reinforced concrete

A reinforced concrete frame is a load-bearing skeletal or framing structure composed of concrete which is poured wet on the site then dried during construction, using steel reinforcing bars (rebar) to add tensile strength. It is a very common framework material for medium and large structures. Concrete is a hard aggregate substance made from cement, lime, crushed rock or sand, water, and other ingredients.

Concrete performs exceptionally well under compression but not well under tension, so almost all concrete used in building frameworks is reinforced with steel bars (rebar).

Reinforced concrete is the most common material used in high-rise buildings in most parts of the world, especially residential high-rises. It is also very common in other large buildings and structures.

This type of frame material is limited to constructions where the concrete arrives on the site wet, and dries inside the formwork during the building process. If the concrete arrives in dry, pre-molded sheets and pieces which are stacked together, it should be listed as precast concrete. When concrete is used at the same building level as steel beams, then the material is listed as steel-concrete composite.

Reinforced concrete is also called "poured-in-place concrete" or "cast-in-place concrete".