Types of Cement

» Types of Portland Cement
Portland cements are hydraulic cements composed primarily of hydraulic calcium silicates. ASTM C 150, Standard Specification for Portland Cement, recognizes eight types of portland cement:

Type I and Type IA*
General purpose cements suitable for all uses where the special properties of other types are not required.

Type II and Type IIA*
Type II cements contain no more than 8% tricalcium aluminate (C₃A) for moderate sulfate resistance. Some Type II cements meet the moderate heat of hydration option of ASTM C 150.

What's a Type I/II cement? Portland cements that meet Type II requirements also must meet all of the requirements of Type I cements, except those for compressive strength. Type I/II cements meet both the C3A requirements of Type II cement and the compressive strength requirements of Type I cements.

Type III and Type IIIA*
Chemically and physically similar to Type I cements except they are ground finer to produce higher early strengths.

Type IV
Used in massive concrete structures where the rate and amount of heat generated from hydration must be minimized. It develops strength slower than other cement types.

Type V
Contains no more than 5% C₃A for high sulfate resistance.
*Air-entraining cements

» Types of Blended Cements
Blended hydraulic cements are produced by intimately and uniformly intergrinding or blending two or more types of fine materials. The primary materials are portland cement, ground granulated blast furnace slag, fly ash, silica fume, calcined clay, other pozzolans, hydrated lime, and pre-blended combinations of these materials.

ASTM C 595, Specification for Blended Hydraulic Cements, recognizes two primary classes of blended cement:

Type IS (X) -Portland blast furnace slag cement
Type IP (X) -Portland-pozzolan cement.

The letter “X” stands for the percentage of supplementary cementitious material included in the blended cement. Type IS(X), can include up to 95% ground granulated blast-furnace slag. Type IP(X) can include up to 40% pozzolans.

» Types of Hydraulic Cements
All portland and blended cements are hydraulic cements. "Hydraulic cement" is merely a broader term. ASTM C 1157, Performance Specification for Hydraulic Cements, is a performance specification that includes portland cement, modified portland cement, and blended cements. ASTM C 1157 recognizes six types of hydraulic cements:

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

This information was excerpted from PCA's Portland, Blended, and Other Hydraulic Cements, a 32-page publication covering numerous cement types and their physical properties.

Other resources for information on portland cement production and technology:

Cement Specification Emphasizes Performance
ASTM C 1157, which now includes both blended and portland cements, moves away from requirements on chemical composition

Portland Cement Characteristics-1998
Results of a survey of cement manufacturers compiles information on currently available cements

Prescriptive vs. Performance Specifications for Cements
A description of the differences and some of the potential benefits and drawbacks of each

 
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