Shotcrete can be reinforced in several ways:

• Welded mesh or rebar fixed to the face before spraying — common in lateral support and slope facing work
• Steel fibres dosed into the mix, providing distributed ductility and post-crack load capacity, specified by residual flexural strength classes in terms of EN 14889-1
• Macro-synthetic fibres, used where corrosion resistance or specific energy-absorption requirements apply

Fibre-reinforced shotcrete eliminates much of the time and safety risk associated with fixing mesh on steep or unstable faces and is widely used in mining and tunnelling ground support.