Anchor Bolt
Specification
Conflicts
Resolving differences between ACI and AISC tolerances
By Bruce A. Suprenant
U sing the Construction Specifications Institute Master-
Format™ notation,1 project manuals are structured
so that Division 3 governs concrete construction and
Division 5 governs steel construction. Within these
divisions, tolerances are normally defined by reference to
industry standards such as ACI 117-902 or the recently
published ACI 117-063 for Division 3 and the American
Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) 303-054 for Division 5.
Typically, this structure clearly defines the requirements
that each trade is expected to meet. Conflicts can arise,
however, where construction by the two trades intersect.
The tolerances for the placement of anchor bolts or
rods (the term used by AISC) are a good example of one
of these conflicts. Because the tolerances for anchor
bolt locations in ACI and AISC documents aren’t currently
compatible (refer to sidebar), it’s not surprising that
conflicts can occur when a steel structure is to be
constructed on a concrete substructure. Clearly, to
provide the best product for building owners, the construction
industry must eliminate tolerance incompatibilities.
Some recommendations for resolving the conflicts in the
specification of tolerances for the placement of anchor
bolts are provided in this article.
Measuring Accuracy
To determine if tolerances can be reasonably attained,
we first need to discuss the measuring accuracy of the
methods used at the site to locate anchor bolts. The
location of an anchor bolt is typically established using a
steel tape measure to determine its distance from two
reference lines. The accuracy of the layout depends not
only on the accuracy of this final measurement, but also
on the accuracy of the working lines themselves. The
accuracy of the final layout therefore depends on the
accuracy of the following items:
 Primary control lines;
 Secondary control lines;
 Working lines; and
 Distances from working lines to the bolt location.
A primary control line is a permanent baseline that
exists throughout the life of the project. It’s typically set
at the edge of the site or possibly even off the site.
Although it’s obviously very important that this line be
located accurately, its accuracy usually doesn’t affect
tolerance conflicts because all building trades should use
the primary control line as their starting point for setting
secondary control lines.
A secondary control line is a semi-permanent control
line that’s established within a tape measure’s length
(typically no more than 25 ft [8 m]) of the work to be
executed. There are typically multiple secondary control
lines for a building, and they’re used for weeks, months, or
even for the entire project. The construction manager (CM)
or general contractor (GC) often establishes the secondary
control lines for the project and requires all trades to
work off the same lines. This helps minimize disputes
Concrete international / december 2006 29
regarding measurement accuracy. The secondary control
line is typically laid out with an accuracy of 0.01 ft or
1/8 in. (3 mm).
A working line is temporary and is often removed the
instant a worker marks a location or is later covered up
by ongoing work. The recommended accuracy of the
working control line is 1/2 that of the work it is locating.6
For instance, the working control line (tape measure
distance) should be located to within ±1/32 in. (±0.8 mm)
for setting anchor bolts to the nearest ±1/16 in. (±1.6 mm).
Anchor Bolt Tolerances
Industry tolerances for anchor bolt placement
vary widely. ACI 117-90, “Standard Specifications for
Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials,”2
didn’t specify tolerances specifically for anchor
bolts, but did specify a tolerance of 1 in. (25 mm) for
the vertical alignment, lateral alignment, and level
alignment of embedded items. The recently published
ACI 117-063 provides the following specific tolerances
for anchor bolt placement, based on the American
Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC) Position
Statement 14,5 in Section 2.3.4:
2.3.4.1 Top of anchor bolt from specified elevation
Vertical deviation.....................±1/2 in. (13 mm)
2.3.4.2 Centerline of individual anchor bolts
from specified location
Horizontal deviation:
for 3/4 in. (19 mm) and 7/8 in. (22 mm)
bolts.....................................±1/4 in. (6 mm)
for 1 in. (25 mm), 1-1/4 in. (32 mm), and
1-1/2 in. (38 mm) bolts.....±3/8 in. (10 mm)
for 1-3/4 in. (44 mm), 2 in. (51 mm), and
2-1/2 in. (64 mm) bolts.....±1/2 in. (13 mm)
The American Institute of Steel Construction
(AISC) provides the following tolerances for anchor
rod locations in AISC 303-05, “Code of Standard
Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges”4:
7.5 Installation of Anchor Rods, Foundation
Bolts and Other Embedded Items
7.5.1. Anchor Rods, foundation bolts and
other embedded items shall be set by the Owner’s
Designated Representative for Construction in
accordance with Embedment Drawings that
have been approved by the Owner’s Designated
Representatives for Design and Construction.
The variation in location of these items from the
dimensions shown in the Embedment Drawings
shall be as follows:
(a) The variation in dimension between the
centers of any two Anchor Rods within an
30 december 2006 / Concrete international
Where to measure
Whether the anchor bolt location is controlled at the
top of concrete, top of bolt, top of base plate, or some
other point is a critical choice. Field engineers often lay
out anchor bolt locations along the top of the concrete.
When they check installed anchor bolts, however, they
often measure to the top of the anchor bolt.
If the anchor bolt isn’t perfectly plumb, the position or
location of the anchor bolt varies depending on which
point is measured. If the anchor bolt tilts at only a 5 degree
7.5.1 (continued)
Anchor-Rod Group shall be equal to or less than 1/8 in.
[3 mm].
(b) The variation in dimension between the
centers of adjacent Anchor-Rod Groups shall be
equal to or less than 1/4 in. [6 mm].
(c) The variation in elevation of the tops of Anchor
Rods shall be equal to or less than plus or minus 1/2 in.
[13 mm].
(d) The accumulated variation in dimension
between centers of Anchor-Rod Groups along the
Column Line through multiple Anchor-Rod Groups
shall be equal to or less than 1/4 in. per 100 ft
[2 mm per 10 000 mm], but not to exceed a total
of 1 in. [25 mm].
(e) The variation in dimension from the center of
any Anchor-Rod Group to the Column Line through
that group shall be equal to or less than 1/4 in. [6 mm].
The tolerances that are specified in (b), (c) and (d)
shall apply to offset dimensions shown in the structural
Design Drawings, measured parallel and perpendicular
to the nearest Column Line, for individual columns
that are shown in the structural Design Drawings as
offset from Column Lines.
Commentary:
The tolerances established in this Section have
been selected for compatibility with the hole sizes
that are recommended for base plates in the AISC
Manual of Steel Construction. If special conditions
require more restrictive tolerances, the contractor
responsible for setting the Anchor Rods should be so
informed in the Contract Documents. When the
Anchor Rods are set in sleeves, the adjustment
provided may be used to satisfy the required Anchor
Rod setting tolerances.
7.5.2. Unless otherwise specified in the Contract
Documents, Anchor Rods shall be set with their
longitudinal axis perpendicular to the theoretical
bearing surface.
angle and projects 6 in. (150 mm) above the concrete, the
difference in measuring location (top of bolt or top of
concrete) can result in a location difference of as much
as 1/2 in. (13 mm).
Another measurement difficulty is that anchor bolts
are often measured to the centerline of the bolt. This
requires either marking the centerline on the bolt—which
is rarely done—or, more often, holding the tape measure
at the estimated centerline. Because typical anchor bolt
diameters range from about 1 to 3 in. (25 to 75 mm), it’s
reasonable to assume that the centerline can’t be estimated
with an accuracy any better than ±1/32 in. (±0.8 mm).
Measurement tolerance
The standard deviation of the final anchor bolt location T
can be estimated by the square root of the sum of the
squares (SRSS) of the standard deviations of the individual
measurements for the secondary control line SCL, the
working line WCL, and the estimated bolt centerline ECL
using the following equation
(1)
Because all trades work from the primary control line,
we don’t need to consider its accuracy in this equation.
If we assume that the secondary control and working
lines can be located within ±1/8 in. (±3 mm)7 99.7% of the
time, then we can estimate the standard deviations of
these measurements (SCL and WCL) at 1/24 in. (1 mm).
Similarly, if we assume an accuracy for estimating the
centerline of the bolt of ±1/32 in. (±0.8 mm), then the
standard deviation can be estimated at 1/96 in. (0.26 mm).
Using these estimates in Eq. (1) results in a total standard
deviation of 0.06 in. (1.5 mm).
This value tells us that even if the anchor bolt is
placed perfectly, the tolerance would have to be ±2T or
about ±1/8 in. (±3 mm) to have about a 95% probability
that its location would fall within the tolerance, and we
still haven’t even considered the accuracy with which we
can place the anchor bolt relative to its intended position
and keep it there while the concrete is being placed. Even
using a total station, current technology limits measuring
accuracy to about ±1/8 in. (±3 mm).
Construction tolerances are typically set to include a
measurement tolerance. The PCI Tolerance Manual, for
example, states that “the precision of the measuring
technique used to verify a dimension, either pre- or post-
casting, should be capable of reliably measuring to a
precision of one-third the magnitude of the specified
tolerance.”8 Typically, the total tolerance is 3 to 4 times
the measuring accuracy. Based on the previous estimates
of anchor bolt measurement accuracy, 3 to 4 times the
±1/8 in. (±3 mm) measuring accuracy would provide an
anchor bolt tolerance of about 3/8 to 1/2 in. (9 to 12 mm).
3/4 in. Bolt
1-5/16 in. Hole
1 in. Bolt 2-1/2 in. Bolt
1-13/16 in. Hole 3-3/4 in. Hole
Fig. 1: The only way to ensure that anchor bolt locations meet
both ACI and AISC tolerances is to locate them within ±1/16 in.
(±1.6 mm) of their intended location. These scaled drawings
showing the anchor bolt diameter (green), placing tolerance
(yellow), and the remaining hole size (red) illustrate that this
would result in an inordinate amount of the available adjustment
being allocated to the steel erector (1 in. = 25.4 mm)
What to measure
Comparing the ACI and AISC tolerances shown in the
sidebar on anchor bolt tolerances reveals a conflict in the
manner in which the two organizations specify anchor
bolt tolerances. While ACI places limits on the deviation
of an individual bolt from its intended position, the
majority of the AISC tolerances place limits on the deviation
between bolts in a group (such as all the bolts for a single
column base plate) and the deviation between centerlines
of bolt groups. Obviously, AISC’s tolerances are intended
to ensure that the steel structure can be erected without
having to modify the structure or deviate from the
tolerances for the steel structure. Because the tolerances
can’t be directly compared, however, it isn’t possible to
determine whether an anchor bolt meeting one organization’s
tolerances will meet the other organization’s tolerances.
As a simple example, consider an anchor bolt for a
column base plate that is out of position by 1/4 in. (6 mm),
which would meet ACI’s tolerances. This anchor bolt
would also meet AISC’s tolerances if all of the other
anchor bolts for the base plate were out of position by
1/4 in. (6 mm) in the same direction and the bolts for the
adjacent columns were at their intended positions. If all
of the other anchor bolts for the base plate are at their
intended position, however, the anchor bolt would not
meet AISC’s tolerances because the distance between
anchor bolts in a group would deviate from the intended
dimension by more than 1/8 in. (3 mm).
With the current tolerances specified by ACI and AISC,
the only way to ensure that anchor bolt locations will
meet both sets of tolerances is to locate the anchor bolts
within ±1/16 in. (±1.6 mm) of their intended location. As
shown previously, it’s highly unlikely that the locations
can even be determined with this degree of accuracy.
Also, as shown in Fig. 1, requiring the concrete contractor
to locate anchor bolts within ±1/16 in. (±1.6 mm) would
Concrete international / december 2006 31
result in an inordinate amount of the AISC tolerance will be met. The Table 1:
available adjustment being allocated dimensions of the template and Previous and current hole sizes for
to the steel erector. the hole locations will likely have anchor bolts recommended by AISC
Even using steel templates to accuracies no better than 1/16 in.
attempt to meet the 1/8 in. tolerance (1.6 mm), and each hole will have to Previous Current
Bolt size, hole hole size,
on the dimension between anchor be oversized by at least 1/16 in. (1.6 mm) in. size, in. in.
bolts in a group is no guarantee that to accommodate the bolt. As a result,
3/4 1-1/16 1-5/16
7/8 1-3/16 1-9/16
1 1-1/2 1-13/16
1-1/4 1-3/4 2-1/16
1-1/2 2 2-5/16
1-3/4 2-1/4 2-3/4
2 2-1/2 3-1/4
2-1/2 3-1/2 3-3/4
Note: 1 in. = 25.4 mm

an individual anchor bolt could be

mislocated by as much as 1/8 in.
(3 mm) and the distance between
two anchors could deviate from the
intended distance by as much as
1/4 in. (6 mm).

AISC Hole Size versus

Anchor Bolt
Construction Tolerance
As shown in Table 1, the hole sizes
for anchor bolts recommended by
AISC prior to the publication of the
1994 Load and Resistance Factor
Design (LRFD) Manual of Steel
Construction9 were 5/16 to 1 in.
(8 to 25 mm) larger than the anchor
bolt diameter. Also shown in Table 1,
AISC currently recommends hole
sizes that are 9/16 to 1-1/4 in.
(14 to 32 mm) larger than the anchor
bolt. While the hole sizes have
increased, the AISC anchor bolt
location tolerances for the concrete
contractor have remained the same.
AISC 303-05 indicates that few
fabricators or erectors have the
capability to provide the survey for
as-built locations of anchor rods and
delegates responsibility for an anchor
bolt survey to others, presumably
the GC or CM. The measuring system,
accuracy, and elevation at which the
CIRCLE READER CARD #15 anchor bolt locations are measured

32 december 2006 / Concrete international

are all undefined, adding another Making the Hole
Locating the Hole
problem to the coordination of ACI
anchor bolt tolerances with AISC
tolerances.
Also, the new second edition of
AISC Design Guide 1, “Base Plate and
Punch Drill Flame Cut
Anchor Rod Design,”10 recommends
that Division 3 specifications refer to
the AISC tolerance requirements for
Matching Holes to Bolts
anchor bolts instead of the ACI during Erection
tolerances. This presents a major
problem for concrete contractors,
Tolerances Needed
who can be back-charged by the GC
or CM when either prepares as-builts Locating the hole: ± 1/16 in.
showing that the anchor bolt tolerances Making the hole: ± 1/16 in.
are not met. This can be an opportunity
Erection: ± 1/16 in.
for the GC or CM to keep retainage
even though the bolts can be used Statistical Combination = 0.108 in.
for steel erection without any Consider 1/8 in. as needed for
corrective work. steel fabrication and erection
Finally, the Structural Steel Educa-
tional Council cites the following Fig. 2: Proposed tolerances required for steel erection (1 in. = 25.4 mm)
example: “If bolts are misplaced up
to 1/2 in., the oversized base plate
holes normally allow the base plate
and column to be placed near or on
the column line. If the bolts are
misplaced by more than 1/2 in., then
corrective work is required.”11 While
this document suggests that the
erector can cope with a 1/2 in. (13 mm)
tolerance on anchor bolt placement,
the AISC Code of Standard Practice
maintains that the contractor must
place anchor bolts to a much tighter
tolerance. The concrete contractor is
being held to a much tighter standard
than the steel erector.

Adding Steel and

Concrete Together—
Proposed New Hole Sizes
Representatives of ACI, ASCC, and
AISC recently met in St. Louis, MO.
Steel erectors present at the meeting
indicated that they needed the
tolerances shown in Fig. 2 for steel
fabrication and erection. The SRSS of
the three tolerances needed by the
steel erectors gives a combined
tolerance required for steel erection
of about 1/8 in. (3 mm). Based on
previous ASCC work,5 the concrete
construction representatives indicated CIRCLE READER CARD #16

Concrete international / december 2006 33

Table 2:
Anchor bolt hole sizes required to accommodate suggested tolerances
Anchor bolt diameter, in. 3/4 7/8 1 1-1/4 1-1/2 1-3/4 2 2-1/2

Current hole size, in. 1-5/16 1-9/16 1-13/16 2-1/16 2-5/16 2-3/4 3-1/4 3-3/4

Current hole clearance, in. 9/32 11/32 13/32 13/32 13/32 1/2 5/8 5/8

Steel tolerance, in. ±1/8 ±1/8 ±1/8 ±1/8 ±1/8 ±1/8 ±1/8 ±1/8

Concrete tolerance, in. ±3/8 ±3/8 ±3/8 ±3/8 ±3/8 ±3/8 ±3/8 ±3/8

Combined tolerance, in. ±7/16 ±7/16 ±7/16 ±7/16 ±7/16 ±7/16 ±7/16 ±7/16

Hole size required, in. 1-5/8 1-3/4 1-7/8 2-1/8 2-3/8 2-5/8 2-7/8 3-3/8

Suggestion enlarge enlarge say ok say ok say ok ok ok ok

Note: 1 in. = 25.4 mm

that 3/8 in. (9.5 mm) was a reasonable tolerance for
anchor bolt placement.
The SRSS of the 1/8 in. (3 mm) steel and the 3/8 in.
(9.5 mm) concrete tolerances produces a combined
tolerance requirement of 7/16 in. (11 mm). For each
anchor bolt diameter and hole size, Table 2 shows the
hole sizes required to provide the 7/16 in. (11 mm)
combined tolerance. The hole sizes currently recommended
by AISC for 1-3/4 in. (45 mm) and larger bolts are sufficient
for the proposed tolerances. The hole sizes currently
recommended by AISC for the 1 to 1-1/2 in. (25 to 38 mm)
bolts are only 1/16 in. (1.6 mm) smaller than required to
accommodate the proposed tolerances and can be left at
their current recommended size. Only the hole sizes
required for 3/4 and 7/8 in. (19 and 22 mm) bolts need
to increase to accommodate the proposed tolerances.
A change in AISC hole sizes for two bolt diameters and a
change in the anchor bolt tolerance requirements would
seem to be a reasonable compromise for both the steel
and concrete industries.
Plumb Tolerance
The proposed tolerances are based on a two-tiered
tolerance concept: 1) control of the envelope; and
2) control of the rate of change within the envelope.
Regardless of where the field engineer measures the
anchor bolt (top, bottom, or middle), the distance from
the anchor bolt to the reference line can’t be more than
3/8 in. (9.5 mm) if it is to allow the tolerances the steel
erector needs.
If we just limit the bolt location, however, then
theoretically the bolt could be out of plumb by as much
as 3/4 in. (19 mm) from top of bolt to top of concrete
(Fig. 3). Although these calculations indicate the location
could vary that much and still fit, this would make it
difficult to properly tighten and seat the nuts on the
anchor bolts. To provide some margin for error, however,
and to provide concrete contractors some plumb tolerance,
it’s recommended that the plumb tolerance be set at 1/2
the maximum envelope tolerance or 3/16 in. (5 mm).
Two measurements at specific locations are needed to
determine if the plumb tolerance is satisfied. Both of
these measurements could also be used to verify that the
location tolerance has been met.
Specification Requirements for
Setting Anchor Bolts
Section 2.3.1 of ACI 301-05, “Specifications for Structural
Concrete,”12 contains the following provisions related to
embedded items:
2.3.1.10 Place sleeves, inserts, anchors, and
embedded items required for adjoining work or for
support of adjoining work before concrete placement.
2.3.1.11 Position and support expansion joint
materials, waterstops, and other embedded items to
prevent displacement. Fill voids in sleeves, inserts,
and anchor slots temporarily with readily removable
material to prevent entry of concrete into voids.
To help ensure that anchor bolts are set within the
specified tolerances proposed in this article, the following
additions are proposed for ACI 301:
2.3.1.10.1 Anchor bolts within a group shall be
positioned using a template. Contractor shall construct
the necessary templates from rigid materials or use
templates provided by the erector of the adjoining
work. Groups of anchor bolts that project more
than 24 in. above the concrete surface shall be
positioned with two templates. One template shall
be located within 3 in. of the concrete surface, and
the other template shall be located within 3 in. of
the top surface of the anchor bolts. Contractor may
develop an alternate plan for positioning groups of

34 december 2006 / Concrete international

 Tolerance Tolerance Tolerance
Envelope Envelope Envelope
for Bolt CL for Bolt CL for Bolt CL

Top Top Top

of Bolt of Bolt of Bolt

Top
Top Top
of Concrete
of Concrete of Concrete
3/16 in. 3/16 in.
3/8 in. 3/8 in.
3/8 in. 3/8 in.
Reference CL 3/8 in. 3/8 in.
Reference C
L
Reference CL
(a) (b)
(c)
Fig. 3: The proposed plumb tolerances require the entire bolt projection to be located within the ±3/8 in. (±9.5 mm) tolerance
envelope and plumb to within 3/16 in. (5 mm): (a) within the tolerance envelope, but out of the plumb tolerance; (b) within the plumb
tolerance, but outside the tolerance envelope; and (c) within the plumb tolerance and the tolerance envelope (1 in. = 25.4 mm)

anchor bolts and submit it for approval by the 7. Latta, J.K., “Inaccuracies in Construction,” Canadian Building
Architect/Engineer. Digest, CBD-171, Apr. 1975.
2.3.1.10.2 Individual anchor bolts shall be installed 8. “Tolerance Manual for Precast and Prestressed Concrete
in sleeves that permit adjustment of the anchor bolt Construction,” MNL 135-00, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute,
Chicago, IL, 2000.
position after the concrete has hardened. Contractor
9. Manual of Steel Construction Load & Resistance Factor Design,
shall ensure that the sleeve is not filled during the
2nd ed., American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc., Chicago, IL, 1994.
concrete operation and that it is filled with grout
10. Fisher, J.M., and Kloiber, L.A., “Steel Design Guide 1—Base
after final positioning of the bolt. Contractor shall
Plate and Anchor Rod Design,” 2nd Ed., AISC 801-06, American
submit sleeve material for approval. Contractor may Institute of Steel Construction, Inc., Chicago, IL, 2006.
develop an alternate plan for positioning individual 11. Putkey, J.J., “Common Steel Erection Problems and Suggested
anchor bolts and submit it for approval by the Solutions,” Steel Tips, Structural Steel Educational Council, Moraga,
Architect/Engineer. CA, Dec. 1993.
12. ACI Committee 301, “Specifications for Structural Concrete
References (ACI 301-05),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI,
1. Masterformat 2004 Edition, Construction Specifications 2005, 49 pp.
Institute, Alexandria, VA, 2005, 516 pp.
Selected for reader interest by the editors.
2. ACI Committee 117, “Standard Specifications for Tolerances for
Concrete Construction and Materials (ACI 117-90) (Reapproved
2002),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2002, 12 pp.
3. ACI Committee 117, “Specifications for Tolerances for Concrete
Construction and Materials and Commentary (ACI 117-06),”
Bruce A. Suprenant, FACI, is President,
American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2006, 70 pp.
Concrete Engineering Specialists, Boulder,
4. AISC Committee on the Code of Standard Practice, “Code of
CO. He is a member of ACI Committees 117,
Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges,” AISC 303-05,
American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc., Chicago, IL, 2005, 69 pp.
Tolerances; 222, Corrosion of Metals in
5. “Anchor Bolt Tolerances,” ASCC Position Statement No. 14,
Concrete; 228, Nondestructive Testing of
American Society of Concrete Contractors, St. Louis, MO, 2004.
Concrete; 301, Specifications for Concrete;
6. Crawford, W.G., Construction Surveying and Layout, Creative and 302, Construction of Concrete Floors.
Construction Publishing, West Lafayette, IN, 1995, Ch. 24, pp. 28-31.

Concrete international / december 2006 35