CEMENT SPECIFICATION

STANDARDS

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F E LANGCASTER
 CEMENT SPECIFICATION STANDARDS

CONTENTS

Page No

History and development 3

Why do we need Standards? 5

Primary requirements for Portland Cement 6

Comparison of Portland Cement Specification Standards 7

Application for different cement types 10

API- an International Specification? 13

The British and European view 14

2
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
The use of cementitious materials by mankind in construction can be traced back to at least 3500
years BC when the Egyptians were using sand and burnt gypsum/lime for their building works.
Recent archaeology has suggested that the boundary may have to be pushed back a further 3500
years following the discovery of a concrete floor in Israel at a place called Yiftah El. It is quite
possible that even in these early days of cement manufacture, simple specifications were being
followed. It would be expected that the Guilds of Medieval Europe, those bands of craftsmen
who were the entrepreneurial basis of the manufacture and trade of the times would have laid
down specific requirements but these were closely and jealously guarded and have long since
disappeared.

The history of Portland cement, however, is very recent and goes back to the Patent taken out by
Joseph Aspdin in 1824 (figure 1) and the first real production of the material at Swanscombe
(UK) around 1845. As demand for Portland cement developed, especially as an ingredient of
concrete, and the requirements of engineers called for a more controlled and reliable product, it
became desirable for standards of quality to be laid down. These standards would then become
the criteria against which consignments could be judged after certain agreed tests. In this way
standard specifications have developed in most countries, either under governmental auspices or
as a result of the work of voluntary bodies related to the Industry. These were primarily either
engineers or associations of cement manufacturers and it was one such body in Germany (the
predecessor of VDZ) that established the first rules for controlling the quality of the product
towards the end of the nineteenth century.

Figure 1: Joseph Aspdin's Patent for Portland cement taken out in 1824

3
1904 saw the publication of the first specifications for Portland cement in both the UK and the
USA with other countries following suit in subsequent years. The first British Specification was
drawn up by The Engineering Standards Committee, which was the precursor of The British
Standards Institution who issues standards today in the UK. The number BS12 indicates its early
place in the hierarchy of recognised British Standards and is a reflection of its importance in the
industrial base of the early 20th Century. Specifications for steel and railway lines are the only
ones to precede cement.

Figure 2 shows the front page of the first British Standard specification for Portland cement and it
is worthwhile noting the importance of the various Engineering bodies, the date of publication
and the price! Scrutiny of the make-up of the members of the Committee responsible for drawing
up the original document shows that there were several representatives of the recently (1900)
formed Associated Portland Cement manufacturers.

Figure 2. Front page of first British

Standard specification for
Portland Cement

Note the reference to

Engineering bodies.

Publication date,
December 1904

Price of 2/6 is
equivalent to
12.5pence. Today’s
price is nearer £50.

The dates of publication of the first officially recognised national type specification standards for
various countries, including members of Blue Circle Industries are shown in table 1. Some of
these dates are quite late and it should be noted that before them cement specification standards
were still in force – these being of the USA, UK or other European countries.

4
Table 1: Publication dates of first national type specification standards for Portland cement

COUNTRY DATE REMARKS

Germany (Prussia) 1878 Government regulations
Russia 1899 Ministry of Public Highways
France 1902 Government regulations first appeared in 1884
United Kingdom 1904 Various local government regulations before 1900
United States 1904 ASCE issued a specification in 1885
Denmark 1911
Italy 1912 Government regulations
Canada 1916 CSCE issued specification in 1894
Australia 1926*
Eire 1938* Initially from ICE
Chile 1941 Government regulations
Japan 1941 Ministerial regulations from 1925
New Zealand 1941
Mexico 1943
China 1947
India 1947
Greece 1954
South Africa 1959*
Egypt 1963*
Zimbabwe 1964* Originally as part of Central African Republic
Philippines 1968**
Singapore 1970*
Thailand 1971
Nigeria 1974*
Kenya 1976*
Malaysia 1977*
Uganda *
* Previously used British Standards.
** Previously used US Standards.
Items in Italics may not be earliest editions.
Highlighted boxes are those countries where Blue Circle Industries has direct interests.

WHY DO WE NEED STANDARDS?

Cement specification standards lay down criteria against which the product can be assessed and
guarantee a specific level of quality, if the requirements are met. Publication of national
standards, agreed within Committees representing a cross section of important and relevant
industries, specifiers, users and government departments, produces a unified approach and allows
for all related opinions, ultimately leading to a sensible and technically acceptable document.

The criteria that are agreed are those that are regarded as important in protecting the quality and
credibility of cement, thereby making it safe and durable in use. The actual levels will depend
upon the results of much scientific study and may change, as the standards develop to incorporate
the results of new research.

The cement specification standards offer protection to both the manufacturer and the customer
and may become an integral part of litigation in the case of construction failure.

5
PRIMARY REQUIREMENTS
Assessment of the vast array of national cement specification standards of the various countries
indicates that similar parameters are constantly being called upon to be regulated and this is not
surprising when it is realised that cement is universal in both its use and its problems. The limits
that are applied may differ to some extent and the reasons for this may be local in nature eg.
climate, but there are a limited number of criteria which are technically important and hence need
to be controlled. Table 2 lists these together with an indication of the reason for their inclusion.

Table 2: Primary requirements of Portland cement specification standards

PARAMETER LIMIT REASON

Insoluble Residue Upper Contamination
Loss on Ignition Upper Deterioration and Contamination
Sulfate Upper Unsoundness
Magnesium Oxide Upper Unsoundness
Chloride Upper Corrosion of Embedded Steel
Setting times Upper and Lower Rate of Hydration
Expansion Upper Unsoundness
Strength Upper and Lower Performance

The limits for parameters highlighted in Table 2 have been derived from a wealth of scientific
study. An example of this is shown in Figure 3 which portrays the effect of Magnesium Oxide
(MgO) on the autoclave expansion of cement and quite clearly highlights the inflexion point at
around the 5%. Scrutiny of the various cement standards shows that the upper level for this
parameter is at or near this level.

Figure 3: Influence of MgO on the Autoclave expansion of Portland cement

INFLUENCE OF CEMENT MgO CONTENT ON

EXPANSION IN ASTM AUTOCLAVE TEST
Expansion %
12

10
Inflexion
8 point at 5%

0
0 2 4 6 8 10
MgO Content %
6
COMPARISON OF PORTLAND CEMENT STANDARDS
Tables 3 and 4 respectively summarise the chemical and physical requirements of selected
national standards for normal Portland cements.

From Table 3 it can be seen that the chemical requirements are broadly very similar.

In general, where the Loss on Ignition (LOI) and Insoluble Residue (IR) are higher, the
incorporation of a non-clinker material (such as limestone and raw meal, as well as slag and
pulverised fuel ash-pfa) is permitted. Higher SO3 levels are generally associated with high early
strength cements where the increased fineness required merits additional set retarder. In many
cases it is also related to the level of C3 A content.

MgO levels are usually around 5%. Currently, a minority of countries outside of Europe have
limits for chloride but limits close to 0.1% are expected to be introduced to most national
standards in the near future.

Table 4 shows that there is very close similarity in the requirements for initial setting time, as
determined by the Vicat test. Countries who have adopted an ASTM based standard also have
available to them the Gillmore test. However, for strength there is a range of test methods and
strength limits. The main type of strength tests currently employed are:

Mortar prism CEN EN 196-1/ISO 679

Mortar cubes ASTM C109
Mortar cubes BS 4550
Concrete cubes BS 4550

In general the minimum strength requirements are not particularly demanding and it is usually the
market that dictates the levels, not the standards. Of the countries listed, only the United
Kingdom and Nigeria have upper limits for strength. The introduction of upper as well as lower
strength limits has advantages for both the cement producer and user and encouraged by the
adoption of the European Standard (EN197-1) – see later, can be expected to spread to other
countries outside of Europe.

As well as the parameters listed in Tables 3 and 4 some Portland cement standards require
additional chemical and physical items to be mandatorily limited. The most prevalent of these are
those related to particle fineness (SSA and residue) or durability aspects (Expansion and air
content). Other optional requirements such as equivalent soda (Na2 O) may also be listed. Tri-
calcium aluminate (C3 A) levels are usually related to the sulfate resisting series of cements. The
level of C3 A may also dictate the maximum amount of SO3, which is allowed.

Some examples of these additional parameters are shown in Table 5.

Cement specification standards also have various other important requirements that have to be
met for example in relation to the composition of the cement, sampling, packaging and storage,
marking and information to be supplied.

7
Table 3: Maximum chemical requirements of National standards for Portland cement types.

COUNTRY NATIONAL TYPE LOI IR SO3 MgO Cl

SYMBOL % % % % %
Canada 10 Normal 3.0* 1.5 3.0** 5.0 N/A
30 High early strength 3.0* 1.5 3.5** 5.0 N/A
Chile PC Normal 3.0 1.5 4.0 5.0 N/A
PAR High strength 3.0 1.5 4.0 5.0 N/A
China P Ordinary N/A N/A 3.5 5.0# N/A
P-RH Rapid hardening N/A N/A 4.0 5.0# N/A
Denmark P Normal 6.0 6.0 3.5 3.0 N/A
P-RH High early strength 6.0 6.0 4.5 3.0 N/A
Egypt P Ordinary 4.0 1.5 2.5▲ 4.0+ N/A
P-RH Rapid hardening 4.0 1.5 2.5▲ 4.0+ N/A
Greece PC Portland 5.0 3.0 3.5◆ 6.0 N/A
India P-43 Ordinary 5.0 2.0 2.5 6.0 0.05
P-RH Rapid hardening 5.0 4.0 2.5 6.0 N/A
Japan OPC Ordinary 3.0 N/A 3.0 5.0 0.2
HSC High early strength 3.0 N/A 3.5 5.0 0.2
Kenya P 25 Ordinary 5.0 13.0 3.5 5.0 N/A
RP 30 Rapid 5.0 13.0 3.5 5.0 N/A
Malaysia OP Portland 4.0 1.5 2.5 5.0 N/A
RHP Rapid-Hardening 4.0 1.5 3.0 5.0 N/A
New Zealand O Ordinary 3.0 1.0 3.0❚ 4.0 N/A
RH Rapid-Hardening 3.0 1.0 3.5❚ 4.0 N/A
Nigeria OPC Ordinary 5.0 3.0φ 2.5▲ 5.0 0.10
Philippines I Portland 3.0 0.75 3.0● 6.0 N/A
III High early strength 3.0 0.75 3.5● 6.0 N/A
Singapore P Ordinary 4.0 1.5 3.5 N/A 0.10
Uganda OP Ordinary 4.0 1.5 2.5 4.0 N/A
United Kingdom OPC Ordinary 3.1φ 1.6φ 3.6 5.0♣ 0.11
RHPC Rapid-Hardening 3.1φ 1.6φ 3.6 5.0♣ 0.11
United States I Portland 3.0. 0.75 3.0● 6.0 N/A
III High early strength 3.0 0.75 3.5● 6.0 N/A
Zimbabwe P Normal 4.0 2.5 3.0 5.0 N/A
RHP High early strength 4.0 2.5 3.0 5.0 N/A

* Can be 3.5 at different test temperature.

** Can be 3.5/4.5 respectively at C3 A of greater than 7.5.
N/A Not Applicable.
# May be increased to 6.0 if autoclave requirements met.
▲ Can be 3.0/3.5 respectively at C3 A of greater than 3.5.
+ Can be 5 if autoclave test is met.
◆ Can be 4.0 if SSA greater than 400m2 /kg.
Can be 3.0/3.5 respectively at C3 A of greater than 5.
❚ Can be 3.5/4.0 respectively at C3 A of greater than 7.
φ Can be 5.0 if minor additional constituent added.
● Can be 3.5/4.5 respectively at C3 A greater than 8.
♣ As % on clinker.

8
 Table 4: Physical requirements of some National standards for Portland cement types.

COUNTRY TYPE SETTING COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH

TIME STRENGTH LIMITS
(mins)✷ METHOD (N/mm2 )
Initial Final 2/3 Day 28 Day
(Min) (Max) (Min) (Min)
Canada 10 45 360 ASTM mortar cubes 12.5 26.5
30 45 250 22.0 N/A
Chile PC 60 720 ISO mortar prisms N/A 25.0
PAR 45 600 N/A 35.0
China P (class 425) 45 720 Own mortar prism 17.7 41.7
P-RH (class 525) 45 720 32.5 52.5
Denmark P 60 600 CEN mortar prisms 10.0‡ 42.0
P-RH 45 600 17.5‡ 47.5
Egypt P 45 600 BS mortar cubes 18.0 36.0
P-RH 45 600 24.0 40.0
Greece PC (class 45) 60 480 CEN mortar prisms 10.0‡ 35.0
India P-43 30 600 BS mortar cubes 23.0 43.0
P-RH 30 600 27.0 N/A
Japan OPC 60 600 ISO mortar prisms 12.5 52.5
HSC 45 600 20.0 47.5
Kenya P 25 45 600 BS mortar cubes 17.5 26.5
RP 30 45 600 23.0 31.0
Malaysia OP 45 600 BS concrete cube 11.5 26.0
RHP 45 600 BS mortar cubes 29.0 46.0
New Zealand O 45 420 BS mortar cubes 21.0 45.0
RH 45 420 28.0 52.0
Nigeria OPC 45 600 BS mortar cubes 8.0 14.0
Philippines I 45 480 ASTM mortar cubes 12.4 27.6
III 45 480 24.1 N/A
Singapore P 60 N/A CEN mortar prisms 17.0 37.0
Uganda OP 45 600 BS mortar cubes 15.0 23.0
United Kingdom OPC 60 N/A CEN mortar prisms 10.0‡ 40.0
RHPC 45 N/A 20.0‡ 50.0
United States I 45 375 ASTM mortar cubes 12.0 N/A
III 45 375 24.0 N/A
Zimbabwe P 45 600 BS mortar cubes 16.0 N/A
RHP 45 600 21.0 N/A

‡ 2 Days
✷ Vicat

9
Table 5: Some additional chemical and physical parameters required by National standards
for Portland cement types

COUNTRY TYPE MORTAR SSA MIN. RESIDUE LSF AUTOCLAVE

AIR ( m2 /kg) MAX. (%) RANGE EXPANSION
CONTENT MAX. (%)
MAX. (%)
Canada 10 18# 1.0
30 1.0
Chile PC 1.0
Denmark P 1.5@
Egypt P 250 0.66-1.02 0.8*
P-RH 275 0.66-1.02 0.8*
Greece PC 260
India P 43 225 0.66-1.02 0.8
P-RH 325 0.66-1.02 0.8
Japan OPC 250
HSC 330
Kenya P 25 225 0.66-1.02
RP 30 325 0.66-1.02
Malaysia OP 225 0.66-1.02 0.8●
RHP 325 0.66-1.02 0.8●
New Zealand O 280
RH 380
Nigeria OPC 250 0.66-1.02
Philippines I 12 280 0.8
III 12 0.8
Singapore P 280
United States I 12 280 0.8
III 12 0.8

# On 45µ sieve
@ On 200µ sieve
* At MgO between 4.0 and 5.0%
● At MgO greater than 4.0%

APPLICATION FOR DIFFERENT CEMENT TYPES

Apart from the Portland type cements already discussed, there are a whole range of different
cement types which are recognised by specification standards throughout the World and are
produced from (I) either a different clinker make-up or (II) by the replacement of part of the
clinker fraction by another component or number of components. The most common examples of
theses other types of cements are listed in Table 6. Together with an indication of their particular
characteristics and areas of use.

10
Table 7 indicates the national specification standard numbers for other cement types, whilst Table
8 gives the compositional requirements.

Table 6: Some Portland cement types other than “normal”

CEMENT TYPE PARTICULAR USE

CHARACTERISTICS
I – different clinker
Sulfate- resisting cement Low C3 A (usually less than 3.5%).
Low alkali (usually less than
0.60% as eq. Na2 O).
Lower max. SO3 requirement.
(usually 2.5%).
Where concrete or mortar is
exposed to sulfates in the soil.
Where a low alkali cement is
required.
As a moderately low heat
cement

Oilwell cement As Sulfate–resisting but additional Specialised use for oil wells.
chemical restraints related to
reactivity.
White cement Low C4 AF. Decorative use.
High strength

II – part clinker replaced

Limestone filled cement Usually up to 20% limestone filler General construction.
of a specified purity.

Masonry cement Contains active or inactive filler Bedding and pointing brickwork
and air entraining agent. and blockwork. Rendering and
Low strength. plastering walls. Bedding wall
and floor tiles.

Pfa cement Contains up to 50% pulverised The lower ash containing

fuel ash, which may be of a cements may be used in general
required quality. concreting. Those with higher
ash levels can be used as a
replacement for sulfate-resisting
cements and as low heat
cement. Cold weather curing
may be a problem. Grouts and
specialised applications.

Slag cement Contains up to 85% of granulated Lower slag cements may be

Blast furnace slag
Slow strength development.
used in general concreting
except where high early
strength or resistance to sulfates
is required. Higher slag contents
can be used as a replacement for
sulfate-resisting cement and as
low heat cement.

In some parts of the World, naturally occurring pozzolanas from volcanic regions may replace
slag or fly ashes as a clinker replacement eg. in Greece and the Philippines.

11
Table 7: Specification standards for some‘other’ cement types

COUNTRY ORDINARY/ SULFATE- PFA SLAG MASONRY

WHITE RESISTING CEMENT CEMENT CEMENT
CEMENT CEMENT
Canada CSA–A5 CSA– A5 CSA- A362 CSA– A362 CSA -A8
Chile Nch 148 Nch 148 Nch 148
China GB 175/2015 GB 748 GB 1344 GB 1344 GB 3183
Denmark DS 427 DS 427
Egypt ES -373/1031 ES - 583 ES – 974
Greece PD No. 244 * PD No. 244 * PD No. 244 *
India IS:269Φ/8042 IS:12330 IS:1489 IS:455 IS:3466
Japan JIS R 5210 JIS R 5210 JIS R 5213 JIS R 5211
Kenya KSO2- 21
Malaysia MS 522/888 MS 1037 MS 794
New Zealand NZS 3122 NZS 3122 NZS 3123
Nigeria NIS 11
Philippines PNS:07/53 PNS:07 PNS: 75
Singapore SS26
Uganda BS12
United Kingdom BS12 BS4027 BS6588/6610 BS146/4246 BS5224
United States ASTM C150 ASTM C150 ASTM C595 ASTM C-91
Zimbabwe CAS A46 CAS A46
* Presidential Decree
Φ For class P-33 only, IS: 8112 for class P-43
IS: 12269 for class P-53

Table 8: Composition requirements for some ‘other’ cement types

COUNTRY PFA SLAG POZZOLANIC LIMESTONE

CEMENT CEMENT CEMENT FILLED
% PFA % SLAG % POZZOLANA % LIMESTONE
Canada 15-40 15-70 0-10
Chile N/A 30-75 30-50
China 20-40 20-70 0-15 0-10
Denmark 10-35 N/A N/A
Egypt N/A 0-35 N/A
Greece N/A * *
India 10-25 25-65 10-25
Japan 5-30 5-70 5-30
New Zealand 10-35 N/A 10-35 0-15
Philippines N/A N/A 15-40
United Kingdom 6-55 6-85 N/A 6-20
United States N/A 0-70 0-40
* Determined by Insoluble residue

12
API – AN INTERNATIONAL SPECIFICATION?
Since 1924 The American Petroleum Institute has produced a series of standards related to
products used in the Petroleum and Natural Gas Industry. Over the years these have been widely
recognised, accepted and used by suppliers and customers to the extent that they have become the
global benchmark required by the Industry before any materials can be accepted. The
specification standard for Well cements is designated 10A and lists the chemical, physical and
performance requirements that are to be met for the various classes and grades of this type of
cement. They are usually produced from low C3 A and LSF clinkers.

Chemical parameters are similar to those for normal and sulfate-resisting Portland cements but the
physical and performance properties include those related to the setting characteristics required in
the coating of oil and gas pipes. Tables 9 and 10 give some examples.

During the past few years it has become obligatory for suppliers to also have certification to the
API Quality Programme Q1 if they wish to sell their Well cements on the international market. It
is essentially an ISO 9002 Quality system.

Table 9: Some chemical requirements of the API Specification 10A.

PARAMETER CEMENT ORDINARY MODERATE HIGH

(% MAX.) CLASS GRADE (O) SULFATE- SULFATE-
RESISTANT RESISTANT
GRADE (MSR) GRADE (HSR)
MgO A 6.0 N/A N/A
F N/A 6.0 6.0
G N/A 6.0 6.0
SO3 A 3.5# N/A N/A
F N/A 3.0 3.0
G N/A 3.0 3.0
Loss on Ignition A 3.0 N/A N/A
F N/A 3.0 3.0
G N/A 3.0 3.0
Insoluble Residue A 0.75 N/A N/A
F N/A 0.75 0.75
G N/A 0.75 0.75
C3 A A Not required N/A N/A
F N/A 8 3
G N/A 8 3

A = No special properties.
F = Cement for extreme temperatures and pressures.
G = Basic well cement.
# When the C3 A is less than 8%, the SO3 maximum will be 3.0.

13
Table 10: Some physical and performance requirements of API Specification 10A

PARAMETER TEST CLASS A CLASS F CLASS G

SCHEDULE
SSA (m2 /kg min.) 280 N/R N/R
8 hour ( N/mm2 min) ASTM N/A 1.7 N/R 10.3
Compressive strength 4S N/R N/R N/R
6S N/R N/R N/R
8S N/R N/R N/R
9S N/R 3.5 N/R
24 hour ( N/mm2 ) ASTM N/A 12.4 N/R N/R
Compressive strength 4S N/R N/R N/R
6S N/R 6.9 N/R
8S N/R N/R N/R
9S N/R 6.9 N/R
Thickening time ( mins. min) 4 90 N/R N/R
5 N/R N/R 90
5 N/R N/R 120+
6 N/R 100 N/R
8 N/R N/R N/R
10 N/R 190 N/R

+ Maximum

THE BRITISH AND EUROPEAN VIEW

Currently all European countries have their own cement specification standards and although
there are similarities between most of them, detailed differences have always restricted cross-
frontier trade. Figure 3 indicates some of the cement specification standards currently in use in
Europe.

Following a protracted development, CEN (the European Standards organisation) comprising

members of the European Community (EC), a significant expansion of the original European
Union (EU) group of countries, has recently (2000) voted positively on a European cement
specification, termed EN 197-1. This will operate in parallel with the existing national
specification standards for a short period of time until it supersedes them, when they will then
have to be withdrawn. Adoption of this standard by all of the members of the EC will radically
improve cross border trade in cement, equalising assessment and promoting growth. Agreed
European testing standards have already been in use since the early ‘90’s (the EN 196 series) and
the addition of EN 197-1 complements this venture.

EN 197-1 has drawn together most of the cements intended for plain and reinforced concrete and
used for many years by the member countries and these have been termed the “common
cements”. These cements are those for which there is a proven track record in use. Others for
which the history is less well pronounced will remain within national standards for the time being.
Cements which have additional or special properties are also excluded from EN 197-1 but may
eventually exist as other EN’s.

14
Figure 3: Some specification standards used in Europe

NS 3098

IS 1 DS 427

BS12
NEN 3550

DIN 1164

NBN B12-101

NFP 15-301 Ö NORM

B 3310

NP 2064
UNE 80-301 Cabinet
Decree
1984

Presidential
Decree 244

In order to smooth the transition from the British Standards to EN 197-1, the UK revised their
existing specification standards in 1991 to mirror the main features required by the European
document (termed ENV 197-1 at that time). The following revisions were made in November
1991:
BS 12 Portland cement
BS4027 Sulfate-resisting Portland cement
BS146 Portland blastfurnace cement
BS4246 High slag blastfurnace cement
BS6588 Portland pulverised-fuel ash cement
BS6610 Pozzolanic pulverised-fuel ash cement

15
A new specification standard was added to the list in 1992;

BS 7583 Portland limestone cement

Although this particular cement was new to the UK, it had a very satisfactory history and
performance in France in particular and offered environmental opportunities for the cement
producers whilst also broadening the spectrum of products available to the market place.
Editorial updates were published in 1996.

Compositional requirements of the cements are expressed as a percentage of the clinker nucleus
which excludes gypsum and some indication of the permitted ranges allowed for various additions
has already been highlighted in Table 8. A new concept is the adoption of the general European
practice of allowing the addition of up to 5% minor additional constituent (mac, but not for
Sulfate-resisting cement) and up to 1% of processing additive. Mac’s may be limestone, raw
meal, fly ash granulated blastfurnace slag or other calcareous fillers and they enable the cement
manufacturer to optimise cement particle size gradings and enhance production. The option to
add processing additives enables not only a wider range of grinding aids to be explored (for
improving mill efficiency and properties such as flowability) but also other cement improvers.

Strengths are determined using the EN 196-1 mortar prism procedure which uses a w/c ratio of
0.50 and gives 28 results which are approximately 25% higher than the previously required
concrete cube method defined in BS 4550. Strengths are specified as various classes having an
upper and/or lower control limit but these are only as characteristic values and form the basis of
the control using statistical assessment of populations of data. This process is called
‘Autocontrol’ and si based on random despatch samples. Absolute limits are also defined which
are equivalent to the types of limit in the previous British Standards. Table 11 summarises the
strength classes that exist in the present British Standards, together with their Autocontrol and
absolute limits.

Table 11: Strength classes of British specification standards

STRENGTH 2 DAY 7 DAY 28 DAY

CLASS LOWER LOWER LOWER UPPER
Auto Absolute Auto Absolute Auto Absolute Auto Absolute
32.5N 16 14 32.5 30 52.5 56.5#
32.5R 10 8 32.5 30 52.5 56.5#
42.5L* 20 18 42.5 40 62.5 66.5#
42.5N 10 8 42.5 40 62.5 66.5#
42.5R 20 18 42.5 40 62.5 66.5#
52.5L* 10 8 52.5 50 72.5 76.5#
52.5N 20 18 52.5 50 72.5 76.5#
62.5N+ 20 18 62.5 60

* BS 146 only
# In cases of customer testing only
+ BS 12 only

In the UK, the majority of the BS 12 ‘ordinary’ cement produced is to class 42.5 whereas on the
continent of Europe this cement is more commonly of a lower class and associated with filler.

16
 Table 12: The 27 products in the family of common cements
Composition ( proportion by mass1 )
Main Notation of the Main Constituents Minor
Types 27 products ( types Additional
clinker Blast- Silica Pozzolana Fly ash Burnt Limestone
of common cements) Constituent
furnace fume natural natural Silic- Calca- Shale
slag calcined eous reous
K S D2 P Q V W T L LL
CEM 1 Portland CEM 1 95-100 0-5
Portland CEM II/A-S 80-94 6-20 0-5
slag CEM II/B-S 65-79 21-35 0-5
Portland CEM II/A-D 90-94 6-10 0-5
silica-fume
Portland CEM II/A-P 80-94 6-20 0-5
pozzolana CEM II/B-P 65-79 21-35 0-5
CEM II/A-Q 80-94 6-20 0-5
CEM II/B-Q 65-79 21-35 0-5
Portland CEM II/A-V 80-94 6-20 0-5
fly ash CEM II/B-V 65-79 21-35 0-5
CEM II CEM II/A-W 80-94 6-20 0-5
CEM II/B-W 65-79 21-35 0-5
Portland CEM II/A-T 80-94 6-20 0-5
burnt shale CEM II/B-T 65-79 21-35 0-5
Portland- CEM II/A-L 89-94 6-20 0-5
limestone CEM II/B-L 65-79 21-35 0-5
CEM II/A-LL 80-94 6-20 0-5
CEM II/B-LL 65-79 21-35 0-5
Portland CEM II/A-M 80-94 -----------------------------------------------------------------------6-20--------------------------------------------------- 0-5
Composite3 CEM II/B-M 65-79 ----------------------------------------------------------------------21-35-------------------------------------------------- 0-5
Blastfurnace CEM III/A 35-64 36-65 0-5
CEM III CEM III/B 20-34 66-80 0-5
CEM III/C 5-19 81-95 0-5
CEM IV Pozzolanic CEM IV/A 65-89 ---------------------------11-35------------------------------- 0-5
CEM IV/B 45-64 ---------------------------36-55------------------------------- 0-5
CEM V Composite CEM V/A 40-64 --------------18-30------------------ 0-5
CEM V/B 20-38 --------------31-50------------------ 0-5

1. The values of the table refer to the sum of the main and minor additional constituents.
2. The proportion of silica fume is limited to 10%.
3 In Portland-composite cements CEM II/A-M and CEM II/B-M, in Pozzolanic cements CEM IV/A and CEM IV/B and in Composite
cements CEM V/A and CEM V/B the main constituents besides clinker shall be declared by designation of the cement.
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Chemical requirements (as listed in Table 3) are also defined as Autocontrol values and have
absolute values associated with them.

EN 197-1 lists 27 products in the family of common cements that are covered by the standard and
represent the range of cements currently used within the EC. Table 12 summarises these and
indicates the compositions of each of the products. Physical and chemical requirements are very
similar to those already outlined for the British standards except the strength classes are limited to
52.5 at the top end and do not include the ‘L’ designations. SO3 can be increased to 4.0% for the
higher strength classes.

European cements will be designated as CEM cements and will be identified by at least the
notation of the cement type as specified in Table 12 together with the correct strength
classification. An example is given below for a composite cement containing between 18 and
30% of granulated slag and between 18 and 30% of siliceous fly-ash of strength class 32.5 with
an ordinary early strength:

Composite cement EN 197- CEM V/A (S-V) 32.5N

Portland cement of strength class 42.5 with high early strength would more simply be:

Portland cement EN 197-CEM 1 42.5R

Before any cement can be placed on the EC market it will have to carry an indication that it
conforms to the requirements of EN 197-1, this will be covered by a process called ‘ CE
Marking’. The procedures for this are covered by another European Standard, EN 197-2:
Conformity evaluation. It provides the technical rules that the manufacturer has to follow
together with those for an independent certification body, responsible for ensuring the cement
complies with EN 197-1. The two Standards form one package and are hence inseparable and are
designed to give customers utmost confidence in the cements manufactured and sold by cement
countries in Europe.

This European view of the development of cement standardisation is expected to be followed by

other world countries in the future.

S:\Development Projects, Conferences & Training\HBM Conference and Seminars\CTC 57 2000 Presentations and
Papers\CementSpecStd.FEL.doc

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