How to choose pull out testing in the UK for site projects

Choose pull out testing by agreeing the engineering question, acceptance criteria and report requirements before booking, then check whether the quotation covers the attendance and access needed.

Start with the engineering question

Proof testing applies a specified load to sampled working anchors to check installation quality. Allowable-load testing runs to failure and requires a subsequent recommended-load calculation. MIDFIX’s guidance makes this distinction; use it to frame the discussion, not as a substitute for project-specific engineering instructions. [3]

Certifix uses a similar split. Its preliminary tests check a selection of candidate anchors and, once one gives a satisfactory result, test five more of the same anchor to confirm consistent performance in the substrate; its post-installation proof tests check installation quality before cladding rails and panels go on. [2]

Make a written brief agreed with the responsible engineer a condition of booking. Ask it to define:

• Purpose: installation-quality proof testing or testing intended to establish performance.
• Test instructions: sample locations, required load and hold period.
• Acceptance: criteria and who may approve them.
• Failure response: who receives results and authorises the next action.

Agree these details for the installation rather than borrowing generic loads or sampling percentages. MIDFIX cautions that proof testing does not establish correct anchor specification or fitness for purpose. A sampled pass should not be treated as proof of every fixing’s capacity or the whole structure’s adequacy. [3]

Supporting photographs and a sample report are useful additions to the booking pack, but do not replace the engineering brief.

Build an anchor schedule the tester can use

Give the tester an anchor schedule, not simply a quantity. MIDFIX’s reporting checklist identifies anchor specification, base material, installation details and test location as information to record. [3] Use a unique reference for each proposed test location, linked to a marked drawing or photograph.

Include these fields:

• Identification: location reference, anchor manufacturer, type, size and finish. [3]
• Application: what the fixing supports and the test objective. [3]
• Substrate: base material and available information about its strength and condition. [3]
• Installation: installation details and supporting records. [3]

Request the installation date or age where known and list unknowns explicitly. Ask the engineer and testing contractor to confirm any necessary waiting period for the particular anchor and installation rather than assuming a universal minimum age or curing period.

Label locations by test purpose. MIDFIX describes proof testing as sampling working anchors, whereas allowable-load specimens should be installed specifically for testing in the project substrate, away from anchors used in the finished work. [3]

Flag connection and access constraints before attendance. MIDFIX notes that flush-mounted fixings can be harder to test; Certifix excludes access equipment and opening-up work from its standard package. [2][3] Include photographs showing the fixing and surrounding access, then send the schedule to the engineer and testing contractor for confirmation.

Read the daily fee as a package, not a project total

Certifix’s published prices for a standard site pull test and report illustrate an attendance package, not a market average or a fixed total for completing a testing schedule: [2]

• England and Wales: £750 plus VAT. [2]
• London inside the M25: £850 plus VAT. [2]
• Scotland, excluding the Highlands: £1,100 plus VAT. [2]
• Bespoke projects: price on application. [2]

Certifix says it charges a daily fee because the number of tests and hours needed depends on installation quality, which is outside its control. [2] The fee therefore buys a day of attendance, not a set number of anchors or completion of the whole schedule.

Its stated package includes:

• The engineer’s day rate and travel, including fuel, reimbursements and parking. [2]
• Hire and maintenance of standard installation and testing equipment, with examples including an M2000 tester, concrete radar, impact drivers and SDS drills. [2]
• A comprehensive report described by Certifix as a “BS8539:2012” report. [2]
• Anchors or fixings needed for pull testing rather than proof testing, a distinction to retain when checking consumables in the quotation. [2]

Certifix tests anchor bolts, fixings and fasteners, scaffold anchors, and roofing and insulation fixings. [2] Confirm your fixing type is covered by the standard package rather than the bespoke route.

Check the tester, equipment and method

Ask who will attend and request evidence of anchor-testing competence. In its discussion of BS8539, MIDFIX describes substantial knowledge of anchors, installation and likely failure, alongside a relevant CFA qualification. This is guidance to inform your checks, not verification of a contractor’s credentials. [3]

Stanger provides an example of technical detail to verify. It offers on-site testing of mechanical and chemical anchors in concrete, brick, block and other base materials. Its stated method uses calibrated hydraulic equipment to apply a gradually increasing axial load until the fixing reaches its design load or fails; it describes testing up to proof-load levels as non-destructive. [1]

Check the proposed method against the engineer’s brief, not merely the service name. Ask the contractor to confirm:

• Connection and access: how the equipment will connect to each specified fixing and operate in the available space; flush-mounted fixings can present difficulties. [3]
• Calibration: which equipment will be used and what calibration evidence will accompany the report. MIDFIX’s checklist includes a gauge-calibration certificate. [3]
• Execution: how the procedure will apply the specified load and monitor movement at the agreed locations. [3]

Specify a location-linked report before accepting the quote

Make the report specification part of the quotation rather than accepting a promise of a “pass/fail report”. Use MIDFIX’s checklist to request the following information, while retaining the engineer’s project-specific requirements. [3]

• Project and purpose: test date and reason, requester, client and site details, contact name and position, test objective and unique test reference. [3]
• Fixing and location: an identifiable location for each tested fixing, manufacturer, type, size, finish, application, base material and installation details. For proof testing, include the relevant design resistance and manufacturer-recommended resistance. [3]
• Method and equipment: method statement, equipment details, gauge-calibration certificate and procedures for applying load and monitoring movement. [3]
• Loads and results: request a link between each location reference, applied load, agreed acceptance criteria, movement or failure observations and recorded outcome. This combines MIDFIX’s location-and-results checklist with the load and failure-mode detail Stanger describes; it is a requested deliverable, not a confirmed provider template. [1][3]

Stanger says its reports contain load data, failure modes and compliance outcomes. [1] Verify whether the proposed report includes the fields your project needs rather than assuming its standard template matches your specification.

Ask for a redacted sample report and written agreement to additions before booking. Name the engineer or designer who will review the results and agree how their decision will be recorded. Keep the testing contractor’s reported outcome separate from engineering acceptance.

Price access, opening-up and making good separately

Certifix’s non-exhaustive exclusions include access equipment such as scaffold, opening-up (including removing and disposing of cladding), and repairs to the substrate or existing cladding after testing. [2] Included travel and parking do not include access equipment. [2]

Allocate these tasks before booking:

• Access equipment: who arranges it and checks it is ready for the agreed locations?
• Opening-up: who exposes the substrate or installed anchors before attendance?
• Waste: who removes and disposes of material taken off for access?
• Making good: who repairs the substrate and reinstates cladding?
• Readiness: who checks accessible locations and confirms the site is ready?

Obtain separate prices or identified allowances for these tasks. Record the extent of reinstatement alongside its price so “making good” has an agreed meaning.

Ask how inaccessible locations, incomplete opening-up or a changed sample schedule would affect attendance charges and return visits. Agree the charging basis before attendance rather than treating a daily testing fee as an allowance for unfinished enabling work.

Agree failure escalation before testing starts

Name the people who receive a failed or anomalous result, decide the next action and authorise additional testing or remedial work. The service descriptions do not establish project-specific failure thresholds or approval authority. [1][2]

Certifix attributes a sampling sequence to “BS8539:2012”: testing 2.5% of anchors, increasing to 5% after a failure and to 100% after a further failure. This is Certifix’s account of the standard, not a project-specific sampling instruction; ask your engineer which edition and sampling rule apply. [2]

Ask the responsible engineer and testing contractor to agree whether an adverse result calls for stopping the affected activity, reviewing installation records, expanding testing or reassessing the specification. Record who can authorise the resulting cost and how any revised test locations or acceptance criteria will be communicated.

What to confirm with each provider

Resolve these gaps in the written quotation and booking terms:

• Stanger: its cited page gives no price, service area or attendance duration, so ask for these and for access, opening-up and making-good charges. [1]
• Certifix: ask for the hours included in a day, overtime rates, a realistic daily test count for your schedule, Highlands pricing and return-visit charges. [2]
• Both: ask for minimum order, cancellation and refund terms, and insurance evidence; neither cited page states them. [1][2]

Also ask how waiting time will be charged if access, missing records or an engineering decision delays testing. Keep additional-work authorisation separate from the initial attendance booking.

Send one commissioning pack before booking

Send the engineer, testing contractor and site team the same pack. Ask the contractor to identify missing information or proposed deviations before confirming attendance.

• Engineering brief: purpose, selected locations, required load, hold period, acceptance criteria and failure response.
• Anchor schedule: unique references, locations, anchor and substrate details, installation age where known and available records.
• Site readiness: connection access, opening-up, access equipment and responsibility for reinstatement.
• Commercial scope: inclusions, exclusions, attendance limits, return-visit basis and additional-work authority.
• Report specification: location-linked loads and results, method, calibration evidence and failure observations.
• Contacts: site coordinator, failure-escalation contact and engineer responsible for reviewing results.

Book once the engineering brief, practical access and project-specific price are all confirmed, not simply because the headline daily fee is acceptable.

References

1. Anchor Pull-Out Testing On-Site UK | Stanger MTC | Stanger MTC (stangermtc.com)
2. Pull Out Test Service – Certifix Ltd (certifix.co.uk)
3. What is an anchor pull test and do I really need one for my … (midfix.co.uk, 2022)