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Cement Standards and Specifications
Product specifications and test methods are typically developed by national standards development organizations, such as ASTM in the U.S. and CSA in Canada. Full consensus standards are developed with the participation of all parties who have a stake in the standards’ development and/or use. The table below lists the most relevant national and international standard organizations for the concrete industry.
ASTM ASTM International. Has a history of more than 100 years of standards development activities, including the first national specifications for portland cement and other concrete materials. Uses a consensus-based standards development process. Committee C01 develops standards related to hydraulic cements and Committee C09 develops standards for concrete and other concrete materials.
AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Develops standards for many materials though participation of state departments of transportation staff. AASHTO’s Subcommittee on Materials develops concrete-related specifications, many of which are closely related to ASTM standards.
CSA Canadian Standards Association. Develops standards for use in Canada through a consensus process, including the CSA A3000 compendium on cementitious materials.
ISO International Organization for Standardization. Cement-related standards are developed by TC (Technical Committee) 74 (Cement and Lime) and concrete-related standards by TC 71 (Concrete, reinforced concrete and pre-stressed concrete).
CEN European Committee for Standardization. EN 197 is the standard specification for cement in CEN member countries and EN 206 is the standard specification for concrete.
Product specifications and test methods are referenced in local and international building codes and specifications for ease of reference. For concrete construction projects, other organizations, such as state DOTs or the FAA, also develop specifications that typically refer to ASTM or AASHTO specifications.
Different types of cement are manufactured to meet various physical and chemical requirements. There are currently three different common hydraulic cement standards for general concrete construction in use in the U.S.:
ASTM C150 (AASHTO M 85), Specification for Portland Cement
ASTM C595 (AASHTO M 240), Specification for Blended Hydraulic Cements
ASTM C1157, Performance Specification for Hydraulic Cements
Each of these three specifications provides for several different types of cement. The table below provides a matrix of these types and where they are used in concrete construction:
2009 Revisions to ASTM Cement Specifications C150, C595 and C1157
In the summer of 2009, ASTM International Committee C01 approved changes to ASTM C150, Standard Specification for Portland Cement; ASTM C595, Standard Specification for Blended Cements; and ASTM C1157, Standard Performance Specification for Hydraulic Cement. Modifications to ASTM C150 include a new Type II(MH) cement, provisions for use of up to 5% inorganic processing additions, revision to sulfate content requirements, and fineness requirements. The 2009 update to ASTM C595 includes a specific designation for ternary blended cement—that is, a cement with two supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs)—Type IT. The revision to ASTM C1157 makes Type HE strength requirements equivalent to ASTM C150 Type III.
ASTM C150-09
The changes to C595 and C1157 followed revisions to ASTM C150 which were also recently approved. These included:
Provisions for use of up to 5% by mass of inorganic processing additions
Qualification testing is required for amounts over 1% via a revised ASTM C465
Related changes to potential Bogue phase calculations to account for use of processing additions and limestone in the cement
New cement type: Type II(MH) with requirements for both moderate heat of hydration and moderate sulfate resistance
Fineness requirements were simplified to single values
Maximum of 430 m2/kg (Blaine) for Types II(MH) and IV
Minimum of 260 m2/kg (Blaine) for all Types except Type III
Footnote D of Table 1, related to sulfate contents, has also been revised for clarification, and a new note provides additional information on effects of sulfate on cement performance.
Further discussion on these changes, including some history on their development, is available here. The specification is available for purchase at ASTM.
ASTM C595-09
An option for producing ternary blended cements was previously available for Type IP cements, but the option was not clear. In order to explicitly identify or specify a ternary blended cement, the new Type IT designation was developed. Ternary blended cements can sometimes offer advantages over binary blended cements, in that properties of different materials can be optimized for overall performance of the cement. For example a rapidly reacting pozzolan like silica fume might be combined with a slower reacting material to provide both early and longer term strength improvements. Improvements to properties like impermeability, ASR resistance, or other properties might be achieved as well.
The concept for Type IT was that ternary blended cements should meet the same chemical and physical requirements as for binary blended cements with the SCM present in the largest amount. If a slag is present in the highest amount, the provisions of Type IS apply and, if a pozzolan is present in the highest amount, requirements of Type IP apply.
In addition, the designation for a ternary cement clearly identifies the amounts of SCMs, similar to binary blended cements. The general format for the nomenclature is:
Type IT(AX)(BY)
where A and B refer to the type of SCM (S for blast-furnace slag and P for pozzolan) and X and Y are the amounts of those SCMs (percentages by mass). Thus, a Type IT(S25)(P15) would contain 25% slag and 15% pozzolan (and the r
equirements of Type IS(25) would apply). For complete details, the standard may be purchased at ASTM.
ASTM C1157-09
Recent changes to ASTM C1157 were more modest. Type HE minimum strength requirements at 1 day and 3 days were revised to match those of ASTM C150 Type III; both are now 12 MPa (1740 psi) at 1 day and 20 MPa (3480 psi) at 3 days. This follows changes in the previous revision of ASTM C1157 that made many strength requirements in ASTM C1157 similar to their counterparts in ASTM C595. The goal of this change was to put equivalent cements on a more equal footing with regard to strength performance. The complete standard may be purchased at ASTM.
The table below lists the new cement types, along with existing types, in their appropriate concrete applications.
Applications for Hydraulic Cements for General Concrete Construction*
Cement Specification
Applications
General purpose
Moderate heat of hydration
High early strength
Low heat of hydration
ASTM C150
portland cements
I
II (MH)
III
IV
ASTM C595
blended hydraulic cements
IS
IP
IT(P<S<70)
IT(P≥S)
IS(<70)(MH)
IP(MH)
IT(P<S<70)(MH)
IT(P≥S)(MH)
-
IP(LH)
IT(P≥S)(LH)
ASTM C1157 hydraulic cements
GU
MH
HE
LH
*Check the local availability of specific cements as all cement types are not available everywhere.
Applications for Hydraulic Cements for General Concrete Construction*
Cement Specification
Applications
Moderate sulfate resistance
High sulfate resistance
Resistance to alkali-silica reactivity (ASR)†
ASTM C150
portland cements
II, II(MH)
V
Low-alkali option
ASTM C595
blended hydraulic cements
IS(<70)(MS)
IP(MS)
IT(P<S<70)(MS)
IT(P≥S)(MS)
IS(<70)(HS)
IP(HS)
IT(P<S<70)(HS)
IT(P≥S)(HS)
Low reactivity option
ASTM C1157 hydraulic cements
MS
HS
Option R
*Check the local availability of specific cements as all cement types are not available everywhere.
†Each option for low reactivity with ASR-susceptible aggregates can be applied to any cement type in the specification.
Click here for more details on specifying cements for use in concrete and on how to determine which cement might be most appropriate for your construction needs.
Click here for more information on masonry cement standards.
ASTM/AASHTO Harmonization
The American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Subcommittee on Materials and ASTM International Committee C01 on Cement passed ballot proposals in 2009 to harmonize remaining significant differences between the standard portland cement specifications AASHTO M 85 and ASTM C150. Changes include provisions for use of up to 5% inorganic processing additions, a Type II(MH) designation for cement for moderate heat of hydration and moderate sulfate resistance, simplified fineness requirements, and improved clarity for sulfate content provisions.
ASTM Specification C10 for Natural Cement
Natural cements were extensively used in 19th and early 20th century construction, and many historic structures were built with these materials. However, with improved technology for producing portland cements, sales of natural cements began to decline in the late 1800s. Natural cements are available for restoring historic structures and must meet ASTM C10, Standard Specification for Natural Cement.
To meet the needs of architects, engineers, and historians working on restoration projects, natural cement production has begun again in the U.S. and a specification was needed to define the product. ASTM International reissued an updated ASTM C10, Specification for Natural Cement, to fill that need.
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