Two tools, two very different jobs
"Anchor bolt template" and "anchor bolt locating jig" sound similar, and people often search for one when they actually need the other. The difference comes down to when in construction you use them: a template helps set bolts before the concrete is poured, while a locating jig helps measure bolts after the pour.
What an anchor bolt template does
An anchor bolt template — sometimes called a setting template or bolt-setting jig — is a plate or frame, often made from plywood, steel, or plastic, that holds a group of anchor bolts in the correct pattern and spacing while the concrete is placed. Its job is to keep the bolts where the plan says they should be during the pour. A template is a forming and placement tool, used by the concrete or foundation crew before the pour cures.
What an anchor bolt locating jig does
A locating jig is a surveying tool used after the pour. No matter how carefully bolts were set, some shift, lean, or get bent before steel arrives. The locating jig lets a survey crew find the true dead center of each bolt where it exits the concrete — even when the bolt is bent or leaning — so the as-built coordinates can be compared to the design. It's a measurement and verification tool, used by the survey crew.
Side by side
- Template: used before the pour, to set bolts in the right pattern.
- Locating jig: used after the pour, to measure where the bolts actually ended up.
- Template user: concrete / foundation crew.
- Locating jig user: survey crew running the as-built.
- Goal of the template: place bolts accurately.
- Goal of the locating jig: prove where they ended up and catch errors before steel is fabricated or erected.
Which one do you need?
If you're pouring a foundation and want the bolts to land on-pattern, you need a template. If you're surveying a foundation that's already poured and need accurate as-built data — especially on bent or leaning bolts — you need a locating jig. Most projects benefit from both, at different stages: a good template reduces placement error going in, and a good locating jig verifies reality coming out. Even the best template can't guarantee a bolt won't get bumped after the pour, which is exactly why the as-built step exists.
The locating jig built for as-builts
The SDCJ Anchor Bolt Locating Jig is a purpose-built locating tool for the survey side of the job. It finds dead center on bolts from ½" to 2" in diameter — even bent or leaning ones — verifies plumb with an included laser plummet, and mounts a standard mini-prism for any major total station. Built around a 6061-T6 aluminum body and made in the USA. See the specs →