Ties
What is a box tie?
A box tie encloses a structural element such as a column or a pier with tubes on all four sides, tying the scaffold to it without penetrating the building.
Use this diagram+
Free to use on your own site, in training material or in a course handout, as long as the credit link stays on it. Paste this where you want the diagram to appear.
<figure>
<img src="https://scaffoldoptix.co.uk/glossary/box-tie/diagram.svg" alt="box tie — scaffold diagram from ScaffoldOptix" width="880" height="620" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>
<a href="https://scaffoldoptix.co.uk/glossary/box-tie">What is a box tie?</a> — diagram by
<a href="https://scaffoldoptix.co.uk">ScaffoldOptix</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>It works by boxing around something solid, so it needs a column, pier or return that the tubes can completely surround. Where one exists, it is a strong tie that leaves no fixing in the fabric.
Because it surrounds the element rather than gripping it, a box tie resists movement in more than one direction, which is part of why it is well regarded.
The limitation is availability. Not every elevation has a column in the right place, which is why most scaffolds use a mixture of tie types rather than one.
What goes wrong on site
- Boxed around an element that is not structurally sound enough to be tied to.
- One side of the box omitted because of an obstruction, which is no longer a box tie.
- Couplers slack, so the box can move around the element it encloses.