Designation: C331/C331M − 14

Standard Specification for

Lightweight Aggregates for Concrete Masonry Units1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation C331/C331M; 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.

1. Scope* C157/C157M Test Method for Length Change of Hardened

1.1 This specification covers lightweight aggregates in- Hydraulic-Cement Mortar and Concrete
tended for use in concrete masonry units when a prime C641 Test Method for Iron Staining Materials in Light-
consideration is to reduce the density of the units. weight Concrete Aggregates
C702 Practice for Reducing Samples of Aggregate to Testing
1.2 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units Size
are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in C1262 Test Method for Evaluating the Freeze-Thaw Dura-
each system may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each bility of Dry-Cast Segmental Retaining Wall Units and
system shall be used independently of the other. Combining Related Concrete Units
values from the two systems may result in non-conformance D75 Practice for Sampling Aggregates
with the standard. Some values have only SI units because the E11 Specification for Woven Wire Test Sieve Cloth and Test
inch-pound equivalents are not used in practice. Sieves
NOTE 1—Sieve size is identified by its standard designation in Speci-
fication E11. The alternative designation given in parentheses is for 3. Aggregate Types
information only and does not represent a different standard sieve size.
3.1 Three general types of lightweight aggregates are cov-
1.3 The text of this specification references notes and
ered by this specification, as follows:
footnotes which provide explanatory material. These notes and
3.1.1 Aggregates prepared by expanding, pelletizing, or
footnotes (excluding those in tables and figures) shall not be
sintering products such as blast-furnace slag, clay, diatomite,
considered as requirements of the standard.
fly ash, shale, or slate, and
3.1.2 Aggregates prepared by processing natural materials,
2. Referenced Documents
such as pumice, scoria, or tuff, and
2.1 ASTM Standards:2 3.1.3 Aggregates consisting of end products of coal or coke
C29/C29M Test Method for Bulk Density (“Unit Weight”) combustion.
and Voids in Aggregate
3.2 The aggregates shall be composed predominately of
C40 Test Method for Organic Impurities in Fine Aggregates
lightweight-cellular and granular inorganic material.
for Concrete
C114 Test Methods for Chemical Analysis of Hydraulic 4. Chemical Composition
Cement 4.1 Lightweight aggregates shall not contain excessive
C136 Test Method for Sieve Analysis of Fine and Coarse amounts of deleterious substances, as determined by the
Aggregates following limits:
C142 Test Method for Clay Lumps and Friable Particles in 4.1.1 Organic Impurities (Test Method C40)—Lightweight
Aggregates aggregates subjected to the test for organic impurities that
C151 Test Method for Autoclave Expansion of Hydraulic produce a color darker than the standard shall be rejected,
Cement unless it is demonstrated that the discoloration is due to small
quantities of materials not harmful to the concrete.
4.1.2 Staining (Test Method C641)—An aggregate produc-
1
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C09 on ing a stain index of 60 or higher shall be rejected when the
Concrete and Concrete Aggregates and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee deposited stain is found upon chemical analysis to contain an
C09.21 on Lightweight Aggregates and Concrete.
Current edition approved April 15, 2014. Published May 2014. Originally iron content, expressed as Fe2O3 equal to or greater than 1.5
approved in 1953. Last previous edition approved in 2010 as C331–10. DOI: mg/200 g of sample.
10.1520/C0331_C0331M-14.
2
4.1.3 Loss on Ignition (Test Methods C114)—Loss on igni-
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
tion of aggregates, consisting of end products of coal or coke
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on combustion, shall not exceed 12 %. Loss on ignition of other
the ASTM website. aggregates shall not exceed 5 %.

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

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 C331/C331M − 14
NOTE 2—Some aggregates may contain carbonates or water of hydra- not limited to the following: cement content, cement type, admixtures, and
tion that contribute to loss on ignition but may not affect the quality of the water content.
product. Therefore, when evaluating an aggregate, consideration should be
given to the material characteristics that cause the ignition loss.
5.2.3 Drying Shrinkage—Drying shrinkage of concrete
specimens prepared and tested in accordance with 8.6 shall not
5. Physical Properties exceed 0.10 %.
5.1 Lightweight aggregate under test shall meet the follow- 6. Sampling
ing requirements:
5.1.1 Clay Lumps and Friable Particles—The amount of 6.1 Sample lightweight aggregates in accordance with Prac-
clay lumps and friable particles shall not exceed 2 % by dry tice D75.
mass. 6.2 Reduce sample to test sizes in accordance with Practice
5.1.2 Grading—Aggregate grading shall be by mutual C702.
agreement between interested parties. See Appendix X1 for
aggregate grading guidance. 7. Number of Tests
5.1.3 Uniformity of Grading—To ensure reasonable unifor- 7.1 Tests on Aggregate—One representative sample is re-
mity in the gradation of successive shipments of lightweight quired for each test for organic impurities, staining, clay lumps,
aggregate, fineness modulus shall be determined on samples loss on ignition, grading, and bulk density.
taken from shipments at intervals stipulated by the purchaser. If
the fineness modulus of the aggregate in any shipment differs 7.2 Tests on Concrete Masonry Units—Three specimens are
by more than 7 % from that of the sample submitted for required for the test for popout materials.
acceptance tests, the aggregate in the shipment shall be
rejected, unless the supplier demonstrated that it will produce 8. Test Methods
concrete of the required characteristics. 8.1 Test for Popout Materials—Obtain test specimens by
5.1.4 Loose Bulk Density (Test Method C29/C29M)—The one of the following methods: (1) Whole concrete masonry
loose bulk density of lightweight aggregates shall conform to units, free of visible cracks or other structural defects; (2)
the requirements in Table 1 using a 14 L [1⁄2 ft3] measure. Portions of concrete masonry units cut from whole units and
5.1.5 Uniformity of Loose Bulk Density—The dry loose bulk having a surface area of at least 580 cm 2 [90 in.2]; (3)
density of lightweight aggregate shipments sampled and tested Specimens prepared as described in 8.6. Autoclave test speci-
shall not differ by more than 650 kg/m3 [3 lb/ft3] or 7 %, mens in accordance with Test Method C151. Visually inspect
whichever is greater, from that of the sample submitted for the autoclaved specimens for the number of popouts that have
acceptance tests, and shall not exceed the limits in Table 1. developed on the surface and report the average number of
5.2 Concrete specimens containing lightweight aggregate popouts per specimen.
under test shall meet the following requirements: 8.2 Test for Resistance to Freezing and Thawing—Test for
5.2.1 Popouts—Concrete specimens prepared and tested in resistance to freezing and thawing of manufactured concrete
accordance with 8.1 shall show no surface popouts. masonry units and related concrete units in accordance with
5.2.2 Resistance to Freezing and Thawing—When required, Test Method C1262.
the aggregate supplier shall demonstrate by test or proven field 8.3 Grading—Follow the procedures of Test Method C136
performance that the lightweight aggregate when used in except that the mass of the test sample for fine aggregate shall
manufactured concrete masonry units and related concrete be in accordance with Table 2. The test sample for coarse
units has the necessary resistance to freezing and thawing to aggregate shall consist of 2830 cm3 [0.1 ft 3] or more of the
perform satisfactorily in its intended use. material used for determination of bulk density. Mechanical
NOTE 3—Methods are available to evaluate the performance of manu- sieving of aggregate shall be for 5 min.
factured concrete masonry products made with lightweight aggregates.
For example, Test Method C1262 includes procedures for evaluating
8.4 Bulk Density (Loose) (Test Method C29/C29M)—The
manufactured concrete masonry units and related concrete units, but does aggregate shall be tested in an oven-dry condition utilizing the
not include criteria for determining compliance. Care should be used in shoveling procedure.
evaluating the results of Test Method C1262 or any other method since the
results are affected by other characteristics of the concrete mixture in
addition to the characteristics of the lightweight aggregate, including, but
TABLE 2 Mass of Sieve Test Sample for Fine Lightweight
Aggregates
TABLE 1 Maximum Bulk Density (Dry Loose) Requirements of Nominal Bulk Density (Loose)
of Aggregate Mass of Test
Lightweight Aggregates for Concrete Masonry Units Sample, g
3 3
Maximum Dry kg/m [lb/ft ]
Nominal
Loose Bulk Density 80–240 [5–15] 50
Size Designation
kg/m3 [lb/ft3] 240–400 [15–25] 100
Fine aggregate 1120 [70] 400–560 [25–35] 150
4.75 mm (No. 4) to 0 560–720 [35–45] 200
Coarse aggregate 880 [55] 720–880 [45–55] 250
9.5 to 2.36 mm (3⁄8 in. to No. 8) 880–1040 [55–65] 300
Combined fine and coarse aggregate 1040 [65] 1040–1120 [65–70] 350

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 C331/C331M − 14
8.5 Clay Lumps and Friable Particles in Aggregates, shall 8.6.3 Calculate the difference in length of the specimens,
be in accordance with Test Method C142. when removed from moist storage at an age of 7 days and at the
final measurement at the age of 100 days, to the nearest 0.01 %
8.6 Shrinkage of Concrete, shall be in accordance with Test of the effective gage length, and report as the drying shrinkage
Method C157/C157M, with the following exceptions: of the specimen. Report the average drying shrinkage of the
8.6.1 Prepare a concrete mix in the proportions of one part specimens tested as the drying shrinkage of the concrete.
portland cement to six parts combined aggregates, measured by
dry loose volume. Adjust the water content so as to produce a 9. Rejection
slump of 50 to 75 mm [2 to 3 in.] and thoroughly consolidate 9.1 Material that fails to conform to the requirements of this
the concrete in steel molds 50 by 50 by 285 mm [2 by 2 by 111⁄4 specification shall be subject to rejection. The reason for
in.]. The surface of the concrete shall be steel-troweled. rejection shall be reported to the producer or supplier promptly
and in writing.
8.6.2 Cure the test specimens in a moist condition for 7 days
at a temperature of 23 6 2 °C [73.5 6 3.5 °F] and a relative 10. Certification
humidity of not less than 95 %. Make the initial length 10.1 When specified in the purchase order or contract, a
measurements immediately after removal of specimens from producer’s or supplier’s certification shall be furnished to the
moist storage. Store the specimens in an atmosphere of 23 6 2 purchaser that the material was sampled and tested in accor-
°C [73.5 6 3.5 °F] and a relative humidity of 50 6 5 % for the dance with this specification and has been found to meet the
duration of the test. Make subsequent measurements at 28 and requirements. When specified in the purchase order or contract,
100 days. a report of the test results shall be furnished.

APPENDIX

(Nonmandatory Information)

X1. AGGREGATE GRADING GUIDE FOR CONCRETE MASONRY UNITS WITH LOWER DENSITIES

X1.1 Concrete masonry units with lower densities are TABLE X1.1 Suggested Total Aggregate Grading
manufactured with lightweight aggregate, with a blend of Sieve Size
Amount Retained On Each Sieve (Volume %)
lightweight aggregates, or a blend of lightweight and normal- (see Fig. X1.1 and A )

weight aggregates. Because the aggregates being blended may 9.5 mm (3⁄8 in.) 0-2
4.75 mm (No. 4) 0-10
come from several different sources, the proper combined 2.36 mm (No. 8) 15-35
aggregate grading (see Fig. X1.1 and Table X1.1) is important, 1.18 mm (No. 16) 15-35
and is one of the essential ingredients in producing quality 600 µm (No. 30) 5-20
300 µm (No. 50) 5-15
concrete masonry units. The combined aggregate grading 150 µm (No. 100) 5-15
range shown optimizes the particle size distribution which, in Pan 8-20
A
Volume % and mass % retained on each sieve are essentially equal when the
particle density of the retained fractions are approximately the same. Volumetric
analysis of particle sizes of blended aggregates composed of aggregates of
different densities is accomplished by considering the proportions of each
aggregate.

turn, optimizes the quality of the CMU in the following ways:

X1.1.1 Compactibility and high strengths are obtained with-
out excessive amounts of cementitious materials.
X1.1.2 Shrinkage is reduced by maximizing aggregate
packing.
X1.1.3 Water absorption and penetration are reduced be-
cause of improved compaction.
X1.1.4 Resistance to freezing and thawing is improved
because better compaction results in fewer interconnected
voids.
X1.2 Comments
X1.2.1 Keep particles retained on the 9.5 mm (3⁄8 in.) sieve
to a minimum. (“0” is optimum.) (Refer to Letter “A” in Fig.
FIG. X1.1 Suggested Total Aggregate Grading X1.1.)

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 C331/C331M − 14
X1.2.2 A uniform, fine textured surface is controlled by
limiting the material on 4.75 mm (No. 4) and 2.36 mm (No. 8)
sieves. (Refer to Letter “B” in Fig. X1.1.)
X1.2.3 A minimum of 8 % passing the 150 µm (No. 100)
sieve is desirable for green strength, moldability and compac-
tion. Less than 8 % is acceptable when using mixtures with
high cementitious material content. (Refer to Letter “C” in Fig.
X1.1.)

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

Committee C09 has identified the location of selected changes to this specification since the last issue,
C331–10, which may impact the use of this specification. (Approved April 15, 2014)

(1) Revised Section 8.2.

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