For Ivorian, Senegalese, Beninese and Gabonese structural engineers: how BS 4449 B500B, NF A 35-080 Fe E500 and EN 10080 B500B compare for acceptance, and what mill paperwork your inspector actually needs.
TL;DR. Francophone West African acceptance usually comes down to NF A 35-080 Fe E500 or EN 10080 B500B — mechanically equivalent. BS 4449 B500B is the same envelope; some French-speaking inspectors ask for an equivalence statement. Chinese GB HRB400E is acceptable in many cases with an equivalence letter from the mill, subject to the project engineer's approval.
| Standard | Grade | Yield (MPa) | UTS (MPa) | Ductility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EN 10080 | B500B | 500 | ≥540 | Class B (Agt ≥5%) |
| NF A 35-080 | Fe E500 | 500 | ≥540 | Class B equivalent |
| BS 4449 | B500B | 500 | ≥540 | Class B |
| GB 1499.2 | HRB400E | 400 | ≥540 | Earthquake (E) |
CI / Bénin / Sénégal / Gabon: tenders reference NF or EN. Most engineers accept EN 10080 B500B as equivalent to NF Fe E500 with an equivalence letter signed by the mill.
Anglophone West Africa: BS 4449 B500B historical; EN 10080 B500B increasingly accepted.
Chinese mills default-roll GB HRB400E; in practice it meets the EN B500B yield envelope for most batches. The right way: order to EN 10080 B500B or NF Fe E500, mill rolls to that spec with EN-method testing, MTC reflects the correct grade.
Order GB HRB400E from a low-cost supplier for a project whose drawings reference NF Fe E500. No equivalence letter at acceptance → bars rejected. Always order to the standard your drawing references.
Grade acceptance is ultimately at the discretion of the project's structural engineer and the relevant control body (Socotec, Bureau Veritas, Apave, etc.). This article summarises common industry practice and is not engineering advice.
CI rebar · Angola rebar · RFQ.