ACI 214.

3R-88
(Reapproved 1997)

Simplified Version of the Recommended Practice for

Evaluation of Strength Test Results of Concrete
Reported by ACI Committee 214
V. Ramakrishnan P. N.Balaguru
Chairman Secretary

Edward A. Abdun-Nur Steven H. Gebler Larry W. Matejcek S. N. Shanmughasundram

David F. Anderson Eugen O. Goeb Tarun R. Naik Shyam N. Shukla
John Bickley Gilbert J. Haddad Robert E. Neal Luke M. Snell
Stanley J. Blas, Jr. David F. Harrald Robert E. Philleo Roger L. Sprouse
Jerrold L. Brown Peter A. Kopac Francis J. Principe Rodney J. Stebbins
Ronald L. Dilly Kenneth R. Lauer Owen Richards Michael A. Taylor
Donald E. Dixon H. S. Lew Orrin Riley J. Derle Thorpe*
Richard D. Gaynor V. M. Malhotra Ephraim Senbetta Don J. Wade

The purpose of this report is to introduce the use of a simplified ver-
sion of the statistical concepts as outlined in ACI 214 for the specifi-
cation, control, and evaluation of the production of concrete. For a
more elaborate discussion of the concepts, see the “Recommended
Practice for the Evaluation of Strength Test Results of Concrete”
(ACI 214).
Keywords: coefficient of variation; compression tests; compressive strength;
concrete construction; concretes; cylinders; evaluation; quality control; sam-
pling; standard deviation; statistical analysis; variations.
CONTENTS
Introduction, p. 214.3R-1
Variability of concrete, p. 214.3R-1
Normal distribution, p. 214.3R-1
Statistical evaluation, p. 214.3R-3
Interpretation of results, p. 214.3R-4
Specifying the strength of concrete, p. 214.3R-4
Selecting the strength of concrete, p. 214.3R-4
Control of concrete strength, p. 214.3R-6
Evaluating concrete strength, p. 214.3R-6
Variability caused by testing, p. 214.3R-7
Control charts, p. 214.3R-7
INTRODUCTION
The strength test is widely used in specifying, con-
trolling, and evaluating concrete quality. Quality con-
crete must be able to: 1) carry loads imposed upon it;
2) resist deterioration; and 3) be dimensionally stable.
ACI Committee Reports, Guides, Standard Practices, and
Commentaries are intended for guidance in designing, plan-
ning, executing, or inspecting construction and in preparing
specifications. Reference to these documents shall not be made
in the Project Documents. If items found in these documents
are desired to be part of the Project Documents they should
be phrased in mandatory language and incorporated into the
Project Documents.
T here are several tests that can be made with plastic
and hardened concrete, but the strength test is gener-
ally accepted as a measure of the quality of concrete
being placed on a project.
Although the strength test is not a direct measure of
concrete durability or dimensional stability, it provides
an indication of the water-cement ratio of the concrete.
The water-cement ratio, in turn, directly influences the
strength; durability; wear resistance; dimensional sta-
bility; and other desirable properties of concrete. The
strength test is also used to measure the variability of
concrete. By using statistical methods based on the
strength test, realistic specifications can also be pre-
pared.
VARIABILITY OF CONCRETE
Portland cement concrete is subject to numerous
factors that affect its strength and other properties.
These may include variations in the manufacture of
portland cement; preparation of aggregates; batching,
mixing, and curing of concrete; and finally in the prep-
aration, handling, and testing of the cylinders. The
major variables are listed in Table 1.
These variables must be considered when specifying,
producing, or controlling the strength of concrete.
NORMAL DISTRIBUTION
Test data from large concrete projects with many
tests show a grouping around the average strength. A
*Principal author of this report.
Copyright ‘cj 1988, American Concrete Institute.
All rights reserved including rights of reproduction and use in any form or
by any means, including the making of copies by any photo process, or by any
electronic or mechanical device, printed, written, or oral, or recording for sound
or visual reproduction or for use in any knowledge or retrieval system or de-
vice, unless permission in writing is obtained from the copyright proprietors.

214.3R-1
214.3R-2 ACI COMMITTEE REPORT

Table 1 - Principal sources of variations in

1
I I I I I I

strength test results

~.SSll psi
Variations in properties Discrepancies in testing
of concrete methods
Changes in water-cement ratio Improper sampling procedures
C
Poor control of water
Excessive variation of
moisture in aggregate
Retempering
Variations in water requirement Variations due to fabrication
Aggregate grading, techniques
absorption, particle Cylinder molding
shape Poor quality molds
Cement and admixture Handling and curing of
properties newly made cylinders
Air content
Delivery time and
temperature 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Variations in characteristics and Changes in curing 01- ’ I I I I I-.-----
proportions of ingredients Temperature variation 2400 2300 3200 3600 4000 4400 4800 5200
Aggregates Variable moisture
Cement Delays in bringing cylin- COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (psi)
Pozzolans ders to the laboratory
Admixtures (Plotted In cells of 200 psi)

Variations in batching, mixing, Poor testing procedures

transporting, placing, and Care of cylinders,
transportation and cap-
Fig. 2-Strength tests plotted in Fig. 1 with normal dis-
compaction
Variations in temperature and ping tribution curve superimposed on data
curing Improper placement in
testing machine
Testing machine platens I I I I I I
out of specifications
Incorrect speed of testing

I I I I I I

0
0
0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 I I
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2400 2800 3200 3600 4000 4400 4800 5200
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (psi)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
I I I I I I
(Plotted in cells of 200 psi)
2400 2300 3200 3600 4000 4400 4800 5200

COMPRESSlVE STRENGTH psi) Fig. 3-Normal distribution curve represents variation

(Plotted in cells of 200 psi) of individual test results plotted in Fig. 1 and 2

distribution on the plot of individual strengths. As

Fig. 1-Plot of 45 strength tests in cell width of 200 psi
typical grouping is illustrated in Fig. 1. To produce Fig.
1, the strength tests are divided into cells. The cell width
for Fig. 1 is 200 psi. For example, the seven tests that
fall between 3900 and 4099 psi have been plotted in the
cell listed as 4000 psi.* Similarly, all other strengths
from the series of tests have been plotted in their re-
spective cells. Since the grouping of tests on each side
of the average is nearly symmetrical, it is called a nor-
mal distribution. It is possible to superimpose a normal
*1 psi = 6.895 kPa
shown in Fig. 2, this curve smooths out the plot by re-
ducing the effect of individual differences through av-
eraging. The center of the curve is located at the aver-
age of all the tests. The area under the curve represents
100 percent of the tests. Fig. 3 shows the normal distri-
bution curve used to represent all of the tests, rather
than using the individual tests plotted in their respec-
tive cells. This curve will be used to represent all of the
strength tests without the individual plotted tests
throughout the remainder of this report. The example
illustrated in this report is the compressive strength test,
but the procedures outlined here may be used on test
data from any test used to determine the strength of
concrete.
 SIMPLIFIED STRENGTH TEST EVALUATION
r-Yi
5 = 340 psi
2400 2800 3200 3600 4000 4400 4800 5200 5800
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (psi)
Fig. 4-Plot of three normal distribution curves with
the same average. Curves illustrate low variability (s =
340 psi), medium variability (s = 560 psi), and high
variability (s = 800 psi) (cell width is 400 psi)
The normal distribution curve can be either steep or
flat, depending on the grouping of the individual tests
on each side of the mean. Three normal distribution
curves are illustrated in Fig. 4. The shape of the curve
indicates the variability in the test data. The steep curve
represents a series of strength tests with low variability.
Strength tests are closely grouped around the average.
- (X, -
The flat curve represents a series of tests with high var-
iability. Whatever the shape of the normal distribution
curve, it reveals significant information about the test
data it represents. The top of the curve is located at the
average of all the tests.
STATISTICAL EVALUATION
Concrete samples should be obtained by randomly
sampling batches of a given class of concrete used on
the project. Different portions of a structure may re-
quire different concrete mix designs. Each mix is often
called a class of concrete. Each class of concrete usu-
ally has its own proportions, and should be sampled
and evaluated separately. If the number of randomly
obtained samples of a given class of concrete is large
enough, the strength test results can be statistically
evaluated. The statistical values calculated from the test
data, which are useful in the evaluation, follow.
Average x
The average (often called the mean) is the approxi-
mate middle value between extremes. The average can
/- be calculated using the following formula
L n
x= x, + x, + x, . . . . + X”
(1)
n
Where X is the average strength; X1, X2, X3, . . . X,
are individual strength tests; and n is the total number
of tests.
214.3R-3
The formula may be represented by
x=3
n
(2)
Where X, is each strength test from i = 1 to i = n, and
CX, represents the sum of all the tests.
More than one concrete cylinder is usually made
from the same sample of concrete. A strength test is
defined as the average strength of all cylinders made
from the same sample of concrete cured under the same
conditions and tested at the same age. Variations in
strength between cylinders cast from the same sample
may be attributed to variability of the concrete within
the sample, cylinder molding, care, transportation, and
testing procedures. If testing procedures are uniform,
variations observed between strength tests can be at-
tributed to variations in materials, batching, mixing,
transportation, and curing.
Standard deviation s
The standard deviation is a measure of the variabil-
ity or scatter of test values around the average. The
higher the standard deviation, the greater the variabil-
ity. The standard deviation can be calculated using one
of the following equations
X)’ + (X2 - X)’ + . . . (X, - X)’
s= (3)
i n -1
where
s = standard deviation
x,,x*:. . . X, = individual strength tests
n = total number of tests
X = average strength of all the tests
The preceding formula may be represented by
s=
d C(X, - X)’
n -1
(4)
where X, is each strength test from i = I to i = n, and
X is the average strength of all the tests.
Some calculators compute the average and standard
deviation in the same operation. If a calculator with
statistical functions is not available, the standard de-
viation may be determined from the following formula
using a simple four-function calculator
dz
-qX2) _ 0’
s= -~~
n - l
(5)
where C(X)’ is the sum of the square of each test, and
(CX,)’ is the sum of all the tests squared.
214.3R-4 ACI COMMITTEE REPORT

Many computer programs are available to calculate

these statistical values. The normal distribution curve
will break, i.e., change from a concave shape to a con- 10
vex shape at two points, one on each side of the curve.
These points will mark the limits of zones that will in-
clude approximately one-third of ail the tests below the
if
average and one-third of all the tests above the aver-
age. These points are located a distance equal to one 2
standard deviation each side of the average. These b5
points can be determined by calculating the standard
deviation for the set of tests. 3

INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS
When the relationships between the individual test
results, the normal distribution curve, and the statisti- 0
2400 2800 3200 3800 4000 4400 4800 5200
cal values produced from the test data are understood,
it is possible to draw conclusions about the variability COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (psi)
of the test data.
The area under the normal distribution curve repre-
sents 100 percent of the tests. A series of zones can be Fig. 5 - Percentages of tests expected to fall in each
created under the curve by drawing vertical lines, each zone of normal distribution curve
spaced a distance equal to a standard deviation on each
side of the vertical line drawn at the average. Fig. 5
distribution curve, if the average strength of the con-
shows a normal distribution curve with the percentage
crete is approximately equal to the specified strength,
of tests expected to fall within each zone of the curve.
one-half of the concrete will have a strength less than
Each zone can be identified by standard-deviation lim-
the specified strength. Because it is usually not accept-
its on each side of the average. Fifty percent of the tests
able to have one-half of the strength tests lower than
fall on each side of the center of the curve, or average
specified strength, the average strength must be higher
strength. The zone bounded by one standard-deviation
than the specified strength by some factor.
limit on each side of the average (± s) includes 68.2
It is possible to use the statistical tools introduced
percent of the tests. As soon as the average and the
here in all phases of concrete production - strength
standard deviation are calculated, the shape of the nor-
has been used as an example. Similar principles can be
mal distribution curve that represents the data can be
applied to other important characteristics of concrete
visualized.
such as entrained air, which relates to durability. The
Moving a second standard-deviation limit on each
specification writer, in consultation with the engineer,
side of the average will include an additional 27 percent
selects a specified strength and the percentage of low
of all the tests. Therefore, a total of 95.2 percent of all
the tests fall within two standard-deviation limits tests that are considered acceptable for the class of
(± 2s) on each side of the average. An additional 2.4 concrete. ACI 318, “Building Code Requirements for
Reinforced Concrete,” provides guidelines for selecting
percent of all the tests fall between two and three stan-
dard-deviation limits on each side of the average the acceptable number of low tests.
strength for a total of approximately 100 percent of the An example of a statement for strength in the speci-
tests. These three standard-deviation limits each side of fication might read:
the average strength (± 3s) are normally considered to The average of all strength tests shall be such that
be the limits that include almost all test values. not more than one test in ten (10 percent) shall fall
Engineers are not normally concerned with strengths below the specified strength fc' of 3500 psi.
that are too high. Therefore, only the standard-devia-
tion limits below the average cause concern when eval-
uating the strength of concrete. Fig. 5 shows 15.9 per- SELECTING THE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE
cent of the tests, or approximately 1 in 6, will be below Because of variability in the strength of concrete, it
one standard-deviation limit; 2.4 percent of the tests, or becomes necessary to produce a concrete with an aver-
approximately 1 in 42, will be below the two standard- age strength significantly greater than the specified
deviation limits. strength to limit the percentage of low tests to the spec-
ified levels. The concrete producer must provide a
strength that is higher than the specified strength, called
SPECIFYING THE STRENGTH OF CONCRETE the required average strength f,. The required average
It is the responsibility of the structural engineer to strength can be determined from the following formula
select the strength of concrete required for a structure.
That strength is called the specified strength, noted as
fc'. Since the strength of concrete follows the normal f, = A + PS (6)
 SIMPLIFIED STRENGTH TEST EVALUATION 214.3R-5

1
l
I I I I I I

PS

rcceptable
lumber of

1
low tests

%&is 2400 2800 3200 3600 4000 4400 4600 5200

2400 2800 3200 3600 4000 4404 4800 5200
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (psi)
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (psi)
(Plotted in cells of 200 PSI)
(Plotted in ceils of 200 psi)

Fig. 6-Illustration of determination of required aver-
age strength f,’ = 3000 psi, product of probability fac-
tor p, and standard deviation s = 800 psi. The sum of
f: and ps = f,,, which is 3811 psi in this example
Fig. 7-Plot shows effect of standard deviation on cal-
culating required average strength. In each figure prob-
ability factor is 1.28, allowing 10 percent of tests to fall
below specified deviation s strength

Table 2 - Expected percentages of tests lower able percentage of low tests, the probability factor can
than the specified strength, f: be determined using the properties of the normal distri-
bution curve. The probability factors for various per-
Required Required
average average centages of low tests are given in Table 2.
strength Percentage of strength Percentage of The standard deviation is obtained by analyzing the
L low tests f’, low tests
concrete producer’s data. Since the standard deviation
f: + 0.00s 50.0 /;’ + 1.60s 5.5
1;’ + 0.10s 46.0 J’ + 1.70s 4.5
for a project is not known at the beginning of a proj-
1;’ + 0.20s 42.1 1;’ + 1.80s 3.6 ect, Chapter 4 of ACI 318 permits the substitution of a
jy + 0.30s 38.2 Jy + 1.90s 2.9 standard deviation calculated from at least 30 consecu-
f‘ + 0.40s 34.5 Jy + 2.00s 2.3
J;’ + 0.50s 30.9 1;’ + 2.10s 1.8
tive strengths on concrete produced at the proposed
f + 0.60s 27.4 1;’ + 2.20s 1.4 concrete plant using similar materials and conditions.
f;’ + 0.70s 24.2 1;’ + 2.30s 1.1 Fig. 7 shows the effect of the standard deviation on
J;’ + 0.80s 21.2 A’ + 2.40s 0.8
the required average strength. The steep curve plotted
Jy + 0.90s 18.2 J’ + 2.50s 0.6
f + 1.00s 15.9 f + 2.60s 0.45 from strength data with low variability, i.e., a low
f;’ + 1.10s 13.6 J’ + 2.70s 0.35 standard deviation (s = 344 psi), shows that the re-
f’ + 1.20s 11.5 f + 2.80s 0.25 quired average strength should be 3440 psi. Eq. (6) is
f + 1.30s 9.7 J;’ + 2.90s 0.19
f + 1.40s 8.1 1;’ + 3.00s 0.13
used to calculate the value. For the flat curve plotted
f + 1.50s 6.7 from strength data with high variability, i.e., a high
‘The probabi I factor used in the calculation of Ihe required average standard deviation (s = 806 psi), a required average
strength can be I :rmined from this table using the accepiable percentage of strength of 4032 psi is needed. In each case, 10 percent
low tests.
Source: William A. Cordon, “Concrete Quality.” ACI Echiridion E704-4, of tests can be expected to fall below the specified
1973, p. 8.
strength.
Most concrete comes from plants with continuous
where testing programs. Quality-control personnel from these
f,, = required average strength, psi plants can supply standard deviation data on each class
f,! = specified strength, psi of concrete. Since three standard-deviation limits are
p = probability factor based on the percentage of generally considered to include all tests, the engineer
tests the designer will allow to fall below A’ who unrealistically refuses to recognize the variability
s = expected standard deviation for the project, psi that does exist, even in carefully controlled concreting
operations, and demands that no tests fall below the
Use of the normal distribution curve to obtain the specified strength, must realize that the required aver-
required average strength is illustrated in Fig. 6. To age strength must then be three standard-deviation lim-
calculate the required average strength, the engineer its above the specified strength. Even with the required
must decide the specified strength and what percentage average strength at three standard-deviation limits
of tests falling below the specified strength will be al- above the specified strength, there is a slight chance of
lowed. When the decision has been made on an accept- a test falling below the specified strength.
214.3R6 ACI COMMITTEE REPORT

Table 2 indicates that using three standard-deviation Table 3 - Recommendations for ps to be used
limits does not completely insure that no test will fall in computing the required average strength
below the specified strength. The predicted percentage based on critical nature of strength of concrete.
of low tests where the average strength exceeds the Recommended values
for ps for computing
specified strength by three standard deviation limits is required average
0.13 percent, or 1.3 tests in 1000. Probability strength
Type of structural member of low test
When the engineer understands the implications of
the three standard-deviation limits, he may want to Concrete strength below L! 1.3 in 1000
cannot be tolerated (mini-
consider using several different probability factors for mum strength specifica-
a given project, depending on the critical nature of the tion)
strength of each class of concrete. Table 3 lists criteria Strength is critical 1 in 100 2.32s
for selecting different probability factors based upon Strength below&l is not Variable 2.32s - 500 psi
the risk if the concrete strength falls below the speci- critical but a test below L!
fied strength. - 500 is critical. This re-
quirement applies only
where s is above 500 psi
(ACI 318)
CONTROL OF CONCRETE STRENGTH
Strength of concrete is not 1 in 10 1.28s
At the beginning of a concreting operation, the critical (ACI 214, ACI 318)
strength level of the concrete being produced is based Average of three consecu- 1 Test: 9 in 100 1.34s
upon the calculation of the required average strength. tive tests does not fall be- Average of three
This is a hypothetical production strength. It assumes low fc’ (ACI 318) tests: 1 in 100
that the variables affecting the strength of concrete will Strength of concrete is of 1 in 5 0.8%
minor consequence in de-
be the same in the future as they have been in the past. sign
As the first test data become available, the required av-
erage strength is replaced by the actual value-the
project average strength. If the standard deviation from
the project is approximately equal to the value used in
fcr
the calculation of the required average strength, the I
. PS
project average strength should be maintained close to
I
the required average strength.
If the project average strength is below the required
average strength, the percentage of tests below the
specified strength will be greater than the acceptable
value and steps must be taken to increase the strength
of the concrete. The strength of the concrete must also
be increased if the standard deviation of the project is Allowable
nu mber of
greater than the assumed standard deviation used in the l
determination of the required average strength. If the low tests 1
project standard deviation increases, the average
strength of the concrete must be increased. An illustra- I
2400 2800 3200 4000 4400 4800 5200
tion of the ideal relationship between these values is
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH (psi)
shown in Fig. 8.
(Plotted in cells of 200 psi)

EVALUATING CONCRETE STRENGTH Fig. 8-Approximate desired relationship between re-

As the strength tests from a project become avail-
able, continuous evaluation of the data is desirable.
Updated determination of the average strength and
standard deviation will permit an evaluation of how
well the actual project values compare with values used
at the beginning of the project. An understanding of
the percentage of tests falling within each zone, under
the normal distribution curve illustrated in Fig. 5, will
aid in this evaluation.
The approximate percentage of tests falling below the
specified strength can be calculated anytime after test
data become available using Eq. (7) and Table 2 as fol-
lows
p=-
x- ff
(7)
s low tests.”
quired average strength and average strength
Where
p = probability factor
x = average strength
f c' = specified strength
s = standard deviation
When the probability factor has been calculated from
actual project data, the approximate percentage of low
tests can be determined using Table 2 as follows.
Find the probability factor closest to the calculated
value in the column labeled “Required average
strength” of Table 2. The corresponding percentage
can be read from the columns labeled “Percentage of
 SIMPLIFIED STRENGTH TEST EVALUATION
Table 4 - Control standards for evaluating
performance of testing program from project
using the within-test coefficient of variation
Field control testing -___-
Control standards for within-test coefficient of variation
Excellent Very good Good Fair Poor
Below I .5 1.5 to 2.0 2.0 to 3.0 3.0 to 4.0 Above 4.0
VARIABILITY CAUSED BY TESTING
Table 1 shows two major categories as sources of
variability in concrete strength. The first category lists
factors, including strength, that affect the properties of
the concrete. The second category lists possible varia-
tions caused by testing procedures. Variations in test-
ing may have a significant effect on the apparent
strength of the concrete and, consequently, on the
evaluation of the actual strength. It is possible to sepa-
rate some of the effects of these two major sources of
variability.
A test consists of all the test cylinders made from the
same sample of concrete, cured under the same condi-
tions, and tested at the same age. It is assumed that two
or more test cylinders made from the same sample of
concrete and tested at the same age should have the
same strength. Variations in the strength of these cyl-
inders occur partly because of differences in the testing
procedures. Differences in strength between two or
more test cylinders made from the same sample of con-
crete are called within-test variations.
The within-test standard deviation is calculated from
the following equation
(8)
Where
S H,
= within-test standard deviation
CHART A
CHART C ‘; ~~~~~~-~~I:
Each PO’“,. average of ten PrC”lO”S ranger
20
Fig. 9-Quality control charts for concrete production and evaluation
214.3R-7
R = average range for all tests of a class of concrete
dz = factor based on the number of cylinders within
the test
The range is the difference between the highest and
lowest strengths of the cylinders making up a test. The
factor d2 is based on the number of cylinders used to
calculate the range. If two cylinders are used in a test,
dz equals 1.128. If three cylinders are used in a test, the
chance for variability is greater and the factor is larger
than 1.693. The range calculated from four cylinders
per test would use d2 of 2.059.
To complete the within-test evaluation, calculate the
within-test coefficient of variation, which is the within-
test standard deviation expressed as a percentage of the
average strength. The within-test coefficient of varia-
tion can be calculated using Eq. (9)
I/,, = > x 100 (9)
Where V,, = within-test coefficient of variation ex-
pressed as a percent, and X = average strength for the
class of concrete, psi.
Standards for evaluating the within-test coefficient of
variation are given in Table 4. If the within-test coeffi-
cient of variation is high (fair or poor), testing may be
the reason for poor test results rather than the concrete
quality.
CONTROL CHARTS
An important part of the evaluation process is the
regular plotting of values for a visual picture of con-
crete performance. Three simplified charts prepared
specifically for concrete control are illustrated in Fig. 9.
While these do not contain all the features of formal
control charts, they can be useful to engineers, archi-
tects, and ready-mix plant superintendents.
On chart A, (Fig. 9) the compressive strengths for
each of the two cylinders that make up a test are plot-
24 28 32 36 40 44 48
214.3R-8 ACI COMMITTEE REPORT
ted as circles. The point representing the average of the
two cylinders is the point to which the solid line is
drawn. The same chart may be used if three or more
cylinders make up a test. The dotted line, representing
the required average strength, is determined from Eq.
(6). or Table 2. If the volume of concrete produced re-
quires more than one test per day, the average of all
tests on a given day can be plotted for that day. Tests
can also be plotted in chronological order rather than
by days. The individual tests will be used separately in
the calculation of running averages.
Chart B of Fig. 9 is the moving average of the pre-
vious five test averages from Chart A. Each time a new
test average is added to the chart, a new average of five
tests is calculated, using the new average along with the
previous four. The number of tests used to calculate
moving average can be varied to suit each job. This
chart is valuable in indicating trends and will show the
influence of seasonal changes, changes in materials, etc.
Chart C (Fig. 9) is a moving average for the range,
where the average range of the previous ten groups of
companion cylinders is plotted each day.
Fig. 9 shows Charts A, B, and C for 46 tests. To be
fully effective, charts should be maintained throughout
the entire job. Control charts can be updated and plot-
ted by computer each time new test data are submitted
for analysis.
For a more rigorous treatment of the use of these
concepts in the evaluation of the strength, consult the
“Recommended Practice for Evaluation of Strength
Test Results of Concrete” (ACI 214-77) (Reaffirmed
1983).
This report was submitted to letter ballot of the committee and was ap-
proved in accordance with ACI balloting procedures.