Designation: C 1328 – 05

Standard Specification for

Plastic (Stucco) Cement1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation C 1328; 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 (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

1. Scope C 183 Practice for Sampling and the Amount of Testing of

1.1 This specification covers two types of plastic cement for Hydraulic Cement
use in portland cement-based plasters for exterior (stucco) and C 185 Test Method for Air Content of Hydraulic Cement
interior application. Mortar
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the C 187 Test Method for Normal Consistency of Hydraulic
standard. Values in SI units shall be obtained by measurement Cement
in SI units or by appropriate conversion, using the Rules for C 188 Test Method for Density of Hydraulic Cement
Conversion and Rounding given in IEEE/ASTM SI 10, of C 219 Terminology Relating to Hydraulic Cement
measurements made in other units. C 266 Test Method for Time of Setting of Hydraulic-
1.3 The text of this standard refers to notes and footnotes Cement Paste by Gillmore Needles
that provide explanatory material. These notes and footnotes C 305 Practice for Mechanical Mixing of Hydraulic Cement
(excluding those in tables and figures) shall not be considered Pastes and Mortars of Plastic Consistency
as requirements of the standard. C 430 Test Method for Fineness of Hydraulic Cement by
1.4 The following safety hazards caveat pertains only to the 45-µm (No. 325) Sieve
Sections 14 and 15. This standard does not purport to address C 511 Specification for Mixing Rooms, Moist Cabinets,
all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is Moist Rooms, and Water Storage Tanks Used in the
the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish Testing of Hydraulic Cements and Concretes
appropriate safety and health practices and determine the C 778 Specification for Standard Sand
applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. C 926 Specification for Application of Portland Cement-
(Warning—Fresh hydraulic cementitious mixtures are caustic Based Plaster
and may cause chemical burns to skin and tissue upon C 1506 Test Method for Water Retention of Hydraulic
prolonged exposure.)2 Cement-Based Mortars and Plasters
IEEE/ASTM SI 10 Standard for Use of the International
2. Referenced Documents System of Units (SI) (the Modernized Metric System)
2.1 ASTM Standards: 3
3. Terminology
C 109/C 109M Test Method for Compressive Strength of
Hydraulic Cement Mortars (Using 2-in. or [50-mm] Cube 3.1 Definitions—Terms used in this specification are defined
Specimens) in Terminology C 219 and Specification C 926.
C 151 Test Method for Autoclave Expansion of Hydraulic 3.2 Definition of Term Specific to This Standard:
Cement 3.2.1 plastic cement—a hydraulic cement, primarily used in
portland cement-based plastering construction, consisting of a
mixture of portland or blended hydraulic cement and plasticiz-
1
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C01 on ing materials (such as limestone or hydrated or hydraulic lime),
Cement and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee C01.11 on Masonry together with other materials introduced to enhance one or
Cement. more properties such as setting time, workability, water reten-
Current edition approved September 15, 2005. Published October 2005. Origi-
nally approved in 1996. Last previous edition approved in 2003 as C 1328 – 03a. tion, and durability.
2
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 04.01. See the section on Safety 3.2.1.1 Discussion—The term “plastic” does not refer to the
Precautions in the Manual of Cement Testing.
3
inclusion of one or more organic components in the cement.
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
The cement is predominantly inorganic in chemical composi-
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on tion. The term “plastic” refers to the ability of the cement to
the ASTM website. impart to the plaster a high degree of workability, and for the

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

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 C 1328 – 05
plaster to remain workable or plastic for a period of time so autoclaving to the nearest 0.01 % of the effective gage length,
that, after initial application and floating on the wall, it can be and report as the autoclave expansion of the plastic cement.
reworked to obtain both densification and desired texture.
10. Time of Setting
4. Physical Properties
10.1 Determine the time of setting by the Gillmore needle
4.1 Plastic cement shall conform to the applicable require- method in accordance with Test Method C 266.
ments prescribed in Table 1.
11. Density
5. Sampling
11.1 Determine the density of the plastic cement in accor-
5.1 At the option of the purchaser, the cement shall be dance with Test Method C 188, using kerosine as the liquid.
sampled and tested to verify compliance with this specification, Use the density so determined in the calculation of the air
sampling and testing shall be performed in accordance with content of the plaster.
Practice C 183.
5.2 Practice C 183 is not designed for manufacturing quality 12. Blended Sand
control and is not required for manufacturer’s certification.
12.1 The sand shall be a blend of equal parts by weight of
6. Temperature and Humidity graded standard sand and standard 20–30 sand conforming to
6.1 The temperature and relative humidity of the air in the Specification C 778.
vicinity of the mixing slab and dry materials, molds, base
13. Preparation of Plaster
plates, and mixing bowl shall conform to the requirements of
Test Method C 109/C 109M. 13.1 Proportions for Plaster—Plaster for air entrainment,
6.2 The moist cabinet or moist room shall conform to the compressive strength, and water retention tests shall be pro-
requirements of Specification C 511. portioned to contain 1620 g of sand and a mass of cement, in
grams, as indicated in Table 2. The sand shall consist of 810 g
7. Fineness of graded standard sand and 810 g of 20–30 standard sand
7.1 Determine the residue on the 45-µm (No. 325) sieve in (Note 1). The quantity of water, measured in millilitres, shall
accordance with Test Method C 430. be such as to produce a flow of 110 6 5, as determined by Test
Method C 109/C 109M.
8. Normal Consistency
NOTE 1—Historically, field-mixed plaster has been proportioned by
8.1 Determine normal consistency by the Vicat apparatus in volume measured in increments or fractions of 1 ft3. The comparable
accordance with Test Method C 187. whole SI-unit volume to 1 ft3 is 28 L. The specified plaster proportions
approximate the 1:3 nominal proportions by volume, commonly specified
9. Autoclave Expansion for construction, on the basis of the following assumed mass and volume
9.1 Determine the autoclave expansion in accordance with relationships:
The mass of dry sand in 28 L of loose damp sand is 36 k.
Test Method C 151. After molding, store the bars in the moist 28 L of Type S Plastic (Stucco) cement has a mass of 35 kg.
cabinet or room for 48 h 6 30 min before removal from the 28 L of Type M Plastic (Stucco) cement has a mass of 42 kg.
molds for measurement and testing in the autoclave. Calculate For example, the amount of cement needed to provide a 1:3 volume
the difference in length of the test specimen before and after proportion of cement to sand using a Type S Plastic (Stucco) cement is:

TABLE 1 Physical Requirements

Plastic Cement Type S M
Fineness, residue on a 45-µm (No. 325) sieve, max,% 24 24
Autoclave expansion, max, % 1.0 1.0
Time of setting, Gillmore method:
Initial set, minutes, not less than 90 90
Initial set, minutes, not more than 1000 1000
Compressive strength (average of three cubes):
The compressive strength of mortar cubes, composed of 1 part cement and 3 parts blended sand
(half graded standard sand and half standard 20–30 sand) by volume, prepared and tested in accordance
with this specification, shall be equal to or higher than the values specified for the ages indicated below:
7 days, MPa (psi) 9.0 (1300) 12.4
(1800)
28 days, MPa (psi) 14.5 20.0
(2100) (2900)
Air content of mortar:
Min, volume% 8 8
Max, volume % 20 20
Water retention value, min, %, of original flow 70 70

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 C 1328 – 05
TABLE 2 Cement in Laboratory Batch of Plastic 15.2.1 Test the cube specimens immediately after their
Plastic (Stucco) Cement Type Mass of Cement, g removal from the moist cabinet or moist room for 7-day
S 525 specimens, and immediately after their removal from storage
M 630
water for all other specimens. If more than one specimen at a
time is removed from the moist cabinet or moist room for
7-day tests, cover these cubes with a damp cloth until the time
A 5 1620 3 ~C/B! 5 1620 3 ~35/108! 5 525 (1) of testing.
where: 15.2.2 The remainder of the testing procedure shall conform
A = number of grams of cement to be used in the mortar to Test Method C 109/C 109M.
with 1620 g of sand,
B = 3 3 36 = 108 kg, the mass of dry sand in 84 (or 16. Water Retention
3 3 28) L of loose damp sand, and 16.1 Water retention shall be determined in accordance with
C = mass of Type S Plastic (Stucco) cement per 28 L. the procedures in Test Method C 1506, except wherever the
13.2 Mixing of Plasters—Mix the plaster in accordance term “mortar” is used, read “plaster.”
with Practice C 305.
13.3 Determination of Flow—Determine the flow in accor- 17. Storage
dance with Test Method C 109/C 109M. 17.1 The cement shall be stored in such a manner as to
permit easy access for the proper inspection and identification
14. Air Entrainment of each shipment, and in a suitable weathertight building that
14.1 Procedure—If the plaster has the correct flow, use a will protect the cement from dampness and minimize ware-
separate portion of the plaster for the determination of en- house set.
trained air. Determine the mass of 400 mL of plaster in
accordance with Test Method C 185. 18. Inspection
14.2 Calculation—Calculate the air content of the plaster, 18.1 Adequate facilities shall be provided to the purchaser
and report it to the nearest 1 % as follows: for the necessary inspection and sampling.
D 5 ~W1 1 W2 1 Vw!/[~W1/S1! 1 ~W2/S2! 1 Vw# 18.2 All packages shall be in good condition at the time of
(2) inspection.
A 5 100 2 ~Wm/4D!
19. Rejection
where: 19.1 At the option of the purchaser, the cement shall be
D = density of air-free plaster, g/cm3, rejected if it fails to meet any of the requirements of this
W1 = mass of cement, g, specification.
W2 = mass of sand, g, 19.2 At the option of the purchaser, packages more than 2 %
Vw = mL-g of water used, below the mass marked thereon shall be rejected. At the option
S1 = density of cement, g/cm3, of the purchaser, the entire shipment represented shall be
S2 = density of standard sand, 2.65 g/cm3, rejected if the average mass of packages in any shipment as
A = volume percent of entrained air, and
shown by weighing 50 packages taken at random is less than
Wm = mass of 400 mL of plaster, g.
that marked on the packages.
15. Compressive Strength 19.3 At the option of the purchaser, cement remaining in
storage prior to shipment for a period greater than six months
15.1 Test Specimens: after testing shall be retested and, at the option of the
15.1.1 Molding—Immediately after determining the flow purchaser, shall be rejected if it fails to meet any of the
and mass of 400 mL of plaster, return all of the plaster to the requirements of this specification.
mixing bowl and remix for 15 s at the medium speed. Then
mold the test specimens in accordance with Test Method 20. Manufacturer’s Certification
C 109/C 109M, except that the elapsed time for mixing plaster,
20.1 Upon request of the purchaser in the contract or order,
determining flow, determining air entrainment, and starting the
a manufacturer’s report shall be furnished at the time of
molding of cubes shall be within 8 min.
shipment stating the results of the tests made on samples of the
15.1.2 Storage—Immediately after molding, store all test
material taken during production or transfer and certifying that
specimens in the molds on plane plates in a moist cabinet or
the applicable requirements of this specification have been met.
moist room for 48 to 52 h in such a manner that the upper
surfaces shall be exposed to the moist air. Then remove the 21. Packaging and Package Marking
cubes from the molds, and place them in the moist cabinet or
21.1 When plastic cement is delivered in packages, the
moist room for 5 days in such a manner as to allow free
brand, name of the manufacturer, net mass of the package in kg
circulation of air around at least five faces of the specimens. At
(see Note 2) shall be indicated plainly thereon. Similar infor-
the age of 7 days, immerse the cubes for the 28-day tests in
mation shall be provided in the shipping documents accompa-
saturated lime water in storage tanks of noncorrodible materi-
nying the shipment of plastic cement in bulk.
als.
15.2 Procedure: NOTE 2—To facilitate the change to SI units, a standard SI package size

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 C 1328 – 05
of 35 Kg for Type S and 42 Kg for Type M will provide convenient mass
increments reasonably similar to the traditional 77- and 94-lb packages.

22. Keywords
22.1 plaster; plastic cement; portland cement-based plaster;
stucco

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