Tong Sanduo 1
The Special Features of Cement Standards in China
REFERENCE: Sanduo, T., "The Special Features of Cement Stan-
dards in China," Cement, Concrete, and Aggregates, CCAGDP, Vol,
15, No. 2, Winter 1993, pp. 165-169.
ABSTRACT: A large amount of blended cement, special cement,
and shaft kiln manufactured cement is produced in China. These
cements form the basis for China's cement standards. These standards
have many special features and constitute a unique cement standard
system. The standard cements are divided into three groups: common
cement, special performance cement, and special purpose cement.
As common cements, which include ordinary portland cement, port-
land blast-furnace cement, portland pozzolana cement, and portland
composite slag cement, etc., the required and allowable blended
materials incorporated in their specifications are somewhat like those
in the European cement standard EN V 197, but some kinds of
metallurgical slags are allowed into composite portland cement to
make good use of industrial wastes, and a series of strength grades
(including type R, which have higher early strength criteria) are stip-
ulated for satisfying the various technical level of cement production
and the different construction requirements. As to the special per-
formance cement group, there are several series of cements such as
portland cement, aluminatc cement, sulfo-aluminate cement, and ferro-
aluminate cement, etc. The specifications for these cements are char-
acteristic of their performance requirements: moderate-heat portland
cement stipulates the criteria for heat of hydration; rapid-hardening
aluminate cement defines criteria for strength within three days; ex-
pansive sulfo-aluminate cement requires criteria for rate of expansion;
and self-stressing ferro-aluminate cements need criteria for self-stressing
values, etc. In addition, oil well cement and masonry cement, etc.,
belong in the special purpose cement group.
A graphical standards system is presented which includes funda-
mental standards, product standards, and test method standards.
Owing to the different strength of the test methods, the cement
strength value cannot be compared between different countries. The
author suggests an international cooperative test program be orga-
nized for establishing the interrelation of mortar strength between
different testing methods and the ISO method to facilitate interna-
tional trade and to exchange information.
KEYWORDS: cement, cement standards--China, the cement industry
The cement industry has d e v e l o p e d rapidly in China in the last
ten years. C e m e n t output reached 240 million tons in 1991. There
are three main features of Chinese cement production: (1) many
cement enterprises (about 6000 p l a n t s ) - - m o r e than 90% of the
plants are equipped with shaft kilns; (2) a great variety of ce-
m e n t s - a b o u t 30 types of special cements are produced; (3) a
high proportion of blended materials in c e m e n t - - u p to 20% of
the total cement output on average, i.e., 50 million tons of blended
materials, are incorporated in the cement.
Based on the above facts, the cement standards in China must
suit various features of production (size, techniques, and prod-
'Chief engineer, Standardization Institute, the State Administration
Building, Materials and Industries, Guanzhuang, Beijing, China 100024.
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ucts), satisfy the needs of different building construction, and be
applicable to international trade. Thus, cement standards in China
have their own characteristics and are internationally inter-
changeable as well.
Unique C e m e n t Standard System
T h e r e are more than 100 national and professional standards
for c e m e n t in China. In o r d e r to better develop these standards,
a cement standard system has been formulated. The frame of the
system is graphically presented in Fig. 1. Basic standards, test method
standards, and product standards are arrayed in three levels in the
system. Product standards are arranged in the base level w h e r e
the c e m e n t standards are divided into three groups, i.e., c o m m o n
cement, special p e r f o r m a n c e cement, and special purpose ce-
ment. Standards with wider coverage are placed in higher levels.
Basic standards are on the top level. The test m e t h o d standards
are arrayed mainly on the second level. The purpose of the
cement standard system is to guide us to d e v e l o p and revise
standards more scientifically, reasonably, and comprehensively.
Composition of C o m m o n Cement
Portland cement, ordinary portland cement, portland blast-
furnace slag cement, portland pozzolana cement, portland fly ash
cement, and portland composite c e m e n t are cements, which are
used in general construction. The composition of these c o m m o n
cements is defined in Chinese national standards: G B 1 7 5 - 9 2 -
portland cement and ordinary portland cement; G B 1 3 4 4 - 9 2 -
portland blast-furnace slag c e m e n t , portland pozzolana c e m e n t ,
and portland fly-ash cement; G B 1 2 9 5 8 - 9 1 - - p o r t l a n d composite
cement. These c o m m o n cement types are summarized in Table
1. These standards can be c o m p a r e d to corresponding standards:
C E N - - p r e - s t a n d a r d s c e m e n t composition specification and con-
formity criteria ( E N V 197); A S T M Specification for Portland
C e m e n t (C 150); A S T M Specification for B l e n d e d Hydraulic
C e m e n t s (C 595); JIS R 5 2 1 0 - - p o r t l a n d c e m e n t ; JIS R 5 2 1 1 - -
blastfurnace slag c e m e n t ; JIS R 5 2 1 2 - - p o z z o l a n a c e m e n t ; JIS
R 5 2 1 3 - - f i y - a s h cement; F O C T 1 0 1 7 8 - - p o r t l a n d c e m e n t and
blast-furnace portland cement; F O C T 22266--sulfate-resisting
portland cement. These standards are listed in Table 2. It can
be seen that the classification and range of addition in the c e m e n t
types in the Chinese standards are somewhat like those in Eu-
ropean standards. Since large amounts of industrial waste slags
are discharged in China in which some kinds of metallurgical
slag have hydraulic or pozzolanic properties, standard G B 12958
specifies that those slags passing G B 12957 test m e t h o d for ac-
tivity of industrial waste slag may be incorporated into portland
9 1993 by the American Society for Testing and Materials
165
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166 CEMENT,CONCRETE, AND AGGREGATES

101.1 Basic Standards for Cement

101.1-1 101.1-2 101.1-3 101.1-4 101.1-5 101.1-6

Fundamental Fundamental Raw Energy Environmental Packaging
Standards Test Materials Related Protection Standards
Method Standards Standards Standards
Standards

i= |

201.2

I Standards for Common Cement Correlated Standards Cement Correlated Standards

I
301.1 Product Standards for Common Cement

301.1-1 301.1-2 301.1-3 301.1-4 301.1-5 301.1-6

Portland Ordinary Portland Portland Portland Portland
Cement Portland Blast- Pozzolana Fly-Ash Composite
Cement Furnace Cement Cement Cement
Cement

202.1 Specialized Standards for Special Purpose Cement

It 202.2 Correlated Standards

1
302.1 Product Standards for Special Purpose Cement

302.1-1 Oil Well Cement 302.1-2 Masonry Cement

203.1 Commonly or Particularly Used Standards

for Special Performance Cement
FI 203.2 Correlated Standards

303.1 Product Standards for Special Performance Cement

303.1 - 1 303.1-2 303.1-3 303.1-4 303.1-5 303.1-6

Portland Aluminate Sulfo- Ferro- Fluro- Non-Clinker
Cement Cement Aluminate Aluminate Aluminate and Less-
Series Series Cement Cement Cement Clinker
Series Series Series Cement

FIG. l -- Cement standards system.

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 SANDUO ON CURRENT TRENDS IN CEMENT STANDARDS 167

TABLE 1--Comrnon cement type and composition in Chinese national standards.

Proportion by Mass, %
Portland
Cement Granulated
Clinker Blastfurnace
Symbol Cement Type and Gypsum Slag Limestone Pozzolana Fly-Ash Kiln Dust

P.I Portland cement 100

P.II Portland cement 95 < ............. <5 ............. > . . . . . .
P.O Ordinary portland 85-94
< ................................ 6-15 .................................. >
cement
P.S Portland 30-80 20-70
blastfurnace slag < ............................... (<8)' .............................. >
cement
P.P Portland pozzotana 50-80 . . . . . . 20-50 . . . . . .
cement
P.F Portland fly-ash 60-80 . . . . . . . . . 20-40 . . .
cement
P.C Portland composite 5(/-85 < ............................... 15_50b ............................... > (<8)"
cement

"Limestone less than 10%.

bOther industrial waste slags can also be used.
"Additions can be substituted by the proportion in parentheses.

composite cement to make good use of industrial waste. The slags
applied in China and their specifications are listed in Table 3.
The Chemical, Physical, and Mechanical Requirements of
Common Cements
The chemical, physical, and mechanical requirements of com-
mon cements in the newly revised Chinese standard are given in
Tables 4 and 5. Obviously, the chemical and physical require-
ments are similar to most foreign standards, but the strength
grades are defined in a different way. Key elements of the strength
grades are the following: (1) a series of strength grades (including
type R, which have higher early strength criteria) are stipulated
for satisfying the various technical level of cement production
and different construction requirements; (2) different types of
cement have different strength grades; ( 3 ) 3 - d a y and 28 day
strengths are required for most types and grades of cement, but
for 7-day and 28-day strengths are specified for some lower grades
(less than 425) and 5 - 2 5 P.C cement.
Formulating Several Series of Special Performance Cement
In terms of the main hydraulic mineral, six series of special
p e r f o r m a n c e cements are formulated. Meanwhile, the various
p e r f o r m a n c e criteria within different levels are defined in stan-
dard G B 4 1 3 1 - - c e m e n t nomenclature. For instance:
1. Rapid h a r d e n i n g - - s t r e n g t h grade evaluated by 3-day com-
pressive strength.
2. Ultra rapid h a r d e n i n g - - s t r e n g t h grade evaluated by com-
pressive strength within 24 h.
3. M o d e r a t e h e a t - - h e a t of hydration at 3 days, less than 251
kJ/kg; at 7 days, less than 293 kJ/kg.
4. Low h e a t - - h e a t of hydration at 3 days, less then 197 kJ/
kg; at 7 days, less than 230 kJ/kg.
5. Minor e x p a n s i o n - - e x p a n s i o n rate at 1 day, more than 0.05%;
at 28 days, less than 0.50%.
6. E x p a n s i o n - - e x p a n s i o n rate at 1 day, m o r e than 0.10%; at
28 days, less than 1.0(1%.

TABLE 2--Addition ranges o f cements, %.

Standard
Cement Type GB CEN ASTM JIS FOCT

Portland cement 0 (1-5 0 0-5 0

(/-5 0-5
Portland slag cement (6-15)" 6-35 ([)-25) 5-30 (0-201
20-70 35-80 25-70 30-60 21-80
60-70
Portland pozzolana (6-15)" 6-28 (0-15) 5-10 (o-15)
cement 20-50 <40 15-40 10-20 20-40
20-30
Portland fly ash (6-15)" 6-28 ... 5-10
cement 20-4(I 10-20
20-30
Portland composite (8-10)" 8-35 . . . . . .
cement 15-50

"Defined as ordinary portland cement in GB 175-92.

hDefined as slag-modified portland cement and pozzolan-modified portland cement in ASTM C 595-89.
'Defined as portland cement with mineral materials in FOCT 10178-83.

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168 CEMENT, CONCRETE, AND AGGREGATES

T A B L E 3--Qualio' requirements of industrial waste slags.

Chemical Bulk Maximum
Standard Quality Composition, Weight, Grain
Designation Slag Coefficient % kg/L Size, mm

GB 6645-86 Granulated CaO + MgO + AI_,Os > 1.10 P205 < 3.5 < 1.30 <50
phosphorous SiO, + P_~O~
slag
JC 454-92 Granulated C a O + MgO +A1203 > 0.8 CaO > 20 <1.40 <50
calcium-enriched SiO_~
slag
JC 417-91 Granulated 28 days compressive strength Cr203 < 4.5 <1.30 <100
chromic-iron ratio > 0.8
slag
JC 418-91 Granulated blast- C a O + M g O + A I 2 0 3 > 0.9 MnO < 4.0 <0.80 <100
furnace SiO_, + MnO + TiO2 TiO2 < 25
titaniferous slag F < 2.0
YB/T 022-92 Steelmaking slag CaO . . . . . . . . .
> 1,8
SiO_, + P_,O~

T A B L E 4 - - C h e m i c a l and physical requirements.

Cement Type
Item P.I P.II P.O P.S P.P P.F P.C

Insoluble residue, max c~ 11.75 1.5

Loss on ignition, max ~/~ 3.11 3.5 5.ii
Sulfur trioxide (SO0, max % 3.5 3.5 3.5 4.'0 3".5 3'.5 3".5
Magnesium oxide (MgO), 5.(/ (in cement) , 5.0 (in clinker)
6.11 (cement passed ,--6.0 (cement passed
max %
autoclave test) autoclave test)
Alkalies (NaeO + Optional, 0.60 h)r low-
< optional
0.658KZO ), max c~ alkali cement ,
Fineness
Specific surface, M2/kg,
min 300 300 ...
Residue on 80-~m sieve,
max % . . . . . . 111 10 111 111 10
Time of setting
Initial set, min, not less
than 45 45 45 45 45 45 45
final set, min, not more
than 39(1 3911 600 61/1/ 61111 600 7211
Soundness
Le Chatelier, mm, max 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Autoclave expansion, c~,
max (when MgO > 5./1%) 11.8 11.8 11.5 11.5 0.5 0.5 1).5

T A B L E 5--Compressive strength requirements", MPA. T h e s p e c i a l p e r f o r m a n c e c e m e n t s d e v e l o p e d in C h i n a are listed

in T a b l e 6. T h e s p e c i f i c a t i o n s o f all t h e s e c e m e n t s h i g h l i g h t t h e i r
P.I & P.lI P.O P.S, P.P, P.F P.C All Types
Strength performance requirements.
Grade 3 days 3 days 3 days 7 days 3 days 7 days 28 days

275 ... 13.1t 27.5 Test Method for Strength of Cement Mortar and Its
325 12.0 ... 15.0 ... 18.5 32.5 Relationship to Other Standard M e t h o d s
425 16.0 21.0 24.5 42.5
425R 22.0 21 II 19.0 21 .0 42.5 C h i n e s e s t a n d a r d G B 177 T e s t M e t h o d for S t r e n g t h o f H y -
525 23.11 22.0 21.0 3~1".'5 52.5 d r a u l i c C e m e n t M o r t a r , is d i f f e r e n t f r o m o t h e r s t a n d a r d s . T h e
525R 27.11 26.1t 23.0 26 .0 ... 52.5 m a i n d i f f e r e n c e s a r e s h o w n in T a b l e 7. S i n c e t h e t e s t p a r a m e t e r s
625 28.11 27.11 62.5
625R 32.1"1 31 .(I 28.11 62.5 are different, the strength values can't be directly compared.
725R 37.0 72.5 A l t h o u g h 1SO 679 w a s p u b l i s h e d in 1989 as an i n t e r n a t i o n a l
s t a n d a r d , it w o u l d s e e m difficult for t h e s t a n d a r d to b e e s t a b -
"Flexure strength requirements are omitted. l i s h e d w o r l d w i d e in a s h o r t p e r i o d . So it is still n e c e s s a r y to

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 SANDUO ON CURRENT TRENDS IN CEMENT STANDARDS 169

TABLE 6 - - A series o f special performance cement.

Non-Clinker
and
Performance Portland Aluminate Sulfo-aluminate Ferro-aluminate Fluo-aluminate Less-Clinker

Rapid hardening ~/ ,/ ,/ ,j ,/
Ultra rapid hardening ,/ ,/ ,/
Rapid setting ,/ ,/
Non-shrinkage ,/
Minor expansion ~/ ,/ /
Expansion ,/ ,/ ~/ ~/
Self-stressing ,/ ,/ / ,/
High self stressing ,/
Moderate heat ,/
Low heat ,/ ~/
Sulfate resisting ,/ ,/ ,/ ,/
High temp resisting /
White ,/ ,/
Colored ,/ ,/ ~/

TABLE 7 - - M a i n parameters o f mortar strength test.

Standard
Designation GB 177 ISO 679 ASTMC 109 F OCT 310 JISR 5201

Cement sand ratio 1:2.5 1:3 1:2.75 1:3 1:2

Size of standard sand, mm 0.25-0.85 0.08-2.00 0.15-0.80 0.50-0.90 0.10-0.30
Water-cement ratio 0.44 0.50 0.485 0.40 0.65
0.46 (for P.P)
Flow of mortar, mm >116 ... 110 • 5 106-115 ...

TABLE 8--Compressive strength relation between various standard methods.

Correlation Number of Strength Standard
Coefficient, at 3, 7, 28 days, Deviation,
Empiric Formula r n S, MPa

Ylso - 1.06XGn - 6.1 0.98 90 3.04

YASTM = 0"75X{~B -- 3.4 0.95 63 2.88
YJ~s = 0.73XGB -- 7.2 0.94 87 3.40
Yvoc-r = 0.84X{m + 4.6 0.95 63 3.52

Where: X{~B compressive strength tested by Chinese standard method GB 177, MPa; Y~so, YASTM,
YJ~s, Yroc'l = compressive strength tested by ISO, ASTM, JIS, F OCT standard methods, respectively,
MPa.

establish the strength relationship between various standard
m e t h o d s to facilitate the increasingly developing international
trade and exchange of information.
A series of empirical formulas relating mortar compressive
strength using different standard methods have been established
by the C e m e n t Research Institute in China (Table 8).
In order to establish more reliable and precise relationships
b e t w e e n different standard methods, the author suggests that
A S T M C o m m i t t e e C-1 on cement set up an international co-
operative test program to organize related countries or m e m b e r s
to conduct the mortar strength test with their own standard meth-
ods. Their cement samples can be exchanged, and strengths of
the exchanged samples measured using the appropriate test method
in each country. T h e results can be collected and analyzed
statistically.
Referenced Documents
GB 6645-86: Granulated Electric Furnace Phosphorous Slag Used for
Cement Production
JC 454-92: Granulated Calcium-Enriched Slag Used for Cement Production
JC 417-91: Granulated Chromic-Iron Slag Used for Cement Production
JC 418-91: Granulated Blastfurnace Titaniferous Slag Used for Cement
Production
YB/T 022 92: Steelmaking Slag Used for Cement Production

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