Proportioning of

Concrete Mixtures
 Introduction
• Mixture proportioning: the process of determining the
quantities of concrete ingredients, using local materials,
to achieve the specified characteristics of the concrete. A
properly proportioned concrete mix should possess
these qualities:

1. Acceptable workability of freshly mixed concrete

2. Durability, strength, and uniform appearance of
hardened concrete
3. Economy
Selecting Mix Characteristics
• selected based on:
– the intended use of the concrete,
– the exposure conditions,
– the size and shape of members,
– the physical properties of the concrete (such
as strength) required for the structure.
 Compressive Strength
• The required compressive strength f’c (at
28 days) should specified.
• The required compressive strength f’c
should be equal the specified strength f’c
(at 28 days) plus the allowance to account
for variations.
 Required Average Compressive Strength
When Data are Not Available to Establish a
Standard deviation

Specified
Required average
compressive
compressive
strength, f'c ,
strength, f' cr, MPa
MPa

Less than 21 f' c + 7.0

21 to 35 f' c + 8.5

Over 35 1.10 f' c + 5.0

Water-Cementing Materials Ratio
• The water-cementing materials ratio
selected for mix design must be the lowest
value required to meet the design
exposure considerations as indicated in
Table 9-1.
• When durability does not control the
water-cementing materials ratio should be
selected on the basis of concrete
compressive strength.
 Maximum Water-Cementitious Material Ratios
and Minimum Design Strengths for Various
Exposure Conditions
Maximum water-cementitious Minimum design
Exposure Condition material ratio by mass for compressive strength,
concrete f' c , MPa (psi)

Concrete protected from exposure to

Select water-cementitious material Select strength based
freezing and thawing, application of
ratio on basis of strength, on structural
deicing chemicals, or aggressive
workabilty, and finishing needs requirements
substances.

Concrete intended to have low 0.50 28 (4000)

permeability when exposed to water

Concrete exposed to freezing and 0.45 31 (4500)

thawing in a moist condition or deicers

For corrosion protection for reinforced

concrete exposed to chlorides from 0.40 35 (5000)
deicing salts, salt water, brackish water,
seawater, or spray from these sources
Water-Cementing Materials Ratio

• In such cases the water-cementing

materials ratio and mixture proportions for
the required strength should be based on
adequate field data or trial mixtures made
with actual job materials
 Aggregates
• Two characteristics of aggregates have an
important influence on proportioning concrete
mixtures because they affect the workability of
the fresh concrete. They are:
1. Grading (particle size and distribution)
2. Nature of particles (shape, porosity, surface
texture)
Grading is important for attaining an economical mixture
because it affects the amount of concrete that can be
made with a given amount of cementing materials
and water.
 Slump
• Concrete must always be made with
– Workability is a measure of how easy or
difficult it is to place, consolidate, and finish
concrete.
– Consistency is the ability of freshly mixed
concrete to flow.
– Plasticity determines concrete's ease of
moulding.
 Water Content
• influenced by a number of factors:
– Aggregate size, shape, texture.
– Slump.
– Water to cementing materials ratio,
– Air content.
– Cementing materials type and content.
– Admixtures.
– Environmental conditions.
 Water, Kilograms per cubic meter of concrete, for indicated
sizes of aggregate
Slump, mm
9.5 12.5 37.5 50 75 150
mm mm 19 mm 25 mm mm mm mm mm
Non-air-entrained concrete

25 to 50 207 199 190 179 166 154 130 113

75 to 100 228 216 205 193 181 169 145 124

150 to 175 243 228 216 202 190 178 160 -

Appropriate amount of entrapped air in non-air-entrained

3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.3 0.2
concrete, percent
Air-entrained concrete

25 to 50 181 175 168 160 150 142 122 107

75 to 100 202 193 184 175 165 157 133 119

150 to 175 216 205 197 184 174 166 154

-
Recommended average total air content, percent, for level of
exposure:

Mild exposure 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0

Moderate exposure 6.0 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0

Severe exposure 7.5 7.0 6.0 6.0 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.0
 Minimum Requirements of Cementing
Materials for Concrete Used in Flatwork

Nominal maximum
Cementing materials,
size of aggregate,
Kg/m3 (lb/yd3)*
mm (in.)

37.5 (11/2) 280 (470)

25 (1) 310 (520)

19 (3/4) 320 (540)

12.5 (1/2) 350 (590)

9.5 (3/8) 360 (610)

Bulk Volume of Coarse Aggregate Per Unit
Volume of Concrete

Bulk volume of dry-rodded coarse

Nominal maximum aggregate per unit volume of concrete for
size of aggregate, different fineness moduli of fine
mm (in.) aggregate
2.40 2.60 2.80 3.00
9.5 (3/8) 0.5 0.48 0.46 0.44
12.5 (1/2) 0.59 0.57 0.55 0.53
19 (3/4) 0.66 0.64 0.62 0.6
25 (1) 0.71 0.69 0.67 0.65
37.5 (11/2) 0.75 0.73 0.71 0.69
50 (2) 0.78 0.76 0.74 0.72
75 (3) 0.82 0.8 0.78 0.76
150 (6) 0.87 0.85 0.83 0.81
Proportioning of Concrete Mixtures

• The design of concrete structures

involves the following:
1. The establishment of specific concrete
characteristics.
2. The selection of proportions of available
materials to produce concrete of required
properties, with the greatest economy.
 Methods of proportioning
• Weight proportioning method: simple and quick
for estimating mixture proportions using an
assumed or known weight of concrete per unit
volume.
• Absolute volume method: a more accurate
method which involves use of relative density
(specific gravity) values for all the ingredients
to calculate the absolute volume each will
occupy in a unit volume concrete. This
method will be illustrated.
• Based on field experience (statistical data) or
on trial mixtures.
Before starting the calculations, the following background data should
be gathered:
• Sieve analysis of fine and coarse aggregate; fineness
modulus.
• Dry-rodded unit weight of coarse aggregate.
• Bulk specific gravity of materials.
• Absorption capacity, free moisture in the aggregate.
• Variations in the approximate mixing water requirement
with slump, air content, and grading of the available
aggregates.
• Relationships between strength and w/c ratio for
available combinations of cement and aggregate.
• Job specifications if any [e.g., maximum w/c ratio,
minimum air content, minimum slump, maximum size of
aggregate, and strength at early ages (normally at 28-
day strength is specified)].
• Regardless of whether the concrete characteristics are
prescribed by the specifications or left to the mix
designer, the mix proportions (mix weights) in kilograms
per cubic meter of concrete can be computed in the
following sequence: