There is no single best TMT steel brand for every house in Chennai. Start with the grade your structural engineer has written on the drawings. Then buy a BIS-licensed brand whose bars carry the IS 1786 mark, grade and maker's name rolled into the steel, in every diameter your bar bending schedule needs. The brand name comes third. All five brands we sell are on our TMT steel bars in Chennai page, with today's TMT rates by brand updated every day.
We sell five brands, and every one of them is Fe550D under IS 1786. So we won't crown a winner. On a house build, these are the things that actually separate one brand from another:
Most Chennai brand lists also name national mills such as Tata Tiscon and JSW Neosteel. We don't supply them, so we don't rate them here. The checks further down this page work for any brand you buy.
If you're building near the coast (Besant Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, the ECR stretch), the salt air reaches the concrete cover before it reaches the steel. Cover thickness, a sensible water-cement ratio and proper curing do more for those bars than the logo on the tag. If your engineer wants corrosion-resistant bars or a coating, it will be in the specification.
Rates change daily, so we don't print them in this guide. Each brand page shows today's per-kg rate and size-wise maths.
| Brand | Grade | Sizes listed | Our relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARS (CRS) | Fe550D | See the ARS page | Dealer |
| Arun Plus | Fe550D | 8–32 mm | Distributor |
| PFI Thirumala | Fe550D | 8–32 mm | Distributor |
| Sangam | Fe550D | 8–32 mm | Distributor |
| Tulsyan | Fe550D | 10–32 mm | Distributor |
Our TMT rates are Chennai rates, ex-GST: 18% GST is added on the bill and transport is charged extra. Minimum order is 1 ton, with advance payment before dispatch. Orders above 5 MT: contact us for a price review on +91 63996 96363. Any additional discount depends on current price and availability.
Use the grade on your structural drawings. That's the whole rule. The number in the grade is the minimum yield strength in N/mm², and the "D" means the bar meets the tighter ductility limits in IS 1786. Here are the minimums the standard sets for the two grades people ask us about:
| IS 1786 minimum | Fe500D | Fe550D |
|---|---|---|
| Yield strength (0.2% proof stress) | 500 N/mm² | 550 N/mm² |
| Tensile strength | 565 N/mm² | 600 N/mm² |
| Tensile strength ÷ actual yield strength | 1.10 | 1.08 |
| Elongation | 16% | 14.5% |
Don't confuse Fe500D with plain Fe500. Plain Fe500 has the same yield strength but a lower minimum elongation (12%), so it bends less before it breaks. If the drawings say Fe500D, bars marked Fe500 are not a substitute.
Chennai is in seismic zone III under IS 1893 (Part 1): 2016, which is why engineers here specify a "D" grade. Is Fe550D the "better" bar? It's stronger, so a structural engineer can carry the same load with less steel in some members. On a two- or three-floor house, though, a lot of slabs and lightly loaded members are sized by the minimum-steel and bar-spacing rules in IS 456, so the saving can be smaller than the strength gap suggests. Your engineer can tell you whether it changes anything on your drawings.
Every bar we stock is Fe550D. If your drawings specify Fe500D, ask your engineer before switching grades, and call us before you order.
Get it from the bar bending schedule (BBS), not a rule of thumb. Steel depends on the structural design, floor area, number of floors and soil, so there is no reliable per-sq-ft figure, and we don't publish one. The BBS lists every bar by diameter, length and count. To turn that into kilos, multiply the total length of each diameter by its nominal mass from IS 1786 (roughly diameter² ÷ 162 kg per metre):
| Diameter | 8 mm | 10 mm | 12 mm | 16 mm | 20 mm | 25 mm | 32 mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal mass (kg/m) | 0.395 | 0.617 | 0.888 | 1.58 | 2.47 | 3.85 | 6.31 |
Then multiply the tonnage by the current per-kg rate, add 18% GST and transport. Our quotes use book weight per bar as an estimate; billing is on the supplier's weight. For a rough budget before the BBS is ready, use the construction cost calculator.
Planning the rest of the build? Our construction material checklist for a Chennai house covers cement, sand, aggregates and blocks, and the cement guide covers which cement goes where.
Do this before the lorry leaves, not after the bars are tied into a column cage.
Our Fe550D bars carry the IS 1786 marking and grade rolled into the bar, and the manufacturer's MTC is available on request. If you're pouring concrete next, read our comparison of ready mix vs site-mixed concrete.
Building Needs delivers TMT steel across Tamil Nadu, with a stated delivery time of 24–48 hours. Send us the brand you want and the tonnage per diameter from your BBS, and we'll send a quote. Prices are Chennai rates; transport is added by location.
It has higher minimum strength and slightly lower minimum elongation. Neither is right for every house. Use the grade your structural engineer specifies.
No. The ARS bar we sell is Fe550D, the same grade as the other four brands. CRS is part of the product name.
Yes, across Tamil Nadu. The per-kg rate is the Chennai rate; transport is charged extra and depends on distance and quantity.