What is ASTM C150 Standard

For the answer to the question What is ASTM C150 Standard? We should know about the ASTM, C150 Scope, and the Portland Cement’s industry. We tried to answer to all these questions briefly.

ASTM History and Mission

ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services. Some 12,575 ASTM voluntary consensus standards operate globally. The organization’s headquarters is in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, about 5 mi (8.0 km) northwest of Philadelphia.

Founded in 1898 as the American Section of the International Association for Testing Materials, ASTM International predates other standards organizations such as the BSI (1901), IEC (1906), DIN (1917), ANSI (1918), AFNOR (1926), and ISO (1947).

ASTM begin by a group of scientists and engineers, led by Charles Dudley, formed ASTM in 1898 to address the frequent rail breaks affecting the fast-growing railroad industry. The group developed a standard for the steel used to fabricate rails.

Originally called the “American Society for Testing Materials” in 1902, it became the “American Society for Testing and Materials” in 1961 before it changed its name to “ASTM International” in 2001 and added the tagline “Standards Worldwide”.

In 2014, it changed the tagline to “Helping our World Work better”. Now, ASTM International has offices in Belgium, Canada, China, Peru, and Washington, D.C

ASTM Mission based on their documentation:
Committed to serving global societal needs, ASTM International positively impacts public health and safety, consumer confidence, and overall quality of life. We integrate consensus standards – developed with our international membership of volunteer technical experts – and innovative services to improve lives… helping our world work better.

More than 30,000 people from 150 countries create and update standards through ASTM International, one of the world’s most respected standards development organizations.
The high quality of ASTM International standards is driven by the expertise and judgment of members who represent industry, governments, academia, trade groups, consumers, and others. Their contributions are why ASTM International standards are known for high quality and market relevance across many industries.

About 150 committees (with over 2,000 subcommittees) meet face-to-face and virtually, using tools like electronic balloting and online collaboration areas, to develop standards. ASTM International publishes those standards shortly thereafter.

Along with in-person committee meetings, ASTM International also offers symposia and workshops that provide unique opportunities for members and others to exchange new ideas and knowledge in
their fields.

Types of Standards:

test method
specification
guide
practice
classification
terminology

ASTM Standard Compliance

ASTM International has no role in requiring or enforcing compliance with its standards. The standards, however, may become mandatory when referenced by an external contract, corporation, or government.

In the United States, ASTM standards have been adopted, by incorporation or by reference, in many federal, state, and municipal government regulations. The National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act, passed in 1995, requires the federal government to use privately developed consensus standards whenever possible. The Act reflects what had long been recommended as best practice within the federal government.
Other governments (local and worldwide) also have referenced ASTM standards.
Corporations doing international business may choose to reference an ASTM standard.
All toys sold in the United States must meet the safety requirements of ASTM F963, Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, as part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). The law makes the ASTM F963 standard a mandatory requirement for toys while the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) studies the standard’s effectiveness and issues final consumer guidelines for toy safety

ASTM C150

ASTM C150 is Standard Specification for Portland Cement.

For full details and downloading PDF specification, you may visit ASTM website and purchase their documents. There is two pages in ASTM international website as below for downloading the documents:

This specification covers eight types of portland cement: type I, type IA, type II, type IIA, type III, type IIIA, type IV, and type V.

The cement covered by this specification shall only contain the following ingredients: portland cement clinker; water or calcium sulfate, or both; limestone; processing additions; and air-entraining addition for air-entraining portland cement. Portland cement of each of the eight types must have the following chemical compositions: aluminum oxide, ferric oxide, magnesium oxide, sulfur trioxide, tricalcium silicate, dicalcium silicate, tricalcium aluminate, and tetracalcium aluminofernite.

Applicable properties enumerated in this specification will be determined by the following test methods: air content of mortar, chemical analysis, strength, false set, fineness by air permeability, fineness by turbidimeter, heat of hydration, autoclave expansion, time of setting by gillmore needles, time of setting by vicat needles, sulfate resistance, calcium sulfate, and compressive strength.

The cement shall be stored in such a manner as to permit easy access for proper inspection and identification of each shipment, and in a suitable weather-tight building that will protect the cement from dampness and minimize warehouse set.

ASTM C150- Scope

1.1 This specification covers ten types of portland cement, as follows (see Note 2):

1.1.1 Type I—For use when the special properties specified for any other type are not required.

1.1.2 Type IA—Air-entraining cement for the same uses as Type I, where air-entrainment is desired.

1.1.3 Type II—For general use, more especially when moderate sulfate resistance is desired.

1.1.4 Type IIA—Air-entraining cement for the same uses as Type II, where air-entrainment is desired.

1.1.5 Type II(MH)—For general use, more especially when moderate heat of hydration and moderate sulfate resistance are desired.

1.1.6 Type II(MH)A—Air-entraining cement for the same uses as Type II(MH), where air-entrainment is desired.

1.1.7 Type III—For use when high early strength is desired.

1.1.8 Type IIIA—Air-entraining cement for the same use as Type III, where air-entrainment is desired.

1.1.9 Type IV—For use when a low heat of hydration is desired.

1.1.10 Type V—For use when high sulfate resistance is desired.

NOTE 1: Some cements are designated with a combined type classification, such as Type I/II, indicating that the cement meets the requirements of the indicated types and is being offered as suitable for use when either type is desired.

NOTE 2: Cement conforming to the requirements for all types are not carried in stock in some areas. In advance of specifying the use of cement other than Type I, determine whether the proposed type of cement is or can be made available.

1.2 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system shall be used independently of the other. Combining values from the two systems may result in non-conformance with the standard. Values in SI units [or inch-pound units] shall be obtained by measurement in SI units [or inch-pound units] or by appropriate conversion, using the Rules for Conversion and Rounding given in IEEE/ASTM SI 10, of measurements made in other units [or SI units]. Values are stated in only SI units when inch-pound units are not used in practice.

1.3 The text of this specification references notes and footnotes which provide explanatory material. These notes and footnotes (excluding those in tables and figures) shall not be considered as requirements of the standard.

1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

Two video clips (by ASTM) about ASTM international

Portland Cement Standards

To ensure a level of consistency between cement-producing plants, certain chemical and physical limits are placed on cements. These chemical limits are defined by a variety of standards and specifications. For instance, portland cements and blended hydraulic cements for concrete in the U.S. conform to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) C150 (Standard Specification for Portland Cement), C595 (Standard Specification for Blended Hydraulic Cement) or C1157 (Performance Specification for Hydraulic Cements).

Some state agencies refer to very similar specifications: AASHTO M 85 for portland cement and M 240 for blended cements. These specifications refer to standard test methods to assure that the testing is performed in the same manner. For example, ASTM C109 (Standard Test Method for Compressive Strength for Hydraulic Cement Mortars using 2-inch Cube Specimens), describes in detail how to fabricate and test mortar cubes for compressive strength testing in a standardized fashion.

Nomenclature Differences

In the US, three separate standards may apply depending on the category of cement. For portland cement types, ASTM C150 describes:

Cement Type Description
Type I Normal
Type II Moderate Sulfate Resistance
Type II (MH) Moderate Heat of Hydration (and Moderate Sulfate Resistance)
Type III High Early Strength
Type IV Low Heat Hydration
Type V High Sulfate Resistance

– Type I—The standard product that has long been in use with no limitation on the proportions of the major oxides (CaO, SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3), also referred to as “ordinary portland cement.”

– Type II—This cement possesses moderate resistance to sulfate attack because of certain limitations on composition. Sometimes called moderate-heat cement, it is intermediate between Type I and the low-heat Type IV cement. If moderate heat of hydration is desired, however, the optional limit on heat of hydration should be invoked when specifying or ordering.

– Type III—High-early-strength portland cement is often produced by grinding Type I clinker finer or by altering the chemical composition of the cement.

– Type IV—Low-heat portland cement. Not currently made in the United States and limited in production elsewhere.

– Type V—Sulfate-resisting portland cement with appropriate limits on composition.

For blended hydraulic cements – specified by ASTM C595 – the following nomenclature is used:

Cement Type Description
Type IL Portland-Limestone Cement
Type IS Portland-Slag Cement
Type IP Portland-Pozzonlan Cement
Type IT Ternary Blended Cement

In addition, some blended cements have special performance properties verified by additional testing. These are designated by letters in parentheses following the cement type. For example Type IP(MS) is a portland-pozzolan cement with moderate sulfate resistance properties. Other special properties are designated by (HS), for high sulfate resistance; (A), for air-entraining cements; (MH) for moderate heat of hydration; and (LH) for low heat of hydration. Refer to ASTM C595 for more detail.

However, with an interest in the industry for performance-based specifications, ASTM C1157 describes cements by their performance attributes:

Cement Type Description
Type GU General Use
Type HE High Early-Strength
Type MS Moderate Sulfate Resistance
Type HS High Sulfate Resistance
Type MH Moderate Heat of Hydration
Type LH Low Heat of Hydration

Physical and Chemical Performance Requirements

Chemical tests verify the content and composition of cement,while physical testing demonstrates physical criteria.

In C150/M 85 and C595/M 240, both chemical and physical properties are limited. In C1157, the limits are almost entirely physical requirements.

Chemical testing includes oxide analyses (SiO₂, CaO, Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, etc.) to allow the cement phase composition to be calculated. Type II cements are limited in C150/M 85 to a maximum of 8 percent by mass of tricalcium aluminate (a cement phase, often abbreviated C₃A), which impacts a cement’s sulfate resistance. Certain oxides are also themselves limited by specifications: For example, the magnesia (MgO) content which is limited to 6 percent maximum by weight for portland cements, because it can impact soundness at higher levels.

Typical physical requirements for cements are: air content, fineness, expansion, strength, heat of hydration, and setting time. Most of these physical tests are carried out using mortar or paste created from the cement. This testing confirms that a cement has the ability to perform well in concrete; however, the performance of concrete in the field is determined by all of the concrete ingredients, their quantity, as well as the environment, and the handling and placing procedures used.

Although the process for cement manufacture is relatively similar across North America and much of the globe, the reference to cement specifications can be different depending on the jurisdiction. In addition, test methods can vary as well, so that compressive strength requirements (for example) in Europe don’t ‘translate’ directly to those in North America. When ordering concrete for construction projects, work with a local concrete producer to verify that cement meeting the requirements for the project environment and application is used, and one that meets the appropriate cement specification.

Portland Cement industry in the World

In 2010, the world production of hydraulic cement was 3,300 million tonnes. The top three producers were China with 1,800, India with 220, and USA with 63.5 million tonnes for a total of over half the world total by the world’s three most populated states.

For the world capacity to produce cement in 2010, the situation was similar with the top three states (China, India, and USA) accounting for just under half the world total capacity.

Over 2011 and 2012, global consumption continued to climb, rising to 3585 Mt in 2011 and 3736 Mt in 2012, while annual growth rates eased to 8.3% and 4.2%, respectively.

China, representing an increasing share of world cement consumption, remains the main engine of global growth. By 2012, Chinese demand was recorded at 2160 Mt, representing 58% of world consumption. Annual growth rates, which reached 16% in 2010, appear to have softened, slowing to 5–6% over 2011 and 2012, as China’s economy targets a more sustainable growth rate.

Outside of China, worldwide consumption climbed by 4.4% to 1462 Mt in 2010, 5% to 1535 Mt in 2011, and finally 2.7% to 1576 Mt in 2012.

Iran is now the 3rd largest cement producer in the world and has increased its output by over 10% from 2008 to 2011. Due to climbing energy costs in Pakistan and other major cement-producing countries, Iran is in a unique position as a trading partner, utilizing its own surplus petroleum to power clinker plants. Now a top producer in the Middle-East, Iran is further increasing its dominant position in local markets and abroad

Datis Export Group supplies ASTM C150 Standard Portland Cement

We hope you find the answer of What is ASTM C150 Standard? now.

Datis Export Group supply and export Portland Cement (Cement Clinker, Grey Portland Cement) based on ASTM C150.

For Russia and CIS countries we supply the Portland Cement based on GOST M500 standards.