Rebar steel have a series of ridges that bind it automatically to the concrete with friction, but it can still be pulled out of the concrete with enough force, an occurrence that often comes before a collapse of the building. To prevent such a failure, rebar is either deeply inserted into surrounding structural areas, or bent and hooked at the ends which locks it around the rebars and concrete.

Rebar steel that are made of unfinished steel make it easy to rust. Rust causes very harsh internal pressure on the surrounding concrete, leading to cracking, splintering and finally structural failure. This is a noticeable problem where the concrete is exposed to salt water, or in bridges built in areas where roadways are salted in winter, or in marine applications. Stainless steel rebar and the epoxy coated rebar steel may be used in these occurances at greater initial cost, but drastically lowers the cost for the servicing life of the project. Polymer fiber reinforced rebar steel are also being used in high rust environs.