Ties
What is a lip tie?
A lip tie hooks around a structural feature such as a parapet, sill or opening reveal, forming an L or J shape that resists the scaffold pulling away from the building.
Use this diagram+
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<figure>
<img src="https://scaffoldoptix.co.uk/glossary/lip-tie/diagram.svg" alt="lip tie — scaffold diagram from ScaffoldOptix" width="880" height="620" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>
<a href="https://scaffoldoptix.co.uk/glossary/lip-tie">What is a lip tie?</a> — diagram by
<a href="https://scaffoldoptix.co.uk">ScaffoldOptix</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>It is a partial box tie: where there is no way to surround an element completely, a lip tie hooks over what is available.
Because it only engages on one side, a lip tie resists movement away from the building but does not resist movement towards it in the way a box tie does. It is normally used with another member that does.
Guidance treats lip ties as needing more care than box or through ties, precisely because the engagement is one-directional.
What goes wrong on site
- Used alone where the tie needs to resist movement in both directions.
- Hooked over a feature that is not structurally sound — a decorative parapet coping is not a tie point.
- Insufficient engagement, so the hook could lift off.