TL;DR
Spalling is the breaking away of fragments from a concrete or masonry surface, deeper than surface scaling, usually because corroding rebar expands and pushes the cover off, or because trapped moisture freezes within the material. On foundations and brick it exposes reinforcement to accelerating rust, so the repair sequence is chip back to sound material, treat or replace the steel, then patch with bonded repair mortar.
What it means
Spalling is the breaking away of fragments from a concrete or masonry surface, deeper than surface scaling, usually because corroding rebar expands and pushes the cover off, or because trapped moisture freezes within the material. On foundations and brick it exposes reinforcement to accelerating rust, so the repair sequence is chip back to sound material, treat or replace the steel, then patch with bonded repair mortar. Recurring patches on a garage slab or porch column signal a moisture source that must be fixed first.
Where it sits in the glossary
Spalling is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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