An ACI Manual
Formwork for Concrete
8th Edition
SP-4 (14)
FORMWORK FOR CONCRETE
FORMWORK FOR
CONCRETE
Eighth Edition
DAVID W. JOHNSTON
Edward I. Weisiger Distinguished Professor Emeritus
North Carolina State University
Prepared with the assistance of
ACI COMMITTEE 347, FORMWORK FOR CONCRETE
Kenneth L. Berndt, Chair N. John Gardner Robert G. McCracken
Matthew J. Poisel, Secretary Brian J. Golanowski Eric S. Peterson
Timothy Hayes Steffen Pippig
Rodney D. Adams G. P. Jum Horst Douglas J. Schoonover
Mary Bordner-Tanck Jeffrey C. Jack Aviad Shapira
George Charitou David W. Johnston John M. Simpson
Eamonn F. Connolly Roger S. Johnston Rolf A. Spahr
James N. Cornell II Robert G. Kent Pericles C. Stivaros
Jack L. David Kevin R. Koogle Daniel B. Toon
Aubrey L. Dunham Jim Kretz Ralph H. Tulis
Jeffrey C. Erson H. S. Lew
Formwork for Concrete
8th Edition
First Printing: August 2014
Second Printing: December 2014
Errata changes as of October 13, 2015
Printed in Chelsea, Michigan
ISBN 978-0-87031-912-9
Copyright © 2014 by the American Concrete Institute.
All rights reserved.
This eighth edition has been revised to agree with “Guide to Formwork for Concrete (ACI
347R-14),” which is reprinted in full in the appendix. Other revisions have been made
for consistency with ACI documents undergoing revision since previous editions of this
manual were issued. Wood design stresses and procedures have been updated to agree
with the 2012 National Design Specification® issued by the American Wood Council. ”
The drawings and examples in this book are based on typical designs and should not be
used as working drawings or in place of making calculations for a particular project. They
are intended to be helpful in the preparation of complete formwork plans that should be
adapted to local conditions and comply with all applicable legal requirements. In no way
is this book able to, or intended to, supplant the qualified designer or engineer to whom
formwork should be entrusted.
Limitations of space and time make it impossible to show all of the methods, materials,
and products available for formwork construction. Omission of any item therefore should
not be regarded as a judgment that it is inferior or unsuitable.
Managing Editor: Michael Tholen, Ph.D., P.E.
Art Program: Claire Hiltz
Manager, Publishing Services: Barry Bergin
Production Editors: Carl Bischof, Kelli Slayden, Ashley Poirier, Kaitlyn Hinman
Page Design & Composition: Ryan Jay
Cover, Acknowledgements, and Foreword art courtesy Eric Peterson
Manufacturing: Marie Fuller
American Concrete Institute
38800 Country Club Drive
Farmington Hills, MI 48331
USA
[Link]
DEDICATION
The eighth edition of Formwork for Concrete is dedicated to the memory and achieve-
ments of M. K. Hurd, author of the first seven editions and constant advocate for safety,
economy, and quality of formwork. Mary Hurd (1926-2013), a civil engineering graduate
of Iowa State University, began her career as a staff engineer with the American Concrete
Institute in 1947. In the early 1960s, she was asked by ACI to work with the committee
on Formwork for Concrete to develop a major publication on formwork that had been
identified as an industry need. Over the years, as she moved at various times from ACI
staff engineer to private consultant or editor of concrete industry publications, she was
repeatedly engaged by ACI to update Formwork for Concrete. Well known and respected
as an engineering writer and editor on concrete construction, formwork, and concrete
aesthetics, she published over 230 articles on always-timely topics.
In the five decades since Formwork for Concrete made its first appearance, more than
130,000 copies have been printed and the book has become recognized as the “green
bible” of the formwork industry. Formwork for Concrete has been and continues to be a
cooperative effort supported by individuals, companies, public agencies, and industry
and professional associations in large measure due to the groundwork laid and respect for
Formwork for Concrete garnered through the pioneering efforts of Mary Hurd.
Mary K. Hurd in 1969
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The American Concrete Institute would like to acknowledge the hard work and support
of several groups and individuals without whom the production of a document of this
caliber would not be possible.
Without the vision and effort put forth by Mary K. Hurd and the members of ACI
Committee 347 over the last 50 years, much of the basis for this document would not exist.
Their work has established Formwork for Concrete as a well-known and respected reference
in the concrete formwork industry and as an excellent teaching resource in classrooms
across the United States.
David W. Johnston, Ph.D., P.E., took on the task of revising and bringing an iconic docu-
ment up-to-date by including the latest design standards, design methods, procedures,
products, and several new worked examples. In addition, he coordinated the selection
of nearly 500 modern color photographs to enable the eighth edition of Formwork for
Concrete to be the first edition in full color. Photos in this manual without photo credit
were provided by Dr. Johnston. The assistance of Matthew Poisel in revising the document
is also gratefully acknowledged.
The assistance of the many formwork and construction companies that permitted the
use of their photographs and illustrations allows Formwork for Concrete to show a breadth
of formwork application that would not be possible otherwise. Specific acknowledgments
for their contributions are found in the figure captions.
Members of ACI Committee 347, Formwork for Concrete, were engaged by the author
during the process of revising the document, as they have been during the development
of previous editions. Their comments and insight have brought a balanced viewpoint to
the document that is not found in other documents on the topic.
Members of the ACI Educational Activities Committee (EAC), with the assistance of
outside reviewers selected from ACI Committee 347, provided final review comments for
chapters of the document. Responses by the author to these comments were reviewed
and approved by the EAC members who commented on the chapter. These comments
provided a fresh perspective and helped ensure that people reading the document for the
first time would be able to quickly and easily understand the content. These reviewers also
made sure that the content of this work
was consistent with other ACI documents.
These suggestions have helped improve
the document for the final end user.
Michael Tholen, Ph.D., P.E.
Managing Editor
vi
FOREWORD
Following in the footsteps of Mary K. Hurd is a challenge. My respect for her knowledge
of formwork included recent decades of interaction with her on ACI Committee 347, but
also extended back to my days as a student specializing in construction engineering and
structural engineering. In 1965, I encountered the first edition of Formwork for Concrete
as a construction engineering undergraduate student at North Carolina State Univer-
sity. During my years in industry and later as a faculty member, my appreciation of her
pioneering and dedicated work on Formwork for Concrete and her contributions to ACI
Committee 347 continued to grow.
The eighth edition, as all previous editions, follows the most recent guidelines estab-
lished by ACI Committee 347 and documented in the committee report, now ACI 347R-
14, which is reprinted in full in the appendix. This new edition of Formwork for Concrete
considers the updated lateral pressure provisions now provided by ACI 347. Expanded
coverage is provided for wind loads, analysis of the shoring and reshoring process,
evaluation of concrete and structure strength to withstand shoring loads, and design of
shoring and bracing elements. This edition also reflects the latest changes in wood design
recommendations of the American Wood Council and introduces LRFD in addition to the
primary coverage based on ASD procedures. The recent recommendations of other ACI
committees have also been considered in the manual revisions and some related provi-
sions of ACI 318 and OSHA have been extracted for convenient reference in the appendix.
The growing number of standards related to design of the construction process and
design of temporary structures, as well as a number of formwork industry products and
practices adopted since the last edition was published, have been considered during
development of the revisions. For instructional use, a series of problems and review ques-
tions have been provided following the appendix.
Drafts of revisions have been submitted for review and comment by members of ACI
Committee 347, whose suggestions and advice have been most constructive. I am very
grateful to the many committee members who shared their expertise and counsel during
the preparation of the eighth edition. My special thanks to colleague Matthew Poisel, for
his development of the data for the span tables of Chapter 9. The author is also grateful
to the many individuals and organizations who have contributed nearly 500 new illustra-
tions, drawings, and photo images to this first edition to be printed in color and to the
many contractors who have provided access to their construction sites for photographs by
the author, particularly United Forming, Inc., and Clancy & Theys Construction Co.
David W. Johnston, Ph.D., P.E.
July 2014
vii
Chapters
1: INTRODUCTION
2: GENERAL OBJECTIVES IN FORMWORK BUILDING
3: OVERALL PLANNING
4: MATERIALS, ACCESSORIES, AND PROPRIETARY PRODUCTS
5: LOADS AND PRESSURES
6: SHORING AND FLOOR LOADS IN MULTI-STORY
STRUCTURES
7: DESIGN OF SLAB, WALL, BEAM, AND COLUMN FORMS
8: DESIGN OF FORM SHORES AND BRACING
9: DESIGN TABLES
10: FORMWORK DRAWINGS
11: BUILDING AND ERECTING THE FORMWORK
12: USING THE FORMS
13: FORMED CONCRETE SURFACE QUALITY
14: FORMWORK FOR ARCHITECTURAL CONCRETE
15: BRIDGE FORMWORK
16: MASS CONCRETE FORMWORK
17: TUNNEL AND SHAFT FORMWORK
18: SPECIAL TECHNIQUES IN CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION
APPENDIX A—REFERENCED STANDARDS AND REPORTS
APPENDIX B—NOTATION
APPENDIX C—GLOSSARY
APPENDIX D—CONVERSIONS
APPENDIX E—ACI 347R-14 GUIDE
APPENDIX F—ACI 318-11 CODE AND COMMENTARY
APPENDIX G—OSHA REGULATIONS
APPENDIX H—PROBLEMS
INDEX
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