Reinforced CMU wall cutaway — grouted cells, vertical rebar, bond beam, and joint reinforcement
In a reinforced block wall, vertical rebar sits in grout-filled cells at spacing (often #4 @ 48″ o.c.), a grouted bond-beam course with a horizontal bar caps the top and openings, and 9-gauge joint wire goes in the bed joint every 16″. Empty cells stay hollow.
What this diagram shows
A cutaway elevation of a reinforced concrete-block wall showing where steel and grout go. Vertical reinforcing bars sit in cells that are filled solid with grout at a set spacing — a common prescriptive default is a #4 bar at 48 inches on center. A bond-beam course near the top uses channel-shaped units filled with grout around a continuous horizontal bar, tying the wall together at the top and above openings. Between courses, 9-gauge horizontal joint reinforcement wire is laid in the mortar bed every 16 inches on center — every second course on 8-inch block. Ungrouted cells stay hollow. Grout volume is read from the NCMA TEK tables by wall width and grout spacing, not filled everywhere unless the wall is solid-grouted.
Cinder Block / CMU Calculator
Estimate cinder block (CMU) quantities: blocks, mortar bags, grout, bond-beam & lintel units, and rebar — from ASTM C90 & NCMA TEK. Free, no signup.
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