Aggregate Gradation

Gradation Analysis

percent coarser 

or 
percent retained 

 Percentages
are calculated
 by mass
percent finer 

or 
percent pas sin g 



CIVL 3137 38
 Gradation Chart
100

80
Percent Passing

60
Total mass percent passing each sieve

40

20

0
Opening Size (mm)
CIVL 3137 39
 Gradation Chart
100

80
Percent Passing

60
Total mass percent passing each sieve

40

20

0
Opening Size (mm)
CIVL 3137 40
 Sieves

CIVL 3137 41
 Shakers

Gilson Shaker Mary Ann Shaker

CIVL 3137 42
 Sieve Sizes

CIVL 3137 43
 Gradation Chart
1½" ¾" 3/ "
8 4 8 16 30 50 100 200
100

80
Percent Passing (%)

60

40

20

0
100 10 1 0.1 0.01
Opening Size (mm)
CIVL 3137 47
Gradation Example 1
Gradation Example 2
 Uniformly Graded Aggregate
1½" ¾" 3/ "
8 4 8 16 30 50 100 200
100
Percent Passing

80
Uniformly
graded
60 sand
Uniformly
40
graded
gravel
20

0
100 10 1 0.1 0.01
Opening Size (mm)
CIVL 3137 50
 Uniformly Graded Aggregate

Narrow range of sizes

Grain-to-grain contact
High void content
High permeability
Low stability
Difficult to compact

CIVL 3137 51
 Open-Graded Aggregate
1½" ¾" 3/ "
8 4 8 16 30 50 100 200
100
Open
Percent Passing

80
graded
sand
60

40 Open
graded
gravel
20

0
100 10 1 0.1 0.01
Opening Size (mm)
CIVL 3137 52
 Open-Graded Aggregate

Few fine particles

Grain-to-grain contact
High void content
High permeability
High stability
Difficult to compact

CIVL 3137 53
 screenings

CIVL 3137 54
 Gap-Graded Aggregate
1½" ¾" 3/ "
8 4 8 16 30 50 100 200
100
Open
Percent Passing

80
graded
sand
60
Open Gap
40
graded graded
gravel blend
20

0
100 10 1 0.1 0.01
Opening Size (mm)
CIVL 3137 55
 Gap-Graded Aggregate

Missing middle sizes

No grain-to-grain contact
Moderate void content
Moderate permeability
Low stability
Easy to compact

CIVL 3137 56
 Dense-Graded Aggregate
1½" ¾" 3/ "
8 4 8 16 30 50 100 200
100
Percent Passing

80

60

40
Dense
graded
20
gravel

0
100 10 1 0.1 0.01
Opening Size (mm)
CIVL 3137 57
 Dense-Graded Aggregate

Wide range of sizes

Grain-to-grain contact
Low void content
Low permeability
High stability
Difficult to compact

CIVL 3137 58
 Fuller’s Curve
Fuller, W.B. and Thompson, S.E. “The laws of
proportioning concrete," Transactions of the
ASCE, v. 159, 1907.

0.50 pi = percent passing ith sieve

 di 
pi    di = opening size of ith sieve
D D = maximum particle size

CIVL 3137 59
CIVL 3137 60
 Maximum Density Curve
In 1962 FHWA published a modified version of
Fuller’s equation with a different exponent.

0.45
0.50 pi = percent passing ith sieve
 di 
pi    di = opening size of ith sieve
D D = maximum particle size

CIVL 3137 61
CIVL 3137 62
 Dense-Graded Aggregate
1½" ¾" 3/ "
8 4 8 16 30 50 100 200
100

80
TDOT 411-D
Percent Passing

60
Maximum
40
Density
Curve for
20 ½" NMAS

0
100 10 1 0.1 0.01
Opening Size (mm)
CIVL 3137 65
 Dense-Graded Aggregate
200 30 8 4 3/ "
8
1/ " 5/ "
2 8 ¾"
100

80
Percent Passing

TDOT 411-D
60
Maximum
Density
40
Curve for
½“ NMAS
20

0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Opening Size (mm) Raised to the 0.45 Power
CIVL 3137 66
 Aggregate Sampling

CIVL 3137 67
 Aggregate Sampling

CIVL 3137 68
 Aggregate Sampling

CIVL 3137 69
 Minimum Sample Size

CIVL 3137 70
 Sample Quartering

CIVL 3137 71
 Sample Splitting

CIVL 3137 72