Title:
Managing and Increasing Early-Age Strength of Low-Clinker Concrete Mixtures—TechNote (ACI PRC-231.1-25)
Author(s):
Publication:
Concrete International
Volume:
48
Issue:
9
Appears on pages(s):
47-53
Keywords:
Calcined clays, early-age strength, global warming potential (GWP), low-clinker concrete, silica fume. slag cement, supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs)
DOI:
10.14359/51752032
Date:
9/1/2026
Abstract:
Various roadmaps have been developed by the cement and concrete industry that highlight the need for a significant reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with concrete production. One strategy to reduce emissions is to reduce the clinker content in concrete. This can be accomplished by optimizing aggregate gradations or chemical admixtures to reduce total cement content used or use cementitious materials that have a low percent of clinker in them. However, low-clinker (content) concretes may, or may be perceived to, suffer from lower early-age strengths, which have limited their application in practice. This TechNote discusses low-clinker concrete, primarily obtained through the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), and provides practical advice concerning the strength of these mixtures at early ages (from setting to 7 days).
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