In short
Pack a tester calibrated within the last 12 months with its certificate, a bridge wide enough for the embedment, the right adaptors, a calibrated torque wrench, hole cleaning and setting tools, movement gauges if asked for, fixings to secure the rig, PPE and the test request. Check each item before you leave.
This guide explains how site tests are planned and carried out under BS 8539:2012+A1:2021. It does not replace the standard, the anchor manufacturer's data, or the instructions of the specifier or engineer responsible for the job, who decides the test plan, the loads and the factors. A test records what happened on the day; it does not approve a fixing for use.
Key figures
| Calibration of the tester | Within the last 12 months, certificate with you |
|---|---|
| Blow-out bulb | For holes up to 10 mm in diameter |
| Brush for resin anchors | Hole diameter plus 1 to 2 mm |
| Thread engagement on couplers | At least 1.5 × the bolt diameter |
| Dial gauge accuracy, if used | 0.02 mm or better |
What should I check before leaving for a test?
Before leaving, confirm the test plan with whoever asked for the tests. The specifier or responsible engineer decides the plan, so you need from them:
- From the specifier: the purpose (allowable resistance or proof test, in tension or shear); N_Ek, the test or proof load and the factors behind it; how many anchors there are in all and how many to test in each area; any edge distance to keep.
- About the anchors: make, type, size, drill diameter, hole depth and installation torque; whether they are already in or you install them.
- About the site: the base material and its expected strength; access, induction, working at height and parking.
If anything on site differs from the request, such as the base material, ask the person who requested the test before going on. Our test-load calculator checks preliminary test loads.
The checklist
| Group | Item | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paperwork | Test request and method statement | Confirms what to test and to what load |
| Paperwork | Tester's calibration certificate, or calibration chart | Dated within the last 12 months |
| Paperwork | Report forms or the app; for scaffold tie tests, tags | Scaffold tie tags: test date and load; failures clearly marked |
| Testing | Pull tester | Capacity above the highest test load, with the gauge used above 20% of full scale if accurate to ±2% of full scale |
| Testing | Bridge | Spacing to suit h_ef; maximum load above the test load |
| Testing | Adaptors | Threaded washers or couplers, slotted washers, clevis, pulling frame and bushes, to suit the anchor |
| Testing | Pulling rod, washers and nuts | Checked for damage before each test; nuts of a matching grade |
| Testing | Spanners and sockets | Deep sockets for projecting studs |
| Installing | The anchors to be tested | Same make, type and size as specified |
| Installing | Drill, power supply and drill bits | Bits within ISO 5468 medium tolerance; never worn or blunt |
| Installing | Hole cleaning kit | Whatever the anchor manufacturer's cleaning procedure needs, reaching the bottom of the hole: typically a blow-out bulb for holes up to 10 mm, a large pump or oil-free compressed air for larger holes, and for resin anchors a brush 1 to 2 mm wider than the hole |
| Installing | Setting tools for the anchor | As the manufacturer specifies |
| Installing | Calibrated torque wrench | Never an impact wrench on scaffold tie anchors (NASC TG4:25); otherwise only as the manufacturer allows |
| Measuring movement, if asked for | Dial gauge or feeler gauge | Dial gauge accurate to 0.02 mm |
| Measuring movement, if asked for | Stand with a remote arm | Mounted off the bridge |
| Securing the rig | Fixings, drill bits and tethers | To hold the rig on walls and soffits in case the anchor fails |
| Safety | Site PPE | Always: hard hat. Drilling: eye protection; ear defenders for long spells or in a confined space; a dust mask for overhead or enclosed work. Installing overhead: eye protection. Resin: gloves |
What comes in a Staht kit?
The Staht t60 kit in a case (a padded-bag version is also sold) comes with the 60 kN load cell and bridge, an anchor jaw, a clevis, threaded washers from M6 to M20, slotted washers from M6 to M16, an anti-rotation arm, a 24 mm ratchet spanner, a 17 mm socket with a 3/8 inch socket wrench, a 6 mm hex key, tool and wrist lanyards, a USB-C cable and a 12-month calibration certificate. See the t60 kit.
The t25 kits cover anchors from M6 to M16 up to 25 kN, with three-legged and four-legged versions. For deeper anchors, add a 375 or 575 bridge and its drop rod. To choose them, see choosing a bridge and connecting the tester to the anchor.
Which extras are worth packing?
Spreader plates, a 3 leg adaptor, leg extensions, threaded adaptors and the shear kit are worth packing when the job needs them:
- Bridge spreader plates, to spread the load on internal walls and roofs; they have magnets and a tether hole to help stop them being dropped.
- The 3 leg adaptor, for tight spaces.
- The 100 mm leg extension set, to raise a t25 or t60 bridge.
- Threaded adaptors for larger or imperial threads.
- The shear test kit, if shear tests are asked for. See shear testing.
On site, before the first test
- Check the anchors
Make sure the anchors are the ones specified, and that bonded anchors have cured for at least the recommended time.
- Check the base material
In new construction, make sure it is at least as strong as the specifier assumed.
- Check the positions
Mark each test position, and note any anchor closer to an edge or another anchor than recommended.
- Set up the bridge
Check the support spacing suits the test and the embedment, and that the pull will be straight.
- Secure the rig
On walls and soffits, fix the rig so it cannot fall if the anchor fails.
- Keep clear of the line of fire
Make sure nobody stands directly in front of the tester while it is loaded.
More questions
No more than 12 months. Recalibrate sooner if the tester is dropped or reads wrongly. Carry the certificate with you.
For scaffold ties, no: NASC TG4:25 says never use one. For other anchors, follow the manufacturer's instructions. Tighten to the installation torque with a calibrated torque wrench.
Usually not. A visual check or a feeler gauge is enough, because any movement in a proof test is a failure. Bring a dial gauge when the engineer asks for movement to be measured.
Stop and refer to the person who asked for the test for instructions before testing. The test plan depends on the base material.
For scaffold ties, yes: tag each proof-tested anchor with the test date and load, and mark failures clearly (TG4:25 §9.6).
The specifier or responsible engineer decides the test plan: which anchors, how many and to what load. The tester carries it out and reports the facts. The report does not approve the fixing.
Sources
- BS 8539:2012+A1:2021 Code of practice for the selection and installation of post-installed anchors in concrete and masonry, BSI
- NASC TG4:25 Anchorage systems for scaffolding, Sections 8.2, 9.6 and 11.1, NASC
- Staht t60 digital pull tester kit product data, Staht
Everything for the test day
Staht's t25 and t60 kits come in a case or bag with their adaptors and a 12-month calibration certificate.