Hot weather affects fresh concrete
By Kim D. Basham
ot weather increases the temperature
H of fresh concrete causing it to:
• Demand more water
• Lose slump faster
• Set more rapidly
Understanding the effects of
hot weather can help contractors
implement hot-weather concret-
ing practices that minimize or
eliminate fresh and hardened con-
crete problems.
Hot weather defined
The recent ACI Committee 305
report “Hot Weather Concreting”
(Ref. 1) defines hot weather as any
combination of high air tempera-
ture, low relative humidity, wind
velocity, and solar radiation tend-
ing to impair the quality of fresh or
hardened concrete. In addition to
climatic conditions, the tempera-
ture of the concrete during place-
ment affects both fresh and hard-
ened concrete properties.
The most favorable fresh con-
crete temperature is between 50°
and 60° F (Refs. 2 and 3). Yet,
fresh concrete temperatures in ex-
cess of 100° F are entirely possible
during periods of hot weather.
“Hot Weather Concreting” sets no
upper limit on concrete tempera-
ture during placement, but says
temperatures between 75° and
100° F yield favorable results. If a
maximum concrete temperature is
specified, it should be set for place-
ment conditions at each jobsite.
Usually, specifications only re-
quire the concrete temperature dur-
ing placement to be less than 85°
or 90° F. Thus, it becomes the con-
tractor’s responsibility to identify
when hot-weather conditions exist
and to implement precautionary
hot-weather concreting practices.
Increased water demand
When the temperature of fresh concrete
increases, more mix water is needed to
maintain a given slump. But adding water
without adding cement increases the wa-
ter-cement ratio which, in turn, lowers
concrete strength and durability. If the
Figure 1. To maintain slump, water demand increases with
an increase in concrete temperature.
Figure 2. For every 20-degree increase in concrete temper-
ature, initial slump decreases by 1 inch.
temperature of fresh concrete increases
from 50° to 100° F, 33 pounds (4 gallons)
of additional water per cubic yard is re-
quired to maintain a 3-inch slump (Figure
1). This additional water lowers the 28-
day compressive strength by as much as
12% to 15%. In general, a 3% to 7% re-
duction in compressive strength
can be expected for each gallon
of water added to a cubic yard of
properly designed concrete.
Increased slump loss
When the temperature of
fresh concrete increases, initial
slump loss is more evident and
occurs at a more rapid rate. This
loss of slump decreases worka-
bility which can create serious
transportation, placement, and
finishing problems. A 20-de-
gree increase in the temperature
of fresh concrete decreases the
initial slump by about 1 inch
(Figure 2).
The rate of slump loss also
increases with increasing con-
crete temperature (Figure 3).
After 90 minutes of mixing,
concrete at 90° F shows a 23⁄4-
inch slump loss and concrete at
70° F shows a 11⁄4-inch slump
loss. Adding water to increase
the initial slump to compensate
for the expected slump loss
won’t necessarily help because
a higher initial slump will result
in a higher slump loss (Ref. 4).
Increased rate of setting
Concrete temperature affects
the chemical reaction (hydration)
between portland cement and
water. As the temperature of the
concrete increases, the rate of
hardening increases. Setting time
is reduced by 35 minutes with an
increase of 20 degrees in con-
crete temperature (Figure 3).
Other data indicates a reduction of set time by as much as 2 hours
for a concrete temperature change from 73° to 90° F (Ref. 2). The
accelerated rate of hydration shortens the length of time available
for concrete transportation, placing, and finishing.

Precautions
Pre-pour planning and preparation minimizes hot-weather
concrete handling and finishing problems. However, undesir-
able field practices, such as adding water to compensate for
slump loss or concrete retempering, are not uncommon. To
minimize hot-weather problems with fresh concrete, control the
temperature of the fresh concrete and use chemical admixtures .
Cooling concrete. Lowering the temperature of concrete de-
creases water demand, slows slump loss, and increases setting
time. To achieve lower concrete temperatures:

• Minimize cement content

• Substitute Type II moderate-heat
cement for Type I normal cement
• Shade and wet aggregate stockpiles
• Use chilled batch water
• Add ice as part of the batch water
• Cool concrete with liquid nitrogen
Chemical admixtures. In addition to keeping the fresh con-
crete cool, chemical admixtures can help offset the adverse ef-
fects of hot weather (Refs. 1, 2, and 3). Use admixtures meeting
ASTM C 494 Specification for Chemical Admixtures for Con-
crete:
• Type B, retarding
• Type D, water-reducing and retarding
• Type G, water-reducing, high-range, and retarding
These chemical admixtures have been used successfully in
offsetting the increased water demand, slump loss, and reduc-
tion in setting time caused by hot weather. A Type D chemical
admixture, for instance, can extend set time about 1 hour and
reduce slump loss by more than 2 inches for concrete at 90° F
(Figure 3).
Figure 3. With an increase in concrete temperature, the
rate of slump loss increases while the set time decreases.
References
1. ACI Committee 305, “Hot Weather Concreting,” ACI
305R-91, ACI Materials Journal, American Concrete Insti-
tute, P.O. Box 19150, Detroit, MI 48219, July-August 1991,
pp. 417-436.
2. Steven H. Kosmatka and William C. Panarese, Design
and Control of Concrete Mixtures, Thirteenth Edition, Port-
land Cement Association, 5420 Old Orchard Rd., Skokie, IL
60077.
3. Sidney Mindess and J. Francis Young, Concrete, Pren-
tice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, 1981.
4. Robert W. Previte, “Concrete Slump Loss,” ACI Journal,
ACI, August 1977, pp. 361-367.
5. Vance Dodson, Concrete Admixtures, Van Nostrand Rein-
hold, 115 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003, 1990.
Kim D. Basham is an assistant professor of civil engineering at
the University of Wyoming, Laramie.

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