.

Reinforcement for retaining walls

A retaining wall holds back the pressure of the ground behind it, which pushes on the wall constantly rather than as an occasional load — so unlike a slab, a retaining wall is reinforced with rebar rather than mesh, run both vertically and horizontally through the wall in a pattern the engineer’s design specifies.

Why rebar rather than mesh

Mesh is designed to control shrinkage cracking in a slab under its own weight and light surface loading. A retaining wall has to resist bending from soil pressure that increases with depth, plus any surcharge from what sits behind it — a driveway, a building, a slope. That calls for individually sized and positioned bars, typically vertical bars taking the main bending load with horizontal bars tying the wall together, rather than a uniform fabric grid.

What decides the size

Wall height, the type of soil retained, drainage behind the wall, and any surcharge load all feed into the design — there’s no standard bar size that applies regardless of these, which is why retaining walls above modest garden-wall heights are a structural engineer’s design rather than a rule of thumb. What we can tell you is that domestic-scale retaining walls commonly use bar in the T10 to T16 range, with larger diameters and closer spacing as the wall gets taller or the ground gets heavier.

Cut and bent to your schedule

Send us your bending schedule and we’ll cut, bend and deliver rebar ready to fix. See our reinforcement shape codes guide if you need help reading one, or we can supply a prefabricated rebar cage where your design calls for it.

Delivery across the South East

Order before midday the day before for next-day delivery. Our HIAB crane-equipped lorries offload directly to site, so tell us about any access restrictions when you request your quote.

Request a quote or upload your schedule

Send us your requirements, or upload a bending schedule or drawing, and we’ll come back with a fast, no-obligation quote.

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Reinforcement for retaining walls — FAQs

Why do retaining walls use rebar instead of mesh?

A retaining wall resists bending from soil pressure that increases with depth, which calls for individually sized and positioned bars rather than a uniform mesh grid designed for shrinkage control.

What size rebar is used in a garden retaining wall?

T10 to T16 covers most domestic-scale retaining walls, but the exact diameter and spacing depend on wall height, the ground retained and any surcharge load — a structural engineer’s design confirms the detail.

Does every retaining wall need an engineer’s design?

Above modest garden-wall heights, yes — the loads involved and the consequences of getting it wrong mean this isn’t a job for a standard specification. Building control will typically expect calculations for anything beyond a low garden wall.

Can you cut and bend rebar to my retaining wall drawing?

Yes — send us your bending schedule or drawing and we’ll provide a fast quote for cut and bent rebar, or a prefabricated cage, delivered ready to fix.

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