Guidance for Developing Performance Standards and Specifications for Concrete

The report argues that shifting from prescriptive 'recipe-based' concrete specifications to performance-based standards (PSS) is essential for scaling low-carbon concrete and meeting climate goals. It identifies key bottlenecks—specifically the lack of a standardized suite of tests for durability and workability—and proposes a collaborative model where project stakeholders (owners, engineers, contractors, and labs) use real-world projects as testbeds to gather data. The document outlines specific roles for each stakeholder, provides case studies from DOTs and private firms, and suggests starting points for testing strength, durability, and workability to build a robust, industry-wide PSS.

• Performance standards and specifications (PSS) focus on desired properties rather than specific recipes, which allows for the use of low-carbon concrete mixes that could reduce sector emissions by 25% or more.
• The adoption of PSS in the United States is hindered by two primary bottlenecks: the absence of a comprehensive suite of specifications to guarantee performance when composition is not specified, and a lack of tests that consistently predict long-term durability and workability.
• Developing a robust PSS requires a collaborative effort across the value chain, where real-world projects serve as trials to correlate test results with field performance. This includes roles for owners to fund trials, structural engineers to guide test selection, and third-party labs to conduct newly specified tests.
• Case studies demonstrate the viability of PSS trialing: the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center used field data to inform AASHTO’s R101 standard; a Midwest data center project used real-time sensors and 56-day strength gain tests; and the MnROAD facility in Minnesota tested 16 low-carbon mixtures using a comprehensive test matrix.
• To fully specify concrete by performance, the industry must develop and trial tests across three main categories: strength (e.g., set-time, 28- or 56-day strength), durability (e.g., permeability, freeze-thaw resistance, carbonation), and workability (e.g., flowability, rheological properties).
• While full PSS are developed, the industry can achieve immediate carbon reductions by making 'common-sense' prescriptive switches, such as moving to specify concrete by exposure and durability classes rather than blanket water-cementitious (w/cm) ratios.

APA

RMI (2024). Guidance for Developing Performance Standards and Specifications for Concrete. https://rmi.org/resources/guidance-for-developing-performance-standards-and-specifications-for-concrete/

Chicago

RMI. Guidance for Developing Performance Standards and Specifications for Concrete. 2024. https://rmi.org/resources/guidance-for-developing-performance-standards-and-specifications-for-concrete/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Guidance for Developing Performance Standards and Specifications for Concrete |date=16 December 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/guidance-for-developing-performance-standards-and-specifications-for-concrete/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2024guidance, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Guidance for Developing Performance Standards and Specifications for Concrete}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/guidance-for-developing-performance-standards-and-specifications-for-concrete/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }