How to buy rebar in the UAE and Saudi Arabia: B500B and Grade 60 explained, UAE ECAS and Saudi Quality Mark rules, bar marks and mill certificates, the main Gulf mills, coated bars and pricing terms.
Rebar for UAE and Saudi projects is specified to one of two families of standards: BS 4449 (usually grade B500B), or ASTM A615 Grade 60 and its low-alloy, weldable sibling ASTM A706, which Saudi Arabia adopts as SASO ASTM standards. Before you compare steel rebar suppliers in the UAE or rebar suppliers in Saudi Arabia, confirm the grade your drawings call for and check that the mill holds the country's mandatory certification: an ECAS certificate from MoIAT in the UAE, or the Saudi Quality Mark from SASO.
This guide is for contractors' procurement teams, quantity surveyors, site engineers and steel traders buying reinforcement for buildings, infrastructure and industrial work in the Gulf. It covers grades, bar marks and mill certificates, the UAE and Saudi rules, the main mills, cut-and-bend, coated and GFRP bars, pricing terms and an RFQ checklist. It does not quote prices, which change monthly; it explains what drives them.
The design code usually decides it: British or European designs call for BS 4449, ACI 318 designs for ASTM A615 or A706. Match the exact standard, grade and ductility class on the drawings, not an "equivalent".
| Standard and grade | Minimum yield / tensile (MPa) | Ductility requirement | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| BS 4449:2005+A3:2016 B500B | 500 / 540 | Tensile to yield ratio at least 1.08; elongation at maximum force (Agt) at least 5% | General building and infrastructure on British-standard designs; widely made by Gulf mills |
| BS 4449 B500C | 500 yield | Ductility class C; confirm the values on the mill's certificate | Where the designer asks for class C ductility; Qatar Steel lists it as its nuclear and British grade |
| ASTM A615/A615M Grade 60 (Grade 420) | 420 / 550 | Tensile to yield ratio at least 1.1; elongation is size-dependent, minimum 7% | General construction on ACI designs; listed by the main Saudi mills as SASO ASTM A615 Grade 60 |
| ASTM A615 Grade 80 (Grade 550) | 550 / 690 | Tensile to yield ratio at least 1.1; elongation minimum 6% | Heavily reinforced members where the designer wants fewer bars |
| ASTM A706/A706M Grade 60 | 420 / 550 | Tensile to yield ratio at least 1.25; elongation minimum 12%; carbon 0.30% max, carbon equivalent 0.55 max | Seismic detailing and bars that will be welded |
| Mill high-strength grades (EMSTEEL ES600, Qatar Steel QS600) | 600 yield and above | Set by the mill's own specification and approvals | Tall buildings, transfer slabs and congested members, only when the designer has specified them |
Figures are from the EMSTEEL rebar catalogue and Qatar Steel's specification page; check them against the edition your specification names. A B500B bar and a Grade 60 bar are not interchangeable: strengths, ductility measures and test methods differ (BS 4449 uses Agt, ASTM uses elongation over 200 mm), so substitution needs the engineer's written approval. Weldability is not automatic either. Qatar Steel describes its BS 4449 B500B and other low carbon equivalent grades as weldable, but lists ASTM A615 Grades 60, 75 and 80 as non-weldable. If bars will be welded, specify A706 or a weldable BS 4449 grade.
GSO ISO 6935-2 (grades such as B500BWR) is a third family on some mill certificates; treat it as a separate standard and check your specification allows it.
Rolled-in marks are your first check at the delivery gate. For BS 4449 bars certified by CARES (the UK Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steels), the marks repeat at intervals of no more than 1.5 m. After the CARES mark, the number of ribs between two dots gives the country of origin (9 means outside Europe), and the number of ribs between the next two dots gives the mill number, which you can look up in the CARES online certificate database. The rib pattern on the reverse side shows the ductility class: ribs sloping in the same direction for B500A, in opposite directions for B500B, and a more complex double rib pattern for B500C.
SASO says Saudi bars must carry marks showing the steel grade code, the standard used in manufacture, the bar diameter and the manufacturer's symbol. Al Rajhi Steel, for example, publishes its bar marking as "KSA // راجحي".
SASO also requires a data label on each bundle stating the standard number, steel grade and size, country of origin and number of bars. In the UAE, Cabinet Resolution No. 121 of 2023 goes further: each product must have a digital identification card, reached by scanning a QR code, holding at minimum the manufacturer's name, place of manufacture, the product standard and its issue date, the steel grade, nominal diameter, batch number, the ECAS mark and the name or number of the notified body. The record also holds each batch's chemical analysis and mechanical properties. EMSTEEL states that it uses the CARES dynamic bundle QR code to generate the MoIAT digital product passport.
A mill test certificate records the heat or batch number, chemistry and mechanical test results. The UAE resolution lists EN 10204 (types of inspection documents) among its reference standards, so ask for the certificate type your specification names. Match the heat number on the certificate to each bundle tag; a certificate that cannot be tied to a tag proves nothing about the steel on site.
Cabinet Resolution No. 121 of 2023, the UAE Scheme for Steel Bars for Concrete Reinforcement, was issued on 27 November 2023 under the federal standards law and is administered by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT). Its main provisions for buyers and importers:
Steel plants had 365 days from its entry into force to comply, and federal and local authorities can both carry out market surveillance. Before you issue a purchase order, ask the supplier for the ECAS certificate number for the exact mill, size range and grade, and check it is current. EMSTEEL, for instance, lists separate ECAS certificates for straight bars and for coils.
In Saudi Arabia, rebar falls under SASO's Technical Regulation for Building Materials, Part 1: Sectors of Metals and their Alloys for Buildings and Constructions. Version 2 was adopted by SASO's board on 20 June 2019 and published in the Official Gazette on 27 December 2019. Its key points:
The regulation notes that the product list and customs codes on the SABER platform are the updated, certified version, so check the current requirement for your HS code on SABER before shipping imported bars. Some suppliers still quote the old Saudi standard SASO 2/1992 on their product pages; ask which standard the Quality Mark licence was actually issued against, and make sure it matches the grade in your drawings, usually SASO ASTM A615 Grade 60. Concrete itself is a separate purchase: see cement and concrete suppliers in Saudi Arabia.
The table shows what each mill publishes on its own website. Always ask for the certificate covering your exact grade and size.
| Mill | Base | Rebar standards listed on its site | Sizes listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| EMSTEEL (formerly Emirates Steel Arkan) | Abu Dhabi, UAE | BS 4449 B500B; ASTM A615 Gr 40, 60, 80; SASO ASTM A615 Gr 60, 80; ASTM and SASO ASTM A706; ES600 | Straight bars 8 to 40 mm; coil 8 to 16 mm |
| Conares | Dubai, UAE | Not stated on the product page; request certificates | Bars 8 to 50 mm; coil 6 to 16 mm |
| Hadeed (Saudi Iron and Steel Company) | Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia | SASO ASTM A615M Gr 280, 420, 550; SASO ASTM A706M Gr 420; BS 4449 B500B; GSO/ISO 6935-2 B500BR and B500BWR | Bars 10 to 40 mm, plus rebar in coil |
| Al Rajhi Steel | Riyadh office, Saudi Arabia | SASO 2/1992, ASTM A615/A615M, BS 4449:2005 | Bars 8 to 40 mm; coil 6 to 16 mm |
| Qatar Steel | Mesaieed, Qatar; QS Dubai in Jebel Ali Free Zone | BS 4449 B500B and B500C; ASTM A615 Gr 40, 60, 75, 80; ASTM A706 Gr 60; SASO ASTM A615; QS600 | Coil 7 to 16 mm; bar range not stated |
Emirates Steel Arkan now trades as EMSTEEL Building Materials PJSC, listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, with its plant at Abu Dhabi Industrial City (ICAD) in Musaffah. It states a steel capacity of 3.5 million tonnes a year, made by direct reduced iron and electric arc furnace, and rolls bars 12 m long by default. Its catalogue lists ECAS, CARES, Dubai Central Laboratory and SASO certificates, and says it was the first company to receive MoIAT ECAS certification through UK CARES. It also makes ES600, a 600 MPa bar evaluated under ICC-ES report ESR-4800, plus seismic and nuclear grades used at the Barakah nuclear plant. It suits UAE projects wanting a domestic source for both British and ASTM grades.
Conares is a Dubai-based steel producer that has been in the industry since 1988. Besides rebar and coil it makes wire rod, ERW pipes and colour-coated coil. It lists bars in lengths of 6 to 18 m and a rebar capacity of 500,000 tonnes a year. Its product page does not list standards, so ask for the ECAS certificate and the grade it covers. The 50 mm top size and long lengths suit heavy foundations.
Hadeed, the Saudi Iron and Steel Company, was established in 1979 and has made rebar and wire rod at Jubail Industrial City since 1983. It states a capacity of 3.8 million tonnes a year of long products. SABIC sold Hadeed to the Public Investment Fund (PIF): the deal was signed in September 2023 at an enterprise value of SAR 12.5 billion, and SABIC told Tadawul on 26 May 2024 that the transfer was complete. Hadeed then acquired 100% of AlRajhi Steel Industries, paid for in Hadeed shares, bringing the two brands into one group; older specifications may still say "SABIC Hadeed". Its range of standards suits Saudi projects and exporters needing several standards from one mill.
Al Rajhi Steel (Rajhi Steel) was founded in 1984 and, since the 2024 transaction, is owned by Hadeed. It makes rebar, rebar coil and plain wire rod, listing bars in grades 280 (40), 420 (60) and 520 (75) and coil to BS 4449 B500B and ASTM A615M. Its page still cites SASO 2/1992, so confirm the current Quality Mark scope.
Qatar Steel was established in 1974 as the first integrated steel plant in the Arabian Gulf, at Mesaieed, and has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Industries Qatar since 2003. It operates QS Dubai in Jebel Ali Free Zone through Qatar Steel Company FZE. Its specification page is explicit about which grades it considers weldable, and it suits buyers who want a GCC mill offering B500C.
Tata Steel sells rebar under the Tata Tiscon brand, launched in 2000 as what it calls India's first TMT rebar, including a corrosion-resistant CRS550D bar. JSW Steel lists TMT bars in its product range. A TMT grade name on its own is not one of the standards in either Gulf regulation, so imported bars need certification to BS 4449 or ASTM A615/A706 (SASO ASTM in Saudi Arabia), plus a UAE ECAS certificate or Saudi Quality Mark, exactly like a local mill.
Many contractors send bar bending schedules to a fabricator and receive tagged, shaped bars or cages. CARES' model specification requires reinforcement to be cut and bent to BS 8666, welding of prefabricated assemblies to follow BS EN ISO 17660 and BS 8548, and mechanical coupler suppliers to hold CARES approval to its Appendix 8 or an equivalent scheme. On ACI-based projects the project specification governs. In either case:
Rebar is rarely the only structural package. If the same project needs structural steel or steel beams and columns, ask whether the mill or stockist can supply both, and coordinate delivery with your ready-mix concrete supplier so placed steel is not left exposed for weeks before the pour.
Steel corrodes when carbonation or chlorides break down the concrete's protection, a risk for structures near the sea or in saline ground. Cover and concrete quality, set by the designer, come first. When the specification also calls for protected bars, the options are:
Storage matters too: CARES' specification asks for identified, contamination-free storage with no dropping or shock loading, and coated bars need more care than plain steel.
Rebar is quoted per tonne and prices are revised regularly, so compare quotes on the same basis:
You can also post your rebar requirement on ListGCC and let mills, stockists and cut-and-bend fabricators in the UAE and Saudi Arabia respond. For general advice on shortlisting and vetting suppliers, see our guide on how to source industrial suppliers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. If you also need plain carbon steel bar, plate or pipe, browse carbon steel suppliers in Saudi Arabia.
Rebar durability also depends on the concrete around it; see our guide to cement types for sulphate and chloride exposure.
Each of these guides takes one question from this page further.
Standard rebar is ribbed carbon steel. ASTM A615 (SASO ASTM A615 in Saudi Arabia) covers deformed and plain carbon steel bars, and BS 4449 covers weldable reinforcing steel. ASTM A706 covers low-alloy bars with tighter chemistry limits for welding and seismic detailing. Epoxy-coated, galvanized and GFRP bars are used where corrosion risk is high.
Both BS 4449 B500B and ASTM A615 Grade 60 are common, and the UAE federal rebar regulation lists BS 4449, ASTM A615 and ASTM A706 as reference standards. The design code decides: British-standard designs use B500B or B500C, ACI designs use Grade 60 or A706. Buy what the drawings specify, from a mill with a valid ECAS certificate.
Yes. SASO's Technical Regulation for Building Materials, Part 1, requires the supplier placing rebar on the Saudi market to hold the Saudi Quality Mark or its equivalent. The listed standards are SASO ASTM A615/A615M for carbon steel bars and SASO ASTM A706/A706M for low-alloy bars, and labels must be in Arabic, or Arabic and English.
ECAS is the Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme run by MoIAT. Under Cabinet Resolution No. 121 of 2023, reinforcing bars, coils and billets, imported or local, need an ECAS certificate under Module H before sale. The mill needs ISO 9001, ISO 14001, a verified EPD and annual audits, and products carry the ECAS mark and a QR-linked digital record.
Both offer Grade 60 with a 420 MPa minimum yield. A706 adds a 0.30% carbon limit, a 0.55 carbon equivalent limit, a tensile to yield ratio of at least 1.25 (against 1.1) and higher elongation. That makes A706 the choice for welded bars and seismic frames. Never swap one for the other without the engineer's approval.
Prices follow mill price lists and the steel market, so ask several suppliers for current quotes. Compare them on the same terms: ex-mill or delivered, theoretical or actual weight, standard and grade, whether cut-and-bend or couplers are included, and price validity. These terms often explain more of the gap between quotes than the headline price per tonne.
In the UAE, EMSTEEL (formerly Emirates Steel Arkan) in Abu Dhabi and Conares in Dubai make rebar. In Saudi Arabia, Hadeed in Jubail is the largest and, since 2024, also owns Al Rajhi Steel. Qatar Steel supplies the region from Qatar and runs QS Dubai in Jebel Ali Free Zone. Check that each certificate covers your grade and size.
Only where the structural engineer designs for them. GFRP bars do not corrode, but they behave differently from steel. ACI CODE-440.11-22 covers concrete reinforced with GFRP bars conforming to ASTM D7957-22, and it does not address earthquake-resistant design. Treat GFRP as a design decision, never as a like-for-like substitution on site.
Featured image: Photo: Useradd, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How GFRP, epoxy-coated and hot-dip galvanised rebar protect concrete from chlorides, their standards and design codes, bending, cutting and repair rules, cost drivers and what UAE and Saudi regulations cover.
Metric rebar sizes and what Gulf mills roll, ASTM bar numbers in mm, what makes a bar deformed, reading the grade from ribs and rolled marks, what a delivery certificate must contain, and what CARES means.
When to use a rebar coupler instead of a lap, the main coupler types, ACI 318 Type 1 and Type 2 and other performance classes, how systems are approved and tested, and what to check on site.
