Design Guide for

Concrete Parking Lots

Lower Maintenance. Longer Lasting. Best Value.

www.sdrmca.org
Getting Started
Parking lots are generally governed by the American Concrete
Institute’s ACI 330: Guide for the Design and Construction of
Concrete Parking Lots. In this guide, considerations are given to soil
types, traffic volumes/types, and specified concrete strength.
Preparation
Proper subgrade preparation is key to a high performing pavement.
Subgrade soil types should be considered as well as moisture
content, uniformity and density. Subgrades that perform well are
generally reasonably smooth, with no tire ruts, and are a firm, level
surface. Replace nonuniform subgrades prior to pouring. Subgrades
should be moistened just prior to concrete placement.
Mix and Materials
Concrete is commonly specified by compressive strength f’(c ). It
is typical to specify a minimum design strength of 4000 psi at 28
days with a maximum water-cementitious ratio (w/c) of 0.45, in
most areas of the country. Since South Dakota experiences freeze-
thaw cycles, it is recommended to further specify a mix containing
at least 564 lb of cementitious per cubic yard. The maximum slump
recommended is 4 inches. Increased slumps can be achieved with
water reducing admixtures.
Standard SD Department of Transportation (SDDOT) mix designations
suitable for parking lots are M6, A40 and A45.
Air entrainment is required for exterior concrete in South Dakota that
is subject to freeze-thaw cycles. Air entrainment is an admixture that
increases pavement freeze-thaw durability. It will also reduce bleed
water and enhance workability. Specified air requirements for durable
concrete are provided in ACI 330. The air content of fresh concrete
should be tested frequently with necessary corrections made as soon
as possible. See the table below for recommended air contents.
Recommended Air Contents for
Durable Concrete*
Maximum Size Total Target Air Content Percent**
Aggregate Severe Exposure Moderate Exposure
3/8” 7.5 6
1/2” 7 5.5
3/4" 6 5
1” 6 4.5
1 ½” 5.5 4.5
2” 5 4
* Ref: ACI 330
**A field tolerance of -1 to +2 percent is reasonable.
Construction
Construction practices will contribute to the long term durability of
the pavement.
• Sloping pavements 1/8” per foot will eliminate standing water and
promote proper drainage.
• Avoid over finishing the slab surfaces. Exterior surfaces generally
receive a burlap drag or light broom finish to provide a textured,
skid resistant surface.
• Cure concrete immediately. Liquid membrane-forming curing
compounds are generally the most cost-effective curing method.
Jointing Guidelines
It is recommended that you have a jointing plan in place prior to
pouring. The timing of sawing contraction joints is critical. Begin as
soon as the saw does not ravel the new concrete edge.
Follow these guidelines, unless local experience indicates otherwise.
• Joints should be sawcut or tooled to a depth at least 1/4 of the
slab thickness.
Example: 6” slab = 1.5” deep joint
• Avoid acute angles or leaving small pieces.
• Joint spacings are determined by slab thickness. Spacings should
not exceed 2 to 2.5 times the thickness in feet, with a maximum
spacing of 15 feet.
Example: 5” slab: spacings = 2 x 5” = 10ft
• Lay out joints to form square panels. If not practical, rectangle
panels can be used as long as the longer side dimension is no
more than 1.5 times the short side.
• Isolation joints should extend the full depth and should be used
only to isolate fixed objects abutting or within pavements, such as
lighting columns, storm drains, manholes, etc.
Traffic/Opening
Identify which areas will have car traffic and those which will have
truck or delivery lanes. It is important to also review what traffic may
cross through the lot to adjacent businesses.
Keep automobile traffic off the new slab for three days and truck
traffic off the new slab for seven days. Quality control tests can be
used to open the areas earlier if minimum strength gains have been
met, usually 3000 psi.
Parking Lot Pavement Thickness
Design Using ACI 330:
Step 1: Determine your required concrete compressive strength.
For all concrete exposed to freeze-thaw cycles and de-
icers, use no less than 4000 psi. 4500 is recommended.
Step 2: Using table, select your soil type and corresponding
Modulus of Subgrade Reactivity, K value.
Step 3: Determine Traffic Category.
Step 4: Determine Average Daily Truck Traffic (ADTT) on the
pavement. It is safe to always assume at least ADTT = 1.
Step 5: Match corresponding data in 20 year design thickness
table for pavement thickness recommendation (in inches).
Modulus of subgrade reactivity
Type of Subgrade Soil K value* CBR
Fine grained soils in which silt and
clay size particles predominate 75 - 120 2.5 - 3.5
Sands and sand-gravel mixtures with
moderate amounts of silt and clay 130 - 170 4.5 - 7.5
Sands and sand-gravel mixtures
relatively free of plastic fines 180 - 220 8.5 - 12
*Most untreated soils in SD have K values ranging from 50-300.
Cement or fly ash treated bases have k values from 300 to over 500.
Design Example:
Given: Car parking area with truck access lane.
Soils are sandy gravel with some clay and fines.
Project is in South Dakota therefore, freeze-thaw climate.
Solution: From table: K value 130-170, conservatively use K = 100
From table: Traffic Category A (ADTT = 1)
Use concrete strength = 4500 psi.
Read Across Table - Req'd Thickness = 4.5 inches
Traffic Categories
Car parking areas and access lanes
(autos, pickups and panel trucks only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A
Shopping center entrance
& service lanes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Bus parking areas, city and school busses:
Parking and interior lanes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Entrance and interior lanes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C
Truck parking areas:
Single Units – Parking and interior lanes . . . . . . . . . . . . B
Single Units – Entrance and interior lanes . . . . . . . . . . . C
Multiple Units – Parking and interior lanes. . . . . . . . . . . C
Multiple Units – Entrance and interior lanes. . . . . . . . . . D

Twenty Year Design Thickness Recommendations in Inches (no dowels):

K=500 (CBR=50) K=400 (CBR=38) K=300 (CBR=26)
Traffic Category fc’ fc’ fc’
5000 4500 4000 3500 5000 4500 4000 3500 5000 4500 4000 3500
A (ADTT=1) 3.5 3.5 4.0 4.0 3.5 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.5
A (ADTT=10) 4.0 4.5 4.5 5.0 4.5 4.5 5.0 5.0 4.5 4.5 5.0 5.5
B (ADTT=25) 4.0 4.5 4.5 5.0 4.5 4.5 5.0 5.5 4.5 4.5 5.0 5.5
B (ADTT=300) 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.5 5.0 5.0 5.5 6.0 5.0 5.5 5.5 6.0
C (ADTT=100) 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 5.0 5.0 5.5 6.0 5.0 5.5 5.5 6.0
C (ADTT=300) 5.0 5.5 5.5 6.0 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.0 5.5 5.5 6.0 6.5
C (ADTT=700) 5.5 5.5 6.0 6.0 5.5 5.5 6.0 6.5 5.5 6.0 6.0 6.5
D (ADTT=700) 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5

K=200 (CBR=10) K=100 (CBR=3) K=50 (CBR=2)

Traffic Category fc’ fc’ fc’
5000 4500 4000 3500 5000 4500 4000 3500 5000 4500 4000 3500
A (ADTT=1) 4.0 4.0 4.5 4.5 4.0 4.5 4.5 5.0 4.5 5.0 5.0 5.5
A (ADTT=10) 4.5 5.0 5.5 5.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0
B (ADTT=25) 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0
B (ADTT=300) 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 6.5 6.5 7.0 7.5
C (ADTT=100) 5.5 5.5 6.0 6.5 6.0 6.0 6.5 7.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 8.0
C (ADTT=300) 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 6.5 7.0 7.5 8.0
C (ADTT=700) 6.0 6.0 6.5 7.0 6.5 6.5 7.0 7.5 7.0 7.5 8.0 8.5
D (ADTT=700) 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0
ADTT: Average Daily Truck Traffic. Trucks are defined as vehicles with at least six wheels; excludes panel trucks, pickup trucks and other four wheel vehicles.
CBR: California Bearing Ratio; K Value: a measure of subgrade reaction; f’c: compressive strength of concrete
Quick Reference: Equivalent designs for parking lots and pavements
Equivalent thickness designs will help ensure competitive pricing. Based on the AASHTO* Design Methods, utilizing Structural
Numbers (SN), the following values and comparisons are provided for preliminary budgeting and reference only.
Project specific design assistance is available upon request.

Light Duty: includes Apartments, Offices, Retail, Light Commercial

SN= 1.80 SN= 2.25 SN= 2.73 SN= 2.04 SN= 2.25 SN= 2.73
3” Asphalt 3” Asphalt
4.5” Concrete 4.5” Concrete 4.5” Concrete 4.5” Concrete

6” Base Course Subgrade Subgrade

4” Base Course 8” Base Course 4” Base Course

Subgrade Subgrade Subgrade

Subgrade

SN= 2.20 SN= 2.50 SN= 2.98 SN= 2.16 SN= 2.50 SN= 2.98
3.5” Asphalt
5” Concrete 5” Concrete 4” Asphalt 5” Concrete 5” Concrete

Subgrade Subgrade
4” Base Course 6” Base Course 4” Base Course
8” Base Course
Subgrade Subgrade
Subgrade
Subgrade

Commercial:
SN= 2.40 SN= 2.50 SN= 2.98 SN= 2.64 SN= 3.00 SN= 3.48

4” Asphalt 5” Concrete 5” Concrete 4” Asphalt

6” Concrete 6” Concrete

Subgrade
4” Base Course Subgrade
8” Base Course 4” Base Course
Subgrade 10” Base Course
Subgrade

Subgrade
Subgrade

SN= 2.72 SN= 3.00 SN= 3.48 SN= 2.96 SN= 3.25 SN= 3.73

5” Asphalt 6” Concrete 6” Concrete 5” Asphalt

6.5” Concrete 6.5” Concrete

Subgrade Subgrade
4” Base Course 4” Base Course
8” Base Course 10” Base Course
Subgrade Subgrade

Subgrade
Subgrade

Layer coefficients of materials Economy/Sustainability

(per inch)
Concrete 0.50
Asphalt – Wear Course 0.40
Asphalt – Base Course 0.32
Aggregate Base Course 0.12
*American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)
Concrete parking lots have a competitive initial and life-cycle cost when
equivalent designs are compared. Concrete eliminates future mill/overlay
and surface sealing costs.
Concrete parking lots can contribute to LEED Certification. Concrete also
meets Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) criteria with gray concrete.
Project specific life-cycle costs projections and LEED assistance available
upon request.

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material it contains. The South Dakota Ready Mixed Concrete Association (SDRMCA) and other organizations cooperating in the preparation of this publication strive for accuracy but disclaim any and all
responsibility for the application of the stated principles or the accuracy of the sources. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials on these pages are copyrighted by the South Dakota Ready Mixed Concrete
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