Title:
What’s Next After Type IL Cement and How Can We Use Blended Cements Successfully?
Author(s):
Eric R. Giannini, Brett A. Harris, Eric P. Koehler, M. Tyler Ley, Mohammed J. Uddin, Anis Ghanei, James J. Martinoski, and James M. Casilio
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
48
Issue:
2
Appears on pages(s):
38-43
Keywords:
portland-limestone cement, blended cement, slag cement, pozzolans, placing, finishing, curing, mixture proportioning, construction, SCMs
DOI:
Date:
2/1/2026
Abstract:
With the concrete industry undergoing a period of innovation and a broadening spectrum of cements available in the market, a key question to consider is: What’s next after Type IL cement, and how can we use blended cements successfully in concrete construction? A panel of experts explored this question at the Hot Topic Session at the ACI Concrete Convention Fall 2025 in Baltimore, MD, USA.
Related References:
1. Tennis, P.D.; Thomas, M.D.A.; Weiss, W.J.; Farny, J.A.; and Giannini, E.R., “State-of-the-Art Report on Use of Limestone in Cements at Levels of up to 15%,” SN3148.03, American Cement Association, Washington, DC, 2024, 101 pp. doi: 10.70909/pca.2024.SN3148.03
2. USGS, “Cement in June 2025,” Mineral Industry Surveys, U.S. Geological Survey, Sept. 2025, 28 pp. https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/media/files/mis-202506-cemen.pdf (accessed Jan. 6, 2026)
3. ACI Committee 305, “Guide to Hot Weather Concreting (ACI PRC-305-20),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2020, 28 pp.
4. ACI Committee 306, “Guide to Cold Weather Concreting (ACI PRC-306-16),” American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, 2016, 24 pp.
5. Altuki, R.; Ley, M.T.; Cook, D.; Gudimettla, M.J; and Praul, M., “Increasing Sustainable Aggregate Usage in Concrete by Quantifying the Shape and Gradation of Manufactured Sand,” Construction Building Materials, V. 321, Article No. 125593, 2022. doi: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.125593
6. Uddin, M.J.; Cook, M.D.; Ley, M.T.; and Altuki, R., “The Relationship Between the Paste Properties and Fine Sand Content in Flowable Concrete Mixtures,” Materials and Structures, V. 58, Article No. 256, Sept. 2025. doi: 10.1617/s11527-025-02779-7