Rock bolting is the practice of using steel reinforcing bolts that are installed into drill holes and fixed in place using either cementitious grout or a resin compound. The bolts are then tightened via a hex nut on to a steel plate to provide tension to a rock face.

They are generally used on rock masses that already show signs of instability or on newly cut rock slopes to prevent movement along fractures and subsequent decrease of shearing resistance. Rock bolts are considered a type of active reinforcement due to the post-tensioning they provide, and are used to add compressive stress to joints within a rock mass. This force increases the friction along the fracture planes and helps to reduce block movement.