Every value on ConcreteAdditives.net, from an ASTM C494 type to a dose in mL/100 kg or a CLP hazard line, comes from the body that issues it and is published with its edition, date and basis. Which body wins when two disagree, and how current is each number?
Five source tiers decide disagreements and six checks precede publication. ASTM C494/C494M-24 is active, ASTM C1017 is withdrawn (2022), and a dose of 7 to 391 mL/100 kg (0.1 to 6.0 fl oz/cwt) of cement or cementitious material is a typical product range, not a requirement. The same method applies to every page on concrete additives, from water reducers and fly ash to steel fibers and iron oxide pigments.
Which Primary Sources Supply the Values?#
Values come from the bodies that issue them: standards bodies (ASTM International, CEN, BIS, ACI), legal and hazard registers (EUR-Lex, ECHA, eCFR, OEHHA, PubChem) and agency or peer-reviewed reports. Table 1 lists each body and how its values are dated.
| Issuing body | What it supplies | How it is dated in copy | Example as written | Covered on this site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASTM International (store catalogue) | specifications, test methods, status | full designation with year; withdrawal year | "ASTM C494/C494M-24 (active)"; "ASTM C1017 (withdrawn 2022)" | ASTM C494 |
| CEN with national bodies (BSI and other catalogue records) | EN product and concrete standards | edition with amendments; harmonised status | "EN 934-2:2009+A1:2012, harmonised under Regulation (EU) No 305/2011" | EN 934-2 |
| BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) | IS specifications and codes | edition and reaffirmation year | "IS 9103:1999, reaffirmed 2018" | IS 9103 |
| ACI (American Concrete Institute) | building code, committee reports, terminology | document number with edition | "ACI CODE-318-25"; "ACI PRC-212.3-16 (formerly ACI 212.3R-16)" | ACI 212.3R |
| EUR-Lex | EU regulations | instrument, in-force and application dates | "Regulation (EU) 2024/3110, applies from 2026-01-08" | none |
| ECHA | CLP Annex VI entries, C&L notifications | "harmonised" or "notified", date checked | calcium chloride hazard line | none |
| eCFR and OSHA | US federal rules | CFR section and effective date | "29 CFR 1926.1153, effective 2016-06-23" | none |
| OEHHA | Proposition 65 list | list version date | "not listed (Proposition 65 list version 2026-07-31)" | none |
| PubChem | CAS number, formula, structure | date checked | "calcium nitrite, CAS 13780-06-8, not calcium nitrate, CAS 10124-37-5" | concrete additive chemistry |
| FHWA and TRB | agency reports, research records | report number and year | "FHWA-HRT-06-118 (Tanesi and Meininger 2007)" | none |
| Peer-reviewed journals and RILEM | study results | authors, journal or body and year in the sentence | n/a | none |
Standards and codes: ASTM, CEN, BIS and ACI#
A standard is cited by its full designation and the status shown in the issuing body's catalogue, such as ASTM C494/C494M-24 (active) or IS 9103:1999 (reaffirmed 2018). Amendments stay in the designation (EN 934-2:2009+A1:2012), as do ACI editions (ACI CODE-318-25).
Unauthorized copies of concrete admixture standards are never cited or linked. Every standard the site covers is listed under concrete admixture standards.
Regulations and hazard data: EUR-Lex, ECHA, eCFR, OEHHA and PubChem#
Rules are read in the official text and written with instrument, section and date, such as Regulation (EU) 2024/3110, which applies from 2026-01-08. A US federal rule carries its CFR section and effective date (29 CFR 1926.1153, 2016-06-23), and a Proposition 65 result carries the list version. ECHA decides EC numbers and CLP lines, PubChem CAS numbers and structure.
Agency reports and peer-reviewed studies#
A measured result is credited in the sentence to its report or study, with number or authors and year, such as FHWA-HRT-06-118 (Tanesi and Meininger 2007). A study result is never generalized into a requirement.
Manufacturer data sheets as single-product examples#
A data sheet, declaration of performance or safety data sheet describes one product, so it is cited only as the source of that product's value, never as a requirement. A range seen on two or more data sheets is written as a typical product range, and a data sheet never outranks a standard.
Which Source Wins When Two Sources Disagree?#
The issuing body wins: legal texts and official registers come first, standards and code bodies second, agency and industry guidance third, peer-reviewed studies fourth and manufacturer documents last. The tiers run in the order below.
- Legal texts and official registers: EUR-Lex, eCFR, ECHA, OEHHA.
- Standards and code bodies: ASTM, CEN, BIS, ACI, AASHTO.
- Agency and industry guidance: FHWA, NRMCA, the Concrete Society.
- Peer-reviewed studies, named by authors, journal and year.
- Manufacturer data sheets, labeled as one product's value.
A newer official text replaces an older value on every page. A value no higher source settles is left out.
How Is a Value Checked Before It Is Published?#
Each value passes six checks, from tracing it to the body that issues it to making it read the same on every page that states it.
- Trace the value to its issuing body.
- Match the source's unit, basis and test method.
- Confirm the edition and status in the issuing body's catalogue.
- Record the source, clause or table, and date checked.
- Align every page that states the same value.
- Leave out any value the issuing body does not confirm.
Where only requirement categories are confirmed, the page names categories, not numbers: ASTM C260/C260M-24 sets requirements for setting time, compressive and flexural strength and length change relative to a reference concrete.
How Is Each Value Written? Units, Basis, Editions and Dates#
Every value is written metric first with US units in parallel, with its basis and with the edition or date of its source. A dose reads "7 to 391 mL/100 kg (0.1 to 6.0 fl oz/cwt) of cement or cementitious material", converted from the source's own unit with 1 fl oz/cwt = 65.2 mL/100 kg and 1 kg/m³ = 1.6856 lb/yd³. Table 2 shows the rule for each value type.
| Value type | Rule | Example as written |
|---|---|---|
| Dose | unit and basis, metric first | "7 to 391 mL/100 kg (0.1 to 6.0 fl oz/cwt) of cement or cementitious material, typical product range" for air-entraining admixtures |
| Admixture amount limit | basis named by the standard | "not more than 5 % by mass of the cement content (EN 934-2:2009+A1:2012, 3.2.1)" |
| Code limit | code, edition, table, basis | "nonprestressed C2: 0.15 % water-soluble chloride by mass of cementitious materials; prestressed 0.06 % (ACI CODE-318-25 Table 19.3.2.1, as reproduced in NRMCA 2PE004-26)" |
| Standard requirement | standard, edition, table | "EN 934-2:2009+A1:2012 Table 5: total air 4 to 6 %" |
| Study result | study named in the sentence | "FHWA-HRT-06-118 (Tanesi and Meininger 2007): durability factor 14.4 % without air entrainment" |
| Edition status | full designation and status | "ASTM C1017 (withdrawn 2022, no replacement)"; "EN 206-1:2026 (supersedes EN 206:2013+A2:2021)" |
| Hazard line | harmonised or notified, never mixed | "Harmonised CLP Annex VI (index 017-013-00-2): Eye Irrit. 2, H319" for calcium chloride in concrete |
| Defined term | who defines it, with edition | "'concrete additive' is the site's umbrella term for admixtures, SCMs, fibers and pigments, not an ACI, ASTM or EN defined term" |
| Price | dated public-record range only | region, currency, unit and date; no undated figure |
| Market size | analyst estimates | estimate, publisher and year; never one figure as fact |
Bases differ by source, as the amount and chloride rows show. The admixture dosage calculator converts mL/100 kg, fl oz/cwt and % by mass of binder with the same factors.
Standard requirement, product value and study result#
A standard requirement binds every conforming product, a product value describes one product or a typical range across products, and a study result describes the mixes one study tested. EN 934-2:2009+A1:2012 Table 5 requires air at least 2.5 % by volume above the control mix, total air of 4 to 6 %, a spacing factor of at most 0.200 mm (0.0079 in) by EN 480-11 and 28-day compressive strength of at least 75 % of the control mix.
In FHWA-HRT-06-118 (Tanesi and Meininger 2007), non-air-entrained concrete reached a durability factor of 14.4 %, and mixes with a wood-derived air entrainer at 2.7 to 4.7 % air reached 85.7 to 93.5 %.
Current, superseded and withdrawn editions#
Every standard is written with the edition in force on the date checked, and a withdrawn or superseded edition is labeled as such. ASTM C494/C494M-24 is active, and ASTM C1017 is withdrawn (2022, no replacement).
EN 934-2:2009+A1:2012 stays current and cited under Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 while Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 applies. EN 206-1:2026 supersedes EN 206:2013+A2:2021, and how the 2026 edition changes concrete specification is set out under EN 206.
Harmonized and notified hazard classifications#
Every hazard line states whether it is harmonised or notified. Calcium chloride reads "Harmonised CLP Annex VI (index 017-013-00-2): Eye Irrit. 2, H319", while calcium nitrite has no Annex VI entry and no hazard class reaching a majority of ECHA C&L notifications, so its line points to the product SDS. Titanium dioxide has had no harmonised classification in force since the General Court annulment of 2022-11-23, upheld on 2025-08-01.
When Are Values Re-Checked?#
Values are re-checked whenever the issuing body acts, whether by ASTM revision, CEN revision, ACI code cycle, BIS reaffirmation, CLP adaptation, REACH or CPR act, OSHA rule or Prop 65 update. A changed value is changed on every page that carries it, and cost ranges are re-dated yearly. Table 3 lists triggers, not a calendar.
| Issuing body | Re-checked when | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ASTM | revision, reapproval or withdrawal, and before a standard page publishes | ASTM C1017 withdrawn 2022 |
| CEN and national bodies | revision, enquiry result, national adoption | EN 206-1:2026 superseding EN 206:2013+A2:2021; prEN 934-2 status code 30.98 (decision to reject), so EN 934-2:2009+A1:2012 stays current |
| ACI | code cycle and document revision | ACI CODE-318-25 removed exposure class F3 |
| BIS | revision or reaffirmation | IS 9103:1999 reaffirmed 2018 |
| EUR-Lex and ECHA | CLP adaptation, REACH amendment, CPR implementing or delegated act | Regulation (EU) 2024/3110 |
| OSHA and OEHHA | rulemaking, Prop 65 list update | Prop 65 list version 2026-07-31 |
| Manufacturer data sheets | data sheet revision | n/a |
| Cost ranges | yearly | each range carries its date |
How Do Readers Report an Error?#
Readers report an error to editorial@concreteadditives.net or through the contact form, the value is checked again against its primary source, and a confirmed error is corrected on every page that states it.
A report needs the page address, the value and the source checked. How corrections are marked is set out in the editorial policy.
Is the Methodology Independent of Manufacturers and Suppliers?#
Yes: no company pays for a value, a mention or a position on any page, no product or brand is ranked, and no supplier or provider is singled out.
A maker is named only as the source of one product's value and is never promoted. Independent suppliers and providers receive requests; none pays to appear here (editorial policy).
How requests are passed on and how independence is kept is set out in the editorial policy on independence and request disclosure.
What Lies Outside the Methodology?#
The methodology covers what producers, specifiers and contractors add to a concrete, mortar, grout or shotcrete batch: chemical admixtures, supplementary cementitious materials, fibers and integral pigments, with the standards, tests and special concretes built on them. Curing compounds, sealers, repair mortars, cement-mill additives and asphalt are not covered here.
Are the values engineering advice?#
No: the values are a dated reference, and a project confirms the current standard, the project specification and the product's own declaration before relying on them.
Does ConcreteAdditives.net test or certify admixtures?#
No: a product's ASTM C494 type or EN 934-2 conformity comes from its own test reports and declaration, and the site sells no product. Who publishes the site is set out under About ConcreteAdditives.net.
Why can a value differ from a product data sheet?#
A data sheet reports one product in its own test, edition and basis, while a standard sets the minimum for every conforming product, so the two numbers answer different questions.
Are admixture brands ranked on ConcreteAdditives.net?#
No: brands are not ranked or reviewed; a question about one product is answered by what the governing standard requires and where its data sheet declares it.
How is form data handled?#
Form data is kept for 24 months and can be deleted earlier on request. Details are in the privacy policy.