Calcined Clay DD51
This discussion document aims to demonstrate the viability of calcined clays as a Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM) in concrete.
For sole traders, students and anyone interested in concrete.
Post-tensioned concrete floors- design handbook
Introducing the third edition of Concrete Society Technical Report 43, Post-tensioned concrete floors, published June 2025.
The third edition reflects current practice, and guidance is aligned with Eurocode 2. The report has been thoroughly updated and reordered for ease of use. Guidance provided on initial sizing is now more detailed and the report now assumes that specialist design software will be used for some design aspects such as finite element analysis. This guidance is essential reading for all those specifying post-tensioning for buildings and for engineers undertaking detailed design and detailing using post-tensioning.
Digital Monitoring and Measurement of Fresh Concrete – GCG11
This guide is the result of a joint working group of the Infrastructure Industry Innovation Partnership, I3P, and the Concrete Society.
Digital monitoring systems provide the real-time measurement and recording of fresh concrete properties such as temperature, air content and consistence. These calibrated, digital systems may also be capable of adjusting concrete properties such as the addition of water or admixture to correct consistence.
Brushed and tamped surface finishes
The quality of an unformed finish is dependent on the size of the area to be textured, the method of finishing, its execution and the characteristics of the concrete being worked. The aesthetics of such finishes are subjective especially as there is no national standard specification on which to judge.
No fines concrete
As the name implies, no-fines concrete does not contain sand or fine aggregate. There are several uses for this open textured and voided material typically as a lightweight concrete fill or as a drainage medium.
Slump, Flow table and Slump-flow tests; assessment checklist and reporting
This advice sheet provides a checklist for those assessing personnel carrying out the slump, flow table and slump-flow tests. It is not a method statement. If using as part of an assessment or quality regime, it is recommended that pages 4 to 9 are printed double sided to keep the information together. The relevant Standards should be consulted for full details of the consistence tests.
Identity testing of fresh concrete for properties other than strength
The responsibility for demonstrating conformity of concrete supplied in accordance with the Standard for concrete, BS EN 206-1, is placed upon the concrete supplier. BS 8500-1 strongly recommends that the producer holds third-party certification, eg. QSRMC or BSI to provide an independent audit on conformity. Specifiers of concrete should therefore have a high degree of confidence in the material’s conformity. This document is aimed at contractors and consultants and should be read in conjunction with BS 8500-1.
Carbonation
Where concrete is exposed to air, carbonation of the cement matrix will gradually advance from the surface. This is a slow process in good quality concrete and is of little consequence unless embedded ferrous metal i.e. reinforcing steel is present in the carbonated zone. The following note describes carbonation and how it is measured.
Concretes for agricultural and general applications including mass (unreinforced) foundations
The British Cement Association (BCA) and its predecessor the Cement and Concrete Association (C&CA) published various booklets and fact sheets on concrete for farms. With the development of Standards and methods of specifying concrete these have become outdated although the basic construction principles remain the same.
Identity testing for strength in accordance with BS EN 206-1 and BS 8500-1
The responsibility for demonstrating conformity of concrete supplied in accordance with the Standard for concrete, BS EN 206-1, is placed upon the concrete supplier. BS 8500-1 strongly recommends that the producer holds third-party certification, eg. QSRMC or BSI to provide an independent audit on conformity. Specifiiers of concrete should therefore have a high degree of confidence in the material’s conformity. This document is aimed at contractors and consultants and should be read in conjunction with BS 8500-1.