Aci Method of Proportioning Concrete Mixes: Step 1. Choice of Slump

ACI METHOD OF PROPORTIONING
CONCRETE MIXES
The ACI Standard 211.1 is a “Recommended Practice for Selecting
Proportions for Concrete”. The procedure is as follows:
Step 1. Choice of slump
Step 2. Choice of maximum size of aggregate
Step 3. Estimation of mixing water and air content
Step 4. Selection of water/cement ratio
Step 5. Calculation of cement content
Step 6. Estimation of coarse aggregate content
Step 7. Estimation of Fine Aggregate Content
Step 8. Adjustments for Aggregate Moisture
Step 9. Trial Batch Adjustments
Step 1. Choice of slump

If slump is not specified, a value appropriate for the work can be selected
from the below Table which is reproduced from the text book below*, (note
that the table numbers are given from the text book rather than the
ACI standard).
Type of Construction Slump
(mm) (inches)
Reinforced foundation walls 25 - 75 1-3

and footings
Plain footings, caissons and 25 - 75 1-3
substructure walls
Beams and reinforced walls 25 - 100 1-4
Building columns 25 - 100 1-4
Pavements and slabs 25 - 75 1-3
Mass concrete 25 - 50 1-2
Step 2. Choice of maximum size of aggregate.
Large maximum sizes of aggregates produce less voids than smaller sizes.
Hence, concretes with the larger-sized aggregates require less mortar
per unit volume of concrete, and of coarse it is the mortar which contains
the most expensive ingredient, cement. Thus the ACI method is based
on the principle that the MAXIMUM SIZE OF AGGREGATE
SHOULD BE THE LARGEST AVAILABLE SO LONG IT IS
CONSISTENT WITH THE DIMENSIONS OF THE STRUCTURE.
In practice the dimensions of the forms or the spacing of the rebars controls
the maximum CA size.
ACI 211.1 states that the maximum CA size should not exceed:
 one-fifth of the narrowest dimension between sides of forms,
 one-third the depth of slabs,
 3/4-ths of the minimum clear spacing between individual reinforcing
bars, bundles of bars, or pre-tensioning strands.
•Special Note: When high strength concrete is desired, best results may be
obtained with reduced maximum sizes of aggregate since these produce
higher strengths at a given w/c ratio.
Step 3. Estimation of mixing water and air content.

The ACI Method uses past experience to give a first estimate for the
quantity of water per unit volume of concrete required to produce a given
slump.
In general the quantity of water per unit volume of concrete required to
produce a given slump is dependent on the maximum CA size, the shape
and grading of both CA and FA, as well as the amount of entrained air.
The approximate amount of water required for average aggregates is given
in Table 10.2.
Table 10.9: Approximate Mixing Water and Air Content Requirements
for Different Slumps and Maximum Aggregate Sizes.
Mixing Water Quantity in kg/m3 (lb/yd3) for the listed Nominal Maximum Aggregate Size
19 mm 25 mm 50 mm 75 mm 100 mm
Slump 9.5 mm
(0.375 in.)
12.5 mm
(0.5 in.) (0.75 in.) (1 in.)
37.5 mm
(1.5 in.) (2 in.) (3 in.) (4 in.)
Non-Air-Entrained
25 - 50 207 199 190 179 166 154 130 113

(1 - 2) (350) (335) (315) (300) (275) (260) (220) (190)
75 - 100 228 216 205 193 181 169 145 124
(3 - 4) (385) (365) (340) (325) (300) (285) (245) (210)
150 - 175 243 228 216 202 190 178 160 -
(6 - 7) (410) (385) (360) (340) (315) (300) (270)
Typical 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0.3 0.2
entrapped air
(percent)
Air-Entrained
25 - 50 181 175 168 160 148 142 122 107

(1 - 2) (305) (295) (280) (270) (250) (240) (205) (180)
75 - 100 202 193 184 175 165 157 133 119
(3 - 4) (340) (325) (305) (295) (275) (265) (225) (200)
150 - 175 216 205 197 184 174 166 154 -
(6 - 7) (365) (345) (325) (310) (290) (280) (260)
Recommended Air Content (percent)
Mild Exposure 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0
Moderate Exposure 6.0 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0
Severe Exposure 7.5 7.0 6.0 6.0 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.0
Step 4. Selection of water/cement ratio.
The required water/cement ratio is determined by strength, durability
and finishability. The appropriate value is chosen from prior testing of a
given system of cement and aggregate or a value is chosen from Table 10.3
and/or Table 10.4.
Table 10.3: Water-Cement Ratio and Compressive Strength

Relationship
28-Day Compressive Water-cement ratio by weight

Strength in MPa (psi)
Non-Air- Air-Entrained
Entrained
41.4 (6000) 0.41 -
34.5 (5000) 0.48 0.40
27.6 (4000) 0.57 0.48
20.7 (3000) 0.68 0.59
13.8 (2000) 0.82 0.74
TABLE 10-4 MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE WATER/CEMENT

RATIOS FOR CONCRETE IN SEVERE EXPOSURES
Step 5. Calculation of cement content.
The amount of cement is fixed by the determinations made in Steps 3 and 4
above.
Step 6. Estimation of coarse aggregate content.
The most economical concrete will have as much as possible space occupied
by CA since it will require no cement in the space filled by CA.
Table 10.5: Volume of Coarse Aggregate per Unit Volume

for Different Fine aggregate Fineness Moduli
Nominal Maximum Fine Aggregate Fineness Modulus

Aggregate Size 2.40 2.60 2.80 3.00
9.5 mm (0.375 inches) 0.50 0.48 0.46 0.44

12.5 mm (0.5 inches) 0.59 0.57 0.55 0.53
19 mm (0.75 inches) 0.66 0.64 0.62 0.60
25 mm (1 inches) 0.71 0.69 0.67 0.65
37.5 mm (1.5 inches) 0.75 0.73 0.71 0.69
50 mm (2 inches) 0.78 0.76 0.74 0.72
Notes:
1. These values can be increased by up to about 10

percent for pavement applications.
2. Coarse aggregate volumes are based on oven-dry-
rodded weights obtained in accordance with ASTM C 29.
The ACI method is based on large numbers of experiments which have

shown that for properly graded materials, the finer the sand and
the
larger the size of the particles in the CA, the more volume of CA can be
used to produce a concrete of satisfactory workability.
Step 7. Estimation of Fine Aggregate Content.

At the completion of Step 6, all ingredients of the concrete have been
estimated except the fine aggregate. Its quantity can be determined by
difference if the “absolute volume” displaced by the known
ingredients-, (i.e., water, air, cement, and coarse aggregate), is subtracted
from the unit volume of concrete to obtain the required volume of fine
aggregate.
Then once the volumes are know the weights of each ingredient can
be calculated from the specific gravities.
Step 8. Adjustments for Aggregate Moisture.
Aggregate weights. Aggregate volumes are calculated based on oven

dry unit weights, but aggregate is typically batched based on
actual weight. Therefore, any moisture in the aggregate will increase
its weight and stockpiled aggregates almost always contain some
moisture. Without correcting for this, the batched aggregate volumes will
be incorrect.
Amount of mixing water. If the batched aggregate is anything but saturated

surface dry it will absorb water (if oven dry or air dry) or give up water (if
wet) to the cement paste. This causes a net change in the amount of water
available in the mix and must be compensated for by adjusting the amount
of mixing water added.
Step 9. Trial Batch Adjustments.

The ACI method is written on the basis that a trial batch of concrete will be
prepared in the laboratory, and adjusted to give the desired slump, freedom
from segregation, finishability, unit weight, air content and strength.

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ACI METHOD OF PROPORTIONING

Step 1. Choice of slump

Reinforced foundation walls 25 - 75 1-3

Step 3. Estimation of mixing water and air content.

25 - 50 207 199 190 179 166 154 130 113

25 - 50 181 175 168 160 148 142 122 107

Table 10.3: Water-Cement Ratio and Compressive Strength

28-Day Compressive Water-cement ratio by weight

TABLE 10-4 MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE WATER/CEMENT

Step 6. Estimation of coarse aggregate content.

Table 10.5: Volume of Coarse Aggregate per Unit Volume

Nominal Maximum Fine Aggregate Fineness Modulus

9.5 mm (0.375 inches) 0.50 0.48 0.46 0.44

1. These values can be increased by up to about 10

The ACI method is based on large numbers of experiments which have

Step 7. Estimation of Fine Aggregate Content.

Step 8. Adjustments for Aggregate Moisture.

Aggregate weights. Aggregate volumes are calculated based on oven

Amount of mixing water. If the batched aggregate is anything but saturated

Step 9. Trial Batch Adjustments.

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