This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles

for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

Designation: C989/C989M − 24

Standard Specification for

Slag Cement for Use in Concrete and Mortars1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation C989/C989M; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year
of original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.
A superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense.

1. Scope* mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical

1.1 This specification covers slag cement for use as a Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
cementitious material in concrete and mortar. 2. Referenced Documents
NOTE 1—The material described in this specification may be used to 2.1 ASTM Standards:3
produce a blended cement meeting the requirements of Specification
C595/C595M or as a separate ingredient in concrete or mortar mixtures.C109/C109M Test Method for Compressive Strength of
Hydraulic Cement Mortars (Using 50 mm [2 in.] Cube
The material may also be useful in a variety of special grouts and mortars,
Specimens)
and when used with an appropriate activator, as the principal cementitious
material in some applications. C114 Test Methods for Chemical Analysis of Hydraulic
NOTE 2—Information on technical aspects of the use of the material Cement
described in this specification is contained in Appendix X1, Appendix X2,
C125 Terminology Relating to Concrete and Concrete Ag-
and Appendix X3. More detailed information on that subject is contained
in ACI 233R.2 gregates

iTeh Standards
1.2 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units
are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in
C150/C150M
C185 Test
Mortar
Specification for Portland Cement
Method for Air Content of Hydraulic Cement

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each system are not necessarily exact equivalents; therefore, to
ensure conformance with the standard, each system shall be
used independently of the other, and values from the two
C188 Test Method for Density of Hydraulic Cement
C204 Test Methods for Fineness of Hydraulic Cement by
systems shall not be combined. Document Preview
1.3 The text of this standard references notes and footnotes
Air-Permeability Apparatus
C430 Test Method for Fineness of Hydraulic Cement by the
45-µm (No. 325) Sieve
that provide explanatory information. These notes and foot- C465 Specification for Processing Additions for Use in the
notes (excluding those in tables) shall not beASTM C989/C989M-24
considered as Manufacture of Hydraulic Cements
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requirements of this standard. C595/C595M Specification for Blended Hydraulic Cements
1.4 The following safety hazards caveat pertains only to the C670 Practice for Preparing Precision and Bias Statements
test methods described in this specification. This standard does for Test Methods for Construction Materials
not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, C1012/C1012M Test Method for Length Change of
associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this Hydraulic-Cement Mortars Exposed to a Sulfate Solution
standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environ- C1038/C1038M Test Method for Expansion of Hydraulic
mental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory Cement Mortar Bars Stored in Water
limitations prior to use. C1437 Test Method for Flow of Hydraulic Cement Mortar
1.5 This international standard was developed in accor- C1778 Guide for Reducing the Risk of Deleterious Alkali-
dance with internationally recognized principles on standard- Aggregate Reaction in Concrete
ization established in the Decision on Principles for the D3665 Practice for Random Sampling of Construction Ma-
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom- terials
3. Terminology
1
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C09 on
Concrete and Concrete Aggregates and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee
3.1 Definitions—For definitions of terms used in this
C09.27 on Slag Cement. specification, refer to Terminology C125.
Current edition approved Feb. 1, 2024. Published March 2024. Originally
approved in 1982. Last previous edition approved in 2022 as C989/C989M – 22.
3
DOI: 10.1520/C0989_C0989M-24. For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
2
ACI 233R Guide to the Use of Slag Cement in Concrete and Mortar. Available contact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTM
from American Concrete Institute (ACI), P.O. Box 9094, Farmington Hills, MI Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
48333-9094, http://www.concrete.org. the ASTM website.

*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States

1
 C989/C989M − 24
4. Classification TABLE 2 Chemical Requirements
Sulfide sulfur (S), max, % 2.5
4.1 Slag cement is classified by performance in the slag
activity test in three grades: Grade 80, Grade 100, and Grade
120 (see Table 1).
9. Sampling
5. Ordering Information 9.1 The following sampling and testing procedures shall be
5.1 The purchaser shall specify the grade of slag cement used by the purchaser to verify compliance with this specifi-
desired and the optional chemical or physical data to be cation (Note 4).
reported. NOTE 4—The sampling procedure is not intended for the purpose of
process control.
6. Additions
9.2 Take random grab samples either from a delivery unit or
6.1 Slag cement covered by this specification shall contain at some point in the loading or unloading process so that no
no additions except as follows: sample represents more than 115 Mg [125 tons] (Note 5). If
6.1.1 It is permissible to add calcium sulfate to slag cement samples are taken from rail cars or trucks, take at least two
provided it has been demonstrated by Test Method C1038/ separate 2 kg [5 lb] portions and thoroughly mix them to obtain
C1038M that a test mixture will not develop expansion in a test sample (Note 6). Sample by removing approximately a
water exceeding 0.020 % at 14 days. In the test mixture, 50 % 300 mm [12 in.] layer of slag cement. Make a hole before
of the mass of portland or portland-limestone cement shall be obtaining a sample to avoid dust collector material that has
replaced by an equal mass of slag cement. The cement used in discharged into the delivery unit after the predominant slag
the test mixture shall meet the requirements of Specification cement flow has ceased. Sample at a rate of one sample per
C150/C150M Type I or Type II or Specification C595/C595M month or one sample for each 2300 Mg [2500 tons] of
Type IL. When the manufacturer supplies cement under this shipments, whichever is more frequent.
provision, upon request, supporting data shall be supplied to
the purchaser. NOTE 5—Standard statistical procedures are recommended for ensuring
that samples are selected by a random procedure; see Practice D3665.

iTeh Standards
6.1.2 When processing additions are used in the manufac- These procedures can be used to select the days within a month or within
ture of slag cement, the maximum amount used shall comply a week that samples will be taken. The delivery unit or time of day then
with the requirements of Specification C465 when tested using should be chosen randomly.

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a blend that is 50 % slag cement and 50 % portland or
portland-limestone cement by mass.
NOTE 6—The quantity of sample specified is more than adequate for the
testing required. A 2 kg [5 lb] portion should be retained in a sealed
container for retesting if that is considered necessary to verify compliance.
7. Chemical Composition Document Preview
10. Test Methods
7.1 Slag cement shall conform to the chemical requirements 10.1 Slag-Activity Tests with Reference Cement:
prescribed in Table 2 (see Note 3).
NOTE 3—Sulfur in granulated blast-furnace slag isASTM C989/C989M-2410.1.1 Slag activity shall be evaluated by determining the
present predomi-
compressive strength of reference cement mortars and the
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nantly as sulfide sulfur. In most cases, instrumental analyses, such as x-ray
fluorescence, cannot differentiate sulfide sulfur from sulfate. Determine corresponding mortars made with the same mass of a blend that
and report the sulfide sulfur content separately, and do not include it in the is 50 % slag cement and 50 % reference cement by mass.
SO3 calculations.
NOTE 7—Appendix X1 discusses the effects of cement, temperature,
8. Physical Properties and amount of slag cement used on performance with portland or blended
cement.
8.1 Slag cement shall conform to the physical requirements
10.1.2 Reference Cement—The cement used in the slag
of Table 1.
activity tests shall be the common reference cement supplied
by CCRL4 that complies with the standard chemical and
TABLE 1 Physical Requirements physical requirements of Specification C150/C150M, Type I or
Item Type II, or Specification C595/C595M Type IL, and with the
Fineness: additional requirements of total alkali content and compressive
Amount retained when wet screened on a 45-µm (No. 325) 20 strength limits as shown in Table 3. Alternatively, a portland
sieve, max % cement source meeting the standard chemical and physical
Specific surface by air permeability, Test Methods C204 shall ...
be determined and reported although no limits are required. requirements for a SpecificationC150/C150M, Type I or Type
Air Content of Slag Mortar, max % 12 II, or SpecificationC595/C595M Type IL, including the addi-
Average of Last Five Any Individual tional limits in Table 3, is permitted to be used. Sufficient
Consecutive Samples Sample cement shall be reserved to avoid changing reference cement
Slag Activity IndexA
28-Day Index, min %
Grade 80 75 70 4
The sole source of commercially available reference cement known to the
Grade 100 95 90 committee at this time is CCRL, 4441 Buckeystown Pike, Suite C; Frederick,
Grade 120 115 110 Maryland 21704; www.CCRL.us. If you are aware of alternative suppliers, please
A
7-Day Slag Activity Index shall be determined on Grades 100 and 120, and provide this information to ASTM International Headquarters. Your comments will
reported for informational purposes. receive careful consideration at a meeting of the responsible technical committee,1
which you may attend.

2
 C989/C989M − 24
TABLE 3 Alkali and Strength Limits of Reference Cement for Slag 10.1.6 Report—The report should include the following:
Activity Tests 10.1.6.1 Slag activity index, %,
Total Alkalies (Na2O + 0.658 K2O) min % 0.60 10.1.6.2 Compressive strength at 7 and 28 days, of slag
max % 0.90
Compressive Strength, MPa, min, 28 daysA 35 [5000 psi]
cement-reference cement mortar,
A
The minimum strength limit is based solely on the strength of the Test Method
10.1.6.3 Compressive strength at 7 and 28 days, of reference
C109/C109M mortar cubes, as required in Specification C150/C150M, regardless cement mortar,
of the strength of the flow-controlled Specification C989/C989M mortar cubes. 10.1.6.4 Total equivalent alkalies of the reference cement
(Na2O + 0.658 K2O),
10.1.6.5 Reference cement type (Type I, II, or IL(X), where
more often than every two months. After the initial testing to X is the target limestone content).
determine compliance with the compressive strength require- 10.1.7 Precision—The single and multilaboratory state-
ment of Table 3, the reference cement shall be re-qualified at ments are based on slag activity index tests using one slag
least every six months. cement, in duplicate, at 7 and 28 days after fabrication of
NOTE 8—Different reference cements may produce different Slag
samples. The same slag cement and CCRL reference cement
Activity Index results. Reference cement meeting the requirements of were used at each of 22 laboratories (Note 9).
10.1.2 is available from CCRL.5
NOTE 9—The precision of this test method was determined from an
10.1.3 Preparation of Specimens—Prepare mortars in accor- interlaboratory study (ILS) under the jurisdiction of ASTM Subcommittee
dance with Test Method C109/C109M, except that sufficient C09.27. The ILS program was conducted in 2015. Practice C670 was
followed for the design and analysis of the data. The details are given in
water shall be used in each batch to produce mortar at a flow
RR:C09-1048.6
of 105 to 115 % as defined in Test Method C1437. The
proportions of dry ingredients shall be as follows: 10.1.7.1 The single-laboratory standard deviation has been
Reference Cement Mortar: found to be 1.65 % at 7 days and 2.62 % at 28 days. Therefore,
500 g reference cement the slag activity indices of properly conducted tests based on
1375 g graded standard sand single batches of mortar mixed on the same day would not be
Slag Cement-Reference Cement Mortar: expected to differ by more than 4.6 % at 7 days and 7.3 % at
250 g reference cement
250 g slag cement
iTeh Standards 28 days in more than one case in 20.
10.1.7.2 The multilaboratory standard deviation has been

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1375 g graded standard sand found to be 6.88 % at 7 days and 4.78 % at 28 days Therefore,
10.1.3.1 Mix a reference cement batch each day that a slag the slag activity indices of properly conducted tests of single
cement-reference cement batch is mixed until at least five batches by different laboratories would not be expected to
Document Preview
batches have been mixed with the reference cement.
Thereafter, reference cement batches need not be mixed more
differ by more than 19.3 % at 7 days and 13.4 % at 28 days in
more than one case in 20.
often than once a week whenever slag cement is being 10.2 Slag Cement Density and Specific Gravity—Determine
produced or shipped. ASTM C989/C989M-24
in accordance with Test Method C188.
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10.1.4 Test Ages—Determine the compressive strength of 10.3 Amount of Slag Cement Retained on a 45-µm (No. 325)
mortar specimens at 7 and 28 days age in accordance with Test Sieve—Determine in accordance with Test Method C430.
Method C109/C109M.
10.1.5 Calculation—Calculate the slag activity index to the 10.4 Slag Cement Fineness by Air Permeability—Determine
nearest percent for both 7 days and 28 days as follows: in accordance with Test Methods C204.
Slag activity index, % 5 ~ SP/P ! × 100 (1) NOTE 10—In Test Methods C204, the applicable b is 0.9.

where: 10.5 Sulfate Ion in Slag Cement Reported as SO3—

Determine as sulfur trioxide in accordance with Test Methods
SP = average compressive strength of slag cement-reference
C114, except the sample need not be completely decomposed
cement mortar cubes at designated ages, MPa [psi], and
by acid.
P = average compressive strength of reference cement
mortar cubes at designated age, MPa [psi]. 10.6 Sulfide Sulfur in Slag Cement—Determine in accor-
The reference cement-mortar strength used to calculate a dance with Test Methods C114.
slag activity index shall, when a reference cement mortar is 10.7 Calcium Sulfate Expansion of Mortar—If calcium
mixed on the same day as a slag cement-reference cement sulfate is added to slag cement measure in accordance with
mortar, be the result for that batch. Otherwise, the average of Test Method C1038/C1038M.
tests of the five most recent reference cement-mortar batches 10.8 Chloride Content of Slag Cement—Determine in ac-
shall be used. cordance with Test Methods C114.
10.9 Air Content of Slag Cement Mortar—Determine in
5
The sole source of commercially available reference cement known to the accordance with Test Method C185, except use 350 g of slag
committee at this time is CCRL, 4441 Buckeystown Pike, Suite C; Frederick,
Maryland 21704; www.CCRL.us. If you are aware of alternative suppliers, please
6
provide this information to ASTM International Headquarters. Your comments will Supporting data have been filed at ASTM International Headquarters and may
receive careful consideration at a meeting of the responsible technical committee,1 be obtained by requesting Research Report RR:C09-1048. Contact ASTM Customer
which you may attend. Service at [email protected].