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Founded in 1904 and headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA, the American Concrete Institute is a leading authority and resource worldwide for the development, dissemination, and adoption of its consensus-based standards, technical resources, educational programs, and proven expertise for individuals and organizations involved in concrete design, construction, and materials, who share a commitment to pursuing the best use of concrete.
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Home > Tools > Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the ACI building code requirements for placing concrete in a tropical climate? Some people in our office say we should specify a maximum permissible concrete temperature of 90 ºF (32 ºC). Others say a temperature higher than 90 ºF (32 ºC) is allowable if the concrete contains a set-retarding admixture. A. ACI 301-16 “Specifications for Structural Concrete” and ACI 305.1-14 “Specification for Hot Weather Concreting” limit the maximum concrete temperature to 95 °F (35 ºC) at the time of discharge. This limit is for general types of hot weather construction such as pavements, bridges, and buildings, not mass concrete. According to ACI 305.1-14, qualification of a concrete mixture with a maximum concrete temperature that exceeds 95°F (35 ºC) shall be supported by successful past field experience or preconstruction testing. The request for a maximum concrete temperature that exceeds 95°F (35 ºC) shall be submitted to the architect/engineer prior to concrete placement. Computer modeling to predict fresh concrete temperature could be used to assist in determining control measures but shall not be used as a substitute for preconstruction testing. For more information and details on hot weather concrete, refer to ACI 305.1-14 and ACI 305-10 “Guide to Hot Weather Concreting”. For temperature, volume changes, and cracking problems associated with mass concrete refer to section 8 of ACI 301-16, ACI 207.1R-05 “Guide to Mass Concrete”, 207.2R-07 “Report on Thermal and Volume Change Effects on Cracking of Mass Concrete”, and 224R-01 “Control of Cracking of Concrete Structures”. References: ACI 301-16; ACI 305.1-14; ACI 207.1R-05; ACI 207.2R-07; ACI 224R-01; ASTM C1064 Topics in Concrete: cracking; hot weather; durability; placing; shrinkage
Q. What are the ACI building code requirements for placing concrete in a tropical climate? Some people in our office say we should specify a maximum permissible concrete temperature of 90 ºF (32 ºC). Others say a temperature higher than 90 ºF (32 ºC) is allowable if the concrete contains a set-retarding admixture.
A. ACI 301-16 “Specifications for Structural Concrete” and ACI 305.1-14 “Specification for Hot Weather Concreting” limit the maximum concrete temperature to 95 °F (35 ºC) at the time of discharge. This limit is for general types of hot weather construction such as pavements, bridges, and buildings, not mass concrete.
According to ACI 305.1-14, qualification of a concrete mixture with a maximum concrete temperature that exceeds 95°F (35 ºC) shall be supported by successful past field experience or preconstruction testing. The request for a maximum concrete temperature that exceeds 95°F (35 ºC) shall be submitted to the architect/engineer prior to concrete placement. Computer modeling to predict fresh concrete temperature could be used to assist in determining control measures but shall not be used as a substitute for preconstruction testing.
For more information and details on hot weather concrete, refer to ACI 305.1-14 and ACI 305-10 “Guide to Hot Weather Concreting”.
For temperature, volume changes, and cracking problems associated with mass concrete refer to section 8 of ACI 301-16, ACI 207.1R-05 “Guide to Mass Concrete”, 207.2R-07 “Report on Thermal and Volume Change Effects on Cracking of Mass Concrete”, and 224R-01 “Control of Cracking of Concrete Structures”.
References: ACI 301-16; ACI 305.1-14; ACI 207.1R-05; ACI 207.2R-07; ACI 224R-01; ASTM C1064
Topics in Concrete: cracking; hot weather; durability; placing; shrinkage
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